LATHAM, N.Y. - The 2026 United East Men’s Volleyball Championship got underway Thursday evening as two teams punched their ticket to the semifinal round. Three-seeded Cairn University protected the home court with a sweep of #6 Neumann University while #5 Gallaudet University rallied to upset #4 Immaculata University, 3-1. 

The Highlanders and Bison will travel to #2 Wilson College and #1 Lancaster Bible College, respectively, for that next round. The semifinals will take place on Wednesday.

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#3 Cairn University def. #6 Neumann University, 3-0 (25-21, 25-10, 25-20) (BOX SCORE)

Despite the sweep, this match was bookended by some close competition. Eventually the Highlanders were able to snag the victory as all eight players who got on the court registered a kill. Sam Poirier and Justin Panaia led the way as they each registered eight while Nehamiah Clark was just behind them with seven. As a team, Cairn maintained a hitting percentage of .247. Aiding that effort was Josh Adler, who amassed 28 assists to go along with four aces.

Trey Edmonds was the bright spot for the Knights as he accrued seven kills to go along with a team-high five digs.
 

#5 Gallaudet University def. #4 Immaculata University, 3-1 (24-26, 25-20, 25-17, 25-22) (BOX SCORE)

This match was close right from the get go as extra points were needed by the Mighty Macs to take the first set. The Bison bounced back though to take the next three in large part to Zachry Bippus’ 17 kills. He was aided by Kodi Lee who racked up 12 kills on the evening. Troy Holcomb was distributing the ball well as he piled up 37 assists.

Luke Dortenzo matched Holcomb’s efforts on the other side of the net as he also reached 37 helpers. Most of his assists came via Josh McGurl, who led all players with 21 kills.

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The United East boasts 14 NCAA Division III full member institutions which include: Cairn University, Cedar Crest College, Gallaudet University, Keystone College, Lancaster Bible College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Harrisburg, St. Mary's College of Maryland, University of Valley Forge, and Wilson College. For more information, please visit gounitedeast.com.