MVB: Lasers Headline Major Award Winners; All-Conference Teams Announced
Winthrop, Mass. - The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced its 2026 Men’s Volleyball All-Conference Teams and major award winners on Sunday Afternoon. Lasell had the most selections on the All-Conference teams this year with six.
Voting was conducted by the league’s eight men’s volleyball head coaches following the regular season and did not take postseason play into account.
Lasell had three student-athletes claim major award honors as Jasper Schultz collected Offensive Player while his teammate Ryan Mesnik took home both Libero and Def. Player of the Year honors. Branch Barnes also took home Rookie of the Year honors for the Lasers. Wentworth's Brayden Green was named Setter of the Year. Lasell's head coach Jeff Vautrin earned Coach of the Year honors while Dean College took home the Institutional Sportsmanship Award for the third year in a row.
The full list of All-Conference honorees and the representatives on the All-Sportsmanship Team can be viewed below.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jasper Schultz, Lasell
Jasper Schultz was a force on the attack at the net, collecting 316 kills for third in the league for overall play and placing second in kills per set with 3.95 with 84 in conference play and 4.67 per set (third-best in league) on a .344% attack percentage in conference play (.260 overall). Schultz had double-digit kills in 16 of his 24 appearances, stepping in as the offensive leader in big-time matches against nationally-ranked opponents including 21 against SUNY Poly, 18 against Stevens, 16 against Messiah, 15 against MIT, and 31 against Wentworth. Schultz was named Off. Player of the Week three times this season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER/LIBERO OF THE YEAR
Ryan Mesnik, Lasell
Ryan Mesnik made his defensive presence felt for the Lasers this past season at the libero spot. The sophomore totaled 227 digs on the season at 2.47 per set (second in the league), collecting 55 and 2.62 per set, which were good for third in the league. Mesnik was the anchor for a defense that was amongst the nation's best at the net as he had multiple 10+ dig matches including 15 against no. 5 nationally-ranked Stevens, 13 and 19 against Wentworth, 11 against MIT, and 15 against Hobart. Mesnik was named to the All-Tournament team for his 19 dig performance in yesterday's championship match and was named Def. Player of the Week once this season.
SETTER OF THE YEAR
Brayden Green, Wentworth
Brayden Green facilitated a Wentworth offense that ranked top-two in the league amongst most offensive categories in the conference as the senior setter totaled 744 assists on the year with an 8.55 assists per set average, averaging 10.43 per set in conference play. Green delivered amongst some of the nation's best such as collecting 52 and 44 against MIT, 46 against Lasell, 39 against Cal Lutheran, 29 against Stevens, and a career-high 53 against top-ranked Springfield College. Green was named to the All-tournament team after a 51 assist performance in the Leopards' championship victory over Lasell and the senior was named Setter of the Week once this season.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Branch Barnes, Lasell
Branch Barnes stepped in as a critical part to the nationally-ranked Lasers, displaying versatility on both sides of the net. Barnes chipped in his offensive share in Lasell's 6-2 formation as the freshman notched 94 assists in conference play on a 5.22 assists per set average, which was top-10, collecting 342 total on the season. He also collected 30 service aces on the year (fourth in league) with seven in conference play. Defensively, he was just as impressive as he totaled 57 blocks on the season, playing a role in a defense that ranked amongst some of the best in DIII at blocks. Barnes was selected as Rookie of the Week two times this year.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jeff Vautrin, Lasell
Jeff Vautrin earns his first Coach of the Year honors after he led the #14 nationally-ranked Lasers to an undefeated season in GNAC play at 7-0 with a 21-7 overall record. Lasell earned the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championship Tournament, guiding his squad to the conference title match. They stayed in the national spotlight throughout the season as they were ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III MVB Poll all year. The Lasers found themselves amongst the top five in the league in almost every category including a league-best 907 kills in conference play (9.65 per set, good for second) and 290 assists in conference play as well (11.60 average) while having a strong defensive presence as well with 253 digs (10.12 per set), which was good for third in the league and 2.14 blocks per set in overall play, which placed them amongst the elite nationally in the top-15.
2026 Men's Volleyball All-GNAC Teams
Major Awards
Off. Player of the Year- Jasper Schultz, Lasell
Def. Player/Libero of the Year- Ryan Mesnik, Lasell
Setter of the Year- Brayden Green, Wentworth
Rookie of the Year- Branch Barnes, Lasell
Institutional Sportsmanship Award- Dean College
Coach of the Year- Jeff Vautrin, Lasell
First Team All-Conference
Jasper Schultz, Lasell
Alem Dubcak, Wentworth
Trey Guest, Emmanuel
Tyler Dickinson, Rivier
Paten Buckwalter, Lasell
Connor Foxwell, Wentworth
Brayden Green, Wentworth
Ryan Mesnik, Lasell
Second Team All-Conference
Nick Uschmann, Elms
Branch Barnes, Lasell
Jalen Watt, Regis
Nicolai Bell, Wentworth
Matthew McCloskey, Rivier
Teddy Teraszkiewicz, Lasell
Trystan Maloney, Lasell
Mekhi Burns, Wentworth
All-Sportsmanship Team
Arthur Felicio, Dean
Algenis Sanchez, Elms
Semaj Byrd, Emerson
Nicholas Sciabica, Emmanuel
Eric Chan, Lasell
John Nangle, Regis
Wilfredo Castillo, Rivier
William Biggs, Wentworth
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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