Elgin, IL – After falling 26-28 in set one, Judson University responded to win the next three sets on their home floor to take match one of the best of three series in the 2026 NCCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. Judson takes their one match lead into tomorrow with a chance to win the series at 10:30 a.m. CT. An if necessary game is also scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT. View all 2026 NCCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship results and match times at the tournament page here.

Match One: #2 Judson University – 3 #1 Redeemer University – 1 (26-28, 25-16, 25-17, 27-25)

• Both sides had to knock off some early rust at the service line, as Judson University had not played in 10 days, while Redeemer University had not played in over two months due to the Canadian schedule. 
• After Redeemer got out to a three-point advantage, Grant Shipley would record the strongest kill of the early going for the Eagles tying set one at eight.
• First year standout Jeremiah Zomerman responded immediately for Redeemer with a kill tooled off the block to help put the Royals get back on top by three, 14-11.  
• Judson refused to give in, taking their first lead since 1-0 after a huge block and service ace from Reese Thompson. Redeemer would use the first timeout of the match, trailing 22-21. 
• Redeemer would survive a pair of Judson set points to earn their first set point of the match on Jeremiah Zomerman’s fifth kill. After Judson survived the first set point, an attack error would give Redeemer the 28-26 set one victory. Jeremiah Zomerman led Redeemer with five first set kills and an .833 hitting percentage.
• In set two, Judson would respond well after seeing the first set slip away. Jacob Smith and Oracio Martinez would combine for a block between two Mason Snodgrass aces to help the Eagles go on a 5-0 run and get out to a 9-5 advantage. 
• Judson continued to grow their set two advantage behind the offense of Mason Snodgrass. The Eagles would increase their lead to eight at 19-11 before Redeemer would use their final timeout.
• Grant Shipley would record the set point kill for Judson to even the match at one and give the Eagles the dominant 25-16 set two victory. 
• The Mason Snodgrass show continued in set three, recording his 11 kill of the match to give the Eagles a 6-5 advantage. 
• Neither side could garnish a lead larger than two for the majority of set three. Judson would be the first to a three-point edge after kills from Reece Thompson and Mason Snodgrass. Redeemer would use their first timeout of the set trailing 17-14. 
• Mason Snodgrass would dominate the serve down the stretch of set three to help the Eagles record a 7-1 run to take the set 25-17. 
• Redeemer, in an effort to keep the match alive, got off to a great start at the service line. Ben Brouwer, Simon Bourne, and Isaac Vreugdenhil all recorded aces to help the Royals to get out to a 10-4 set four advantage. 
• After the Judson timeout Mason Snodgrass would help get the Eagles back in the set. Scoring six straight from the service line, Judson would tie set four at 10. 
• Redeemer refused to quit, as Ben Brouwer recorded a huge pancake dig that led to a Jeremiah Zomerman kill to put the Royals back in front 16-14. 
• Judson would respond as they had all match, highlighting a 6-1 run with a block by Mason Snodgrass that just hit inside the line to give them the lead back at 19-17. 
• The back and forth continued as Ben Brouwer recorded Redeemer’s fifth ace of the fourth set to give them set point at 24-23 and force Judson into a timeout. 
• Judson survived set point and would earn their first match point on a Mason Snodgrass kill. Reece Thompson would then end it, recording a kill to give the Eagles the 27-25 set four victory. Judson now just needs to win one of two tomorrow to secure the 2026 NCCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. 

The 2026 NCCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship best of three series will continue tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. CT. Judson will have a chance to win the series in Saturday’s first match, with the if necessary game set to be played at 1:30 p.m. CT in Elgin, Illinois. To see all 2026 NCCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship results visit the tournament page here. 

About the NCCAA
Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The NCCAA currently holds 23 national championship events, along with one national invitational for 88 member schools across 28 states and two Canadian provinces. For more information on the NCCAA, visit our website, thenccaa.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @thenccaa.