NO. 1 PARK UNIVERSITY – 2026 NAIA MEN’S VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Park University completed a historic run on Saturday, capturing the 2026 NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship with a 3-1 victory over No. 3 seed Saint Xavier University at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

With the win, the top-seeded Pirates finished a perfect 35-0 season, securing the program's first undefeated campaign and extending their program-record win streak. The national title marks Park's sixth NAIA Men's Volleyball Championship overall and its first since the sport was elevated to championship status in 2019. 

The championship match delivered a tightly contested battle between two of the NAIA's most dominant programs. Saint Xavier edged the opening set 26-24 after a late surge, but Park responded immediately to even the match. 

In set two, neither team could pull away as the score remained tight deep into extra points. Park held off multiple set points before back-to-back kills from tournament MVP Adrian Figueroa secured a 30-28 win to level the match. 

The Pirates seized momentum in the third set, hitting .419 as a team and holding off a late Saint Xavier push to win 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead. 

In the fourth set, Park's defense took over. A series of momentum-shifting blocks helped the Pirates build a late cushion, and they closed out the match 25-21 to secure the national championship. 

Park finished the match hitting .252 as a team while holding Saint Xavier to .156. The Pirates also finished with a 14-9 advantage in total blocks, led by Moisés Ortiz, who anchored the net defense with 11 blocks. 

Figueroa led the offensive attack with 22 kills in the championship match, continuing a dominant tournament run after finishing the season as the NAIA leader in kills per set. Setter Umberto Caleca guided the offense with 50 assists, while Alessandro Gozzi led the back row with 17 digs. 

Saint Xavier, who finished the season 31-4, matched Park's dominance throughout the year in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, with both programs entering the national tournament as conference regular season and tournament champions. 

With the victory, Park continues one of the most decorated runs in NAIA men's volleyball history, joining an exclusive group of programs to complete a perfect season with a national championship.