COSTA MESA – The 2026 NCAA Men's Volleyball season started with a win for Vanguard, who overcame a first set loss to upend Rockhurst and claim the 3-1 win (22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-22) on opening night, Thursday at the Freed Center. The Lions were a scorching .485 (62-13-101) on the evening, the highest hitting percentage in the short-lived D1 era so far, and best since February 2024 against Benedictine Mesa (.500 37-7-60).

The Blue and Gold have now claimed their last three season openers, and start the season 1-0. Second year program Rockhurst starts 0-1.

Logan Freemon was two kills shy of a new career-high, as the sophomore went off for 18 kills on just two errors for a career-best .640 clip. Brock Henderson had a career-high 47 assists, with the setter also earning six kills and an ace. Cole Oliver and Grant Veldman each closed their VU debuts in double figures for kills, with Veldman tallying 13, hitting .524, and Oliver closing out the contest with 12.

The Lions led in kills (62-31), aces (8-6), assists (54-31), and digs (27-26). Vanguard, however, was beaten at the net (5-3) by Rockhurst and suffered immensely from the service line, committing 34 service errors, the most in a single game in program history.

What Happened? Rockhurst took home set one by hitting their match-best .467 (8-1-15) and limiting Vanguard's ability to draw momentum. Freemon had the first kill of 2026 for VU, but it was the only Lion lead of the set as Rockhurst stormed away on a 7-3 run to go up by three.

The Hawks went for a pair of right-pin kills to carry on forward before Oliver rotated to the service line, leading off a 3-0 run with back-to-back blistering aces (8-8). RU took back control with a 6-3 spurt, helped by a pair of VU service errors (14-11 RU). Vanguard continued their game of catch-up into the red zone, but Oliver clipped three points in a 5-1 run late in the set to make it 19-all.

The tie was the last gasp of defiance from the Lions in the set; the visiting Hawks enjoyed an ace and three VU service errors to win 25-22.

Set 2- In truth, set two possessed the same trajectory as the previous, but was decided by a crucial Vanguard push led by Micah Sybesma to end the set. Rockhurst also suffered costly attack errors in crunch time to twist the game's momentum.

The stanza had a sloppy start, a sanction from RU, and a bad set and service error from VU, muddied up the opening five points between the pairing. Sybesma then secured his first ace of the season soon after for a brief Vanguard lead (4-3).

Rockhurst returned to their rhythm of control from the previous set, issuing out a 5-1 run to validate an 8-5 advantage over the Lions. The Blue and Gold continued to chase, with Henderson establishing his lethality in attack with a pair of dumps, and Freemon likewise crushed down back-to-back kills from the outside.

The Lions remained right where they started, however, a three-point deficit (21-18 RU) placing them in danger of going two sets down.

Everything crumbled for the visiting Hawks in the closing stages of the set. RU, who had only committed three attack errors in the game at the time, suffered three in the span of seven VU points. The Lions went on a 7-1 run to end the set, with Sybesma netting a key ace on the way.

Set 3- The Lions never relinquished the momentum built from the late set two comeback. They cranked out a deadly .680 (18-1-25) clip in the third period, holding Rockhurst to .056 (5-4-18). Freemon appeared unstoppable, pinning seven kills without error.  

Like the previous two sets, RU had the better start, anchoring out five of the first eight points for a 5-3 lead. VU freshman Matthew Pimentel connected for his first collegiate kill down the middle, and a Henderson ace and Freemon kill tied the score at 6-6.

The Hawks hung around to twist out three more ties with the Lions, but VU reset the pace with an 8-1 run to put the set result beyond a doubt. Veldman and Henderson shared a joint majority in the spoils, with Henderson snaring two kills and Veldman going for a kill and ace.

After a long delay due to an open wound protocol, more members of the new Lion Guard came on to make an impact in the latter stages of the set. Koa Laboy made his debut with a pair of kills in quick succession before Freemon ended the set in a convincing 25-16 Lion result.

Set 4- Rockhurst minimized the errors in the final set (.278 7-2-18) but could not match the free-flowing .480 (16-4-25) Lion attack. Neither team could keep a lid on the service errors, however, as VU committed seven, while RU struggled with 11.

More than half of the total points in the early stages were service errors as both teams settled for a 7-all draw. Oliver used a pass from Henderson to give VU the lead, then Henderson took the wheel with two kills himself (10-9 VU). Cole was once more in the center of the action, bundling a line shot and then an ace (15-12 VU) for a slight buffer over RU.

The Hawks took a 5-2 stab at the deficit, sporting an ace and using two Lion service errors to even the odds at 17-each. Veldman was the answer, however, for the Lions in the end. The Blue and Gold fed the hot hand as the outside hitter cracked down three kills late, including the match-winning point to nail down the season-opening win.

What's Next? Vanguard will take on Lindenwood for the first time on Saturday at 2 p.m.