GOSHEN, Ind. - The Goshen College men's volleyball team enters the 2026 season looking to turn the page after a challenging 2025 campaign that saw the Maple Leafs finish 4-22 overall and 1-15 in conference play. With new leadership on the sideline and several key returners back on the court, the program is aiming for growth and renewed energy.

Wyatt Bollinger, a Goshen alum, takes over as head coach after serving as associate head coach the past two seasons. He becomes the first alum in program history to lead the team, and joins a growing list of Goshen alumni now leading their former programs, with Rustin Nyce (cross country/track and field), Brad Stoltzfus (baseball) and Tyra Carver (women's basketball).

Bollinger's playing career began at Eastern Mennonite University (2018–2022) before he transferred to Goshen as a setter. In his lone season with the Leafs, he surpassed 1,000 career collegiate assists, recording 733 assists that season and setting the program record for assists per set (9.28). He also ranks in the top ten in school history for assists, serve efficiency, and aces per set.

Joining Bollinger on the bench is assistant coach Ian Fox, another Maple Leaf standout. Fox played from 2020-2024 and left his mark on the record book, ranking second in career matches and sets played as well as total blocks, block assists and solo blocks. He is third in blocks per set, sixth in hitting percentage and eighth in kills.

Several key returners will anchor the roster. Ben Koop, who was named Second Team All-Conference last season, averaged 3.34 kills and 0.41 aces per set while finishing with 311 total kills, a dramatic improvement from the 56 he recorded in his first season. Koop earned Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Attacker of the Week honors in late January. Bruno Barac was twice recognized as WHAC Defender of the Week, while Igor Sapucaia earned Setter of the Week honors during the same stretch.

The Maple Leafs' schedule features four matches at the Pirate Invitational in Parkville, Missouri, four at the Showdown in the Woods in Saint Mary of the Woods, Indiana, 18 WHAC conference matchups, and four additional nonconference contests. The home opener is set for January 27 against Judson, while the home conference opener comes on February 3 against Bethel, a matchup that doubles as a U.S. Highway 20 Cup rivalry match.

The Leafs consist of three seniors, five juniors, three sophomores and seven first-years. The team is in a new era, but made up of a coaching staff and returners who have been there before. The season starts on Friday, January 23, as Goshen faces Ottawa at 11:00 am EST and Morningside at 3:00 pm EST on the first day of the Pirate Invitational.