The Drew University men's volleyball team will embark on a new era of sorts as it enters its fourth season of varsity competition in 2025.
 
For the first time in team history, the Rangers will compete in a conference after joining the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) last spring. The league features a number of traditionally strong programs, including two (No. 1 Southern Virginia, No. 5 Juniata) that are ranked in the AVCA Division III preseason poll. The conference also consists of Elizabethtown, Kean, Marymount, Rutgers-Newark, and Wilkes.
 
Under second-year Head Coach Julian Diaz, 11 Rangers are back from last year's squad that finished 14-15, winning five more matches than each of Drew's first two men's volleyball teams.
 
Seven freshmen will also look to contribute this season, making Drew's opening-day roster of 18 the largest squad in team history.
 
Returning to lead the way in their fourth season with the Rangers are middle blocker C.J. Addeo, libero Bryan Do, setter Huriel Perez, and opposite/outside hitter Ephraim Smith. The highly-experienced quartet has combined to play in 321 matches over the past three years.
 
Smith is the team's top returning offensive performer from last season, when he was second on the squad in kills per set (2.48) and posted a school-record .258 hitting percentage. He made his presence felt defensively as well, finishing second on the team in blocks (0.66 bps). Smith ranks second in kills (663) and is tied for first in blocks (130) for his career at Drew.
 
Do is back after finishing second on the team in digs (1.85 dps) a year ago, and he is also second in team history in career digs (597). Addeo was fourth among the Rangers in blocks (0.54 bps) last season, and he is tied for first all-time at Drew in blocks (130). He also contributed offensively last season with 1.04 kills per set.
 
Perez finished second on the team in assists (3.37 aps) last season (3.37) and is the program's all-time leader in the same statistic (1,350).
 
Juniors Andrew DuHaime (outside hitter/opposite) and Jason Barbosa (middle blocker/opposite) also return after strong 2024 seasons. In his first year with the Rangers after transferring from Kean, DuHaime finished third on the team in kills (2.28 kps) and fourth in digs (1.30 dps). Barbosa led the team with a school-record 0.78 blocks per set last season, and he also registered 0.89 kills per game.
 
Five additional Rangers return from last year's squad in senior Yeicob Martinez (outside hitter/opposite), junior Barend Oostdam (middle blocker/outside hitter), and sophomores Nathaniel Bustos (outside hitter/middle blocker), Pablo Stein (defensive specialist), and Trevor Wilson (setter/defensive specialist).
 
Drew's freshman class figures to make a major impact on the team this year. Looking to make their mark will be first-years Matthew Adegbite (outside hitter/opposite), Gavin Cantada (libero/defensive specialist), Quinn Donahue (setter/opposte), Nathaniel Fisbeck (outside hitter), Eric Forget (libero), Gio Martin (outside hitter), and Michael Shipman (middle blocker/opposite).
 
The Rangers open their season this weekend at the Battle for the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., taking on Arcadia on Friday at 2 p.m. before facing Lasell and Rivier at 9:30 a.m. and noon on Saturday. Drew's home opener is set for Jan. 23 versus Widener, and its inaugural CVC matchup will take place on Feb. 1 versus Southern Virginia in Baldwin Gym.