Men's Volleyball | 4/9/2026 10:00:00 AM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher men's volleyball team claimed three of the four major Empire 8 awards and had five players garner All-E8 honors for the 2026 season, tied for the most in the conference.
The Empire 8 named freshman outside hitter Avery Kielbasinski its Rookie of the Year and freshman libero Luke Zimmermann its Defensive Player of the Year. The Cardinals' coaching staff, led by Matt Cohen, claimed the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year award.
Kielbasinski and senior outside hitter Gabe La Robardiere garnered first-team All-Empire 8 honors. Zimmermann earned second-team honors, while senior setter Aiden Calhoun and senior outside hitter Casey Jackson received third-team recognition.
Senior libero Jack DeMaria was chosen as St. John Fisher's representative on the Empire 8 Tomorrow's Leaders Team. The Tomorrow's Leaders Team recognizes a student-athlete from each E8 team who has demonstrated leadership in competition, in the classroom and in their community.
The United Volleyball Conference (UVC) also announced its All-Conference honors on Thursday, with Kielbasinski and La Robardiere landing honorable mention honors.
Kielbasinski joins Josh Bigford, Sonepith Keoviengsamay and La Robardiere as the fourth player in program history to win E8 Rookie of the Year. He has slammed 199 kills (2.93 per set) while hitting .255, tallied 14 service aces and recorded 27 total blocks, including four solo, for 228.5 total points (3.36 per set) while playing in 68 sets across 25 matches this season. Kielbasinski has recorded 15 or more kills in four matches and 15 or more points in five matches. He set season highs with 17 kills and 19.5 points in a five-set contest against Thiel on Jan. 31.
The third different player in program history to be named E8 Defensive Player of the Year, Zimmermann leads the Cardinals with 218 digs and averages 2.69 per set, the second most in the United Volleyball Conference. He's had 10 or more digs in nine matches and 20 or more in two of them. His 23 digs in a five-set match against SUNY New Paltz on Feb. 13 marked the most by a UVC player in a match this season.
La Robardiere, who's played in 88 sets across 28 matches, leads Fisher with 202 kills (2.30 per set), a .297 hitting percentage and 239.5 total points (2.72 per set), all of which mark career highs. He set season highs in kills (15) and points (17) in a five-set victory over Roanoke on Jan. 31.
La Robardiere also ranks second on the team with 48 total blocks, including seven solo and 41 assists. He had two block solos in a five-set win over Elizabethtown on March 14 and in a four-set win over SUNY Potsdam on April 4.
Fisher's top setter and server this season, Calhoun leads the team in assists (447), assists per set (5.81) and service aces (33). He had 50 assists in a four-set victory over SUNY Potsdam and aced four serves in matches against Misericordia and SUNY New Paltz.
Jackson has slammed 137 kills (1.93 per set) while hitting .214, recorded 12 service aces and amassed 25 total blocks (five solo) for 176 total points (2.48 per set) this season over 26 matches. He's added a career-high 104 digs defensively.
Cohen and his assistant coach, John McCarty, guided the Cardinals to a 19-10 regular season (3-4 UVC) after graduating multiple decorated starters, including All-Americans Ian Rauh and Griffin Stella, last spring. This marks the third time in the last four seasons that Cohen and his staff have been recognized as the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Cardinals have the No. 6 seed for the UVC Championship Tournament, which is being held at New Paltz's Hawk Center. They face No. 3-seeded New York University in the first round at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
