LANCASTER, Pa. – A remarkable second season for the Gallaudet University men's volleyball program ended here Wednesday night in the semifinal round of the United East tournament.

The fifth-seeded Bison got swept by top-seed Lancaster Bible College by the scores of 17-25, 11-25, 13-25. The Chargers (16-11) advance to Saturday's conference final and will host second-seed Wilson College (17-8) in a rematch of last year's United East championship. The Phoenix took down third-seed Cairn University in straight sets, 3-0.

Lancaster Bible has won the last two United East championships and prior to that won the 2023 Colonial States Athletic Conference championship.

"Comparing this year to last year (5-17) is night and day. The team knows how often I talk about how lucky I feel and how proud I am of them," said Gallaudet coach Ben Campman. "LBC played a great game, and I have so much respect for them and the professionalism they showed us in our last game."

Gallaudet got as close as two points in the first set against Lancaster Bible, but the Chargers kept the Bison at a distance. GU's hitting percentage took a dip into the negative range in the second and third sets as LBC waltzed to victory.

Sophomore outside hitters Zachary Bippus (Fishers, Ind.) and Kodi Lee (Lehi, Utah) led the Bison with seven and six kills, respectively. Sophomore setter Troy Holcomb (Fremont, Calif.) passed out 15 assists and sophomore libero Elian Zfati (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the team with six digs. Sophomore middle hitter Tyler Wascher (Noblesville, Ind.) finished with two blocks and Bippus had GU's lone service ace.

LBC has paced by Kevin Bryant and his match-high 11 kills as 14 Chargers saw action in the semifinal round. The one blemish for the host was the 12 service errors that LBC recorded.

"As I look back on the season, there are so many statistical improvements (we nearly doubled our hitting percentage, doubled our wins, 2-6 conference record to 5-3) but really, we felt like a team this year. This was the first time I saw us really control games and show teams around the league that we will be a player in this league for years to come," added Campman.

"I cannot give enough credit to the team. They showed up to practice ready to learn, grow, and compete every day. They made my job easy, this year and I loved working with them. My assistant coaches did a great job helping to build a culture that can sustain success going forward and I am incredibly thankful for them."

The match ends the careers for GU's three graduating seniors in Lee, Seth Lopez (Jackson Township, N.J.) and Callum Paterson (Mississauga, Canada). Lee finishes with 296 kills, 282 digs, 44 service aces, 33 assists and 31 blocks in 49 matches (164 sets). Paterson tallied 158 digs and 21 assists in 34 matches (109 sets) while Lopez saw action in 11 matches (23 sets) and tallied 18 digs.

"Before the season [started], the coaching staff had meetings with the players. In those meetings, we discussed the individual goals everyone had. Many players mentioned getting into the playoffs. To look back on the season and see that not only accomplished, but to have won a game in it. That feels really, really, great," said Campman. "We will miss our three graduating players and the three years (2024-26) they've all given the program [one year as club]. Hopefully we can honor them next year with another postseason win."

BISON TRACKS

• The Bison are now 0-6 against Lancaster Bible since 2013
• GU has yet to win a set against LBC

UP NEXT
This concludes the 2026 season for the Gallaudet men's volleyball program.