Cal Lutheran men's volleyball is headed back to the NCAA Tournament for its second-straight and second-ever appearance, as a field of 19 teams were announced on Monday morning. 

Last year, the Kingsmen won the 2024 National Championship after receiving an at-large bid for the first time in program history. They swept Vassar College in the final match to wrap up their incredible season.

This time around, Cal Lutheran will travel to the Big Apple for the big dance with No. 1 New York University hosting the regional. Coincidentally, the fate of Vassar's season falls in the hands of the Kingsmen again as the teams are set to rematch this Friday, April 18. 

With a new play-in game implemented this year, host NYU will face the winner of Buffalo State vs. Baruch. The winner of that match will then face the winner of Cal Lutheran vs. Vassar in the quarterfinals on Saturday, April 19.

All matches will be live streamed on NCAA.com. The interactive bracket can be found here.

Here's a closer look at the teams competing in the NYU Regional:

NO. 8 CAL LUTHERAN
The Kingsmen finished the regular season as the top DIII Independent program with a 21-6 record, earning them the fourth of five at-large bids. Only two of their six losses came from Division III opponents, Mount Union and Aurora. Both of those teams have also worked their ways into the tournament this year.

Cal Lutheran had eight wins over nationally ranked teams in 2025, and played nine five-set games. The Kingsmen are led by Jordan Cooper and Michael Stahl, who were both named AVCA All-Region for the second-straight time this year. Team captain Ben Weber, and seniors Borys Horiuk and Parker Brown also play integral roles in the rotation.

NO. 9 VASSAR
The Brewers punched their ticket with an at-large bid after falling to Nazareth in the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament semifinal round. They enter this weekend with a 22-6 overall record, led by a trio of All-UVC honorees: Gavin Akoto, Walter Birnbaum, and Armaan Desai.

NO. 1 NYU
The undefeated, top-ranked Violets won the UVC Tournament on Sunday to earn their berth to the NCAA Tournament. They hold a 25-0 record and have not dropped a match since the 2024 NCAA Championship Semifinals when they lost to Vassar in five sets.

NYU is led by UVC Coach of the Year José Piña, and UVC Co-Player of the Year Devyn Nguyen. Zach Knudsen, Ry Kagan, Lucas Osiecki, Buddy Cohen, and Emerson Evans also received all-conference nods.

NO. 33 BUFFALO STATE
The Bengals received the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) automatic bid by way of winning the AMCC Tournament on Saturday. They enter the NCAA Tournament with a record of 21-13, and are appearing for the first time in program history.

Buffalo State is currently riding an 11-game winning streak, led by AMCC Coach of the Year Daniel Miranda, and Player of the Year Malachi Jackson. Kaden Strong, Alex Vega, and Drew Bowman were also recognized by the conference this season.

NO. 37 BARUCH
The Bearcats punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament after winning the CUNYAC title last Friday. They're going into the weekend at 17-11 overall with only one conference loss. Baruch is led by Peter Gavroff, the CUNYAC Player of the Year, along with Ryan Oommen, Haoxin Hu, Ari Osmanaj, and Noah Pak.