Men's Volleyball | 4/11/2026 8:42:00 PM

GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – Thiel College claimed its second consecutive Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Volleyball Tournament Championship with a 3-1 victory over Chatham University Saturday night.

In the opening set, Thiel (23-8) scored six of the first seven points and led the entire set. Chatham (16-9) did get within two at 8-6, but the Tomcats scored the next three points and continued to pull away behind .269 hitting in the set. Sophomore Ezra Oesterling (Shelocta, Pa./West Shamokin) put away his fourth kill and Thiel’s 13th in the set to close the 25-19 win and the 1-0 Thiel advantage.

Thiel continued its strong hitting in the second set to take a 2-0 lead. It was closely contested early, with Chatham within one at 14-13. A kill by Thiel senior Kaleb Proudfoot (Butler, Pa./Butler) ignited a 6-1 surge by the home team that took their lead to 20-14. The Cougars managed to get within 23-21, but Thiel used kills by freshman George Schwalm IV (Fort Collins, Colo./Poudre) and Proudfoot to complete the 25-22 win. Although Chatham hit .269 in the set, the Tomcats put down 15 kills while hitting .481.

Chatham extended the match with a 25-20 win in the third set. With the score even at 14-14, it was the Cougars who rolled off a 6-1 run to take control, which featured two kills by junior Tim McCabe (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin). Chatham would close out the third set hitting .406 with 16 kills, including six by junior Ben Shelestak (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel).

Thiel would put the match and championship away in the fourth set. Holding a slight 12-10 lead, the Tomcats scored three straight which started a 9-3 run to take a 21-13 advantage. Oesterling fueled the surge with two kills and an ace. The final point of the 25-17 win came on a kill by senior Tyler Hussey (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) to give the Tomcats their second straight PAC crown.

Thiel’s winning effort was led by Oesterling, who earned PAC Tournament MVP honors after he hit .560 with 16 kills to go with four digs, three blocks (two solo, one assisted) and a pair of aces. The Tomcats, who hit .364 in the final, also received double-digit kills from Proudfoot (13), who hit .545, and Schwalm (10).

Triggering the potent Thiel attack was junior Eli Olszowka (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) with 25 assists and junior Ben Lowell (Portland, Ore./Sunset) with 24. In addition to Oesterling, Proudfoot and senior Will Zimmerman (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) were named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
Shelestak led Chatham, who was playing in the PAC Title Match in its third year as a varsity program, with 17 kills on .355 hitting, followed closely by McCabe with 16 kills. Sophomore setter RJ Nagg (Erie, Pa./McDowell) passed out 43 assists for the Cougars. McCabe and Nagg were named to the All-Tournament Team as well for their play this week.

With the PAC title, Thiel also earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, for the second year in a row. Selections for the Division III Championship will be announced Monday, April 13th at 10 a.m. with NCAA Tournament play starting Thursday-Saturday, April 16-18.