Cole Thomas named NJCAA Men's Volleyball Player of the Year

Charlotte, NC: After leading Finger Lakes (NY) to its first National Championship, Cole Thomas has been named the 2026 NJCAA Men's Volleyball Player of the Year. 

Cole Thomas was a member of the Lakers' 2024-25 season, where they came up short from reaching the finals of the Men's Volleyball National Invitational. Returning for his sophomore year, Setter Thomas had a remarkable season, leading his team to not only their first NJCAA National Championship, but leading Finger Lakes to history as the inaugural champion of the NJCAA Men's Volleyball National Tournament.

Thomas led the NJCAA in Assists, putting him as one of the top setters in NJCAA Men's Volleyball, constantly setting his teammates up for success.

The sophomore had a phenomenal performance at the first-ever NJCAA Men's National Championship, acquiring 134 assists in a three-game span, averaging just under 45 assists a game, setting up his teammate, Middle Blocker sophomore, Ethan Bond, who was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Thomas, along with two other members of Finger Lakes, were named to the All-Tournament team. 

Thomas stellar performance led the 5th seed Finger Lakes to only lose three sets throughout the tournament, beating 4th seed Union (NJ), 1st seed Dupage (IL), and 3rd seed Ocean County (NJ), all in four sets to win the first-ever NJCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship.

2025-26 Stats:

Matches: 26

Sets: 71

Assists: 730

Assists/Set: 10.28

Total Attacks: 154