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Cumberland University

Infante RSC POTY

Men's Volleyball

Infante Adds to Honors As Senior Is Crowned RSC Player of the Year

LEBANON, Tenn. - - The River States Conference unveiled the award winners for the 2026 men's volleyball season Thursday afternoon, announcing the top performers for the season just over 24 hours ahead of the conference semifinals Friday evening in Campbellsville.

For the first time in program history, the Cumberland men's volleyball team was selected for the River States Conference Player of the Year, seeing Joao Infante add to his historic season with the RSC's highest honor.

In this season alone, Infante has eclipsed the 400 kill mark yet again and is only ten shy of beating his own school record of 467 from last season, with a minimum of one more game to play. His current kill total has him sat at second place in the NAIA, trailing the leader from Morningside (Iowa) by less than 40 kills, with six less matches played.

The seniors per set averages have been excellent as well, seeing him sat in fifth in the nation currently with 4.44 kills per set. All of that is being done while he is hitting at an incredible .326 average, leading the Phoenix by more than two hundred kills.

Infante also does work defensively, totaling more than 60 blocks, currently sitting inside the top 50 in the country for the stat total. His 122 digs also sees him inside the top 30 nationally.

Honing in on strictly conference foes, Infante has more than a hundred kills more than second place, Bryan Pepen, who he also leads in kills per set by close to a full kill. His dominance does not stop there as the Portuguese outside is the only player with more than six attacks per set who averages above a .300 hit rate.

Including River States Conference Players of the Week, National Players of the Week, and All-Conference Honors, Infante has now totaled 14 major awards throughout his time with the Phoenix alone.
 
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Players Mentioned

Joao Infante

#11 Joao Infante

OH
6' 5"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Joao Infante

#11 Joao Infante

6' 5"
Senior
OH