Skip To Main Content

Cumberland University

INFANTE

Men's Volleyball

Infante Concludes Massive Senior Season with NAIA Second Team All-American Selection

LEBANON, Tenn. - - Finally wrapping up what has been arguably the best individual season in Cumberland men's volleyball history, Joao Infante has capped off his awards with an NAIA All-American Second Team selection, as was announced by the league office this afternoon.

All season long the Portuguese outside was the star man of the Phoenix attack and his efforts have finally culminated in his selection to the All-American Second Team. Less than a month ago Infante was selected as the River States Conference Player of the Year, as well as a First Team All-Conference selection to go alongside that honor.

His honors did not stop there however, as he was selected for the Second Team of the AVCA All-American selection as well, pushing his career total of major honors to well over a dozen. The Portuguese outside broke his own school record of 467 kills from this past season with an eye watering 489 kills, second-high in the country with an average of 4.53 per set.

The NAIA-MVCA Executive Committee selects the NAIA All-America Volleyball first through third teams. The All-America Selection Committee must select players from a pool of candidates from the All-Conference/Independent Teams.

Tom Ryan was named the NAIA Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year coming on the heels of his sixth season as head coach of the Cougars. Ryan saw his team to a 31-4 overall record and 14-0 record in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. His team made its sixth appearance at the NAIA National Championship and advanced to the championship match for the second time. 

Isaac Seltzer of The Master's (Calif.) was named the 2026 NAIA Player of the Year. Seltzer is the third TMU player to win this award in the last three years. Over the 2026 season, he routinely led his team in kills, highlighted by top performances such as 22 against Vanguard, 23 against OUAZ (Ariz.) and 21 in both La Sierra (Calif.) matchups, while topping 27 points in a single match. Beyond volume, Seltzer's hitting efficiency stood out, as he frequently posted percentages well above .400—peaking at .833, .786, and .714 in standout outings. Across more than two dozen matches, he consistently produced double-digit kills while limiting errors, while also contributing strong scoring totals that regularly fell between 15 and 23 points per match. 

Overall, there were nine players who have been named to an All-American team since 2019. Cayden Cox and Andres Valez of Saint Xavier (Ill.) are the only players to receive multiple previous All-America honors. 

Of the 13 institutions represented, Bethel (Ind.), Cumberland (Tenn.) and Westcliff (Calif.) received their first All-Americans. The Master's (Calif.) led all schools with four total honorees, while three of those honorees were First Team selections.

 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Joao Infante

#11 Joao Infante

OH
6' 5"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Joao Infante

#11 Joao Infante

6' 5"
Senior
OH