Romeoville, Ill. – All-Americans
Nico Paula (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Preparatory School) and
Oguzhan Oguz (Bursa, Turkey/Ocean) were each named to the Preseason All-MIVA Team while as a team, the Flyers were tabbed to finish fourth overall in the MIVA Preseason Poll, the league office announced Monday morning.
It is the first time in his career that Oguz earned the honor while it is the second consecutive year Paula netted preseason accolades.
Paula ended last year as the national leader in total digs with 287 and led the conference and ranked seventh nationally with an average of 2.50 per set across 30 matches en route to an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention. A Tampa, Florida, native, Paula set the program record for digs in a match with 22 against Quincy (Feb. 21) and set a new career-high in assists with 37 last year, highlighted by five against MIVA foe McKendree (Mar. 15). He was named awarded MIVA Defensive Player of the Week on four occasions (Jan. 21, Feb. 11, Feb. 25, Mar. 11) and was an All-MIVA Second Team honoree.
An AVCA Second Team All-American last year, Oguz appeared in 28 matches where he totaled 435 kills, 138 digs, 64 blocks and 27 service aces. His 435 kills led the MIVA and ranked third nationally while his 4.01 kills/set was 10th across the country. Oguz also led the MIVA with 497 points and 4.60 points/set during the 2025 campaign as well. The Bursa, Turkey, native recorded season-highs of 28 kills at McKendree (Mar. 15) and 10 digs vs Mount Olive (Jan. 24) in his first season with the Flyers, leading to All-MIVA First Team accolades.
As a team, Lewis tabbed fourth overall in the 2026 MIVA Preseason Poll with 57 points and one first-place vote. Longtime rival and defending champions Loyola Chicago topped the poll with 73 points and five first-place votes. Ohio State landed in second place with 68 points and two first-place votes while Ball State closed out the top three with 63 points and one first-place vote. McKendree (52), Lindenwood (33), Purdue Fort Wayne (24), MIVA newcomer Northern Kentucky (19) and Queens (16) represented the remainder of the poll.
The Flyers, who ended last year ranked 15
th nationally, begin then 2026 season in the Golden State on Jan. 9 against Menlo. The Flyers return home on Jan. 13 to face fellow Chicagoland school Roosevelt in their first home match of the year.
Tickets for all home volleyball matches are on sale and
can be found here.
For the latest news, scores, and updates on Lewis men's volleyball, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @Lewismensvb on Instagram and @LewisMVBall on X.
