The Aurora University Spartan men's volleyball team hosted the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the Championship game of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament. AU out-lasted the Raiders in five strenuous sets to win the NACC Championship 3-2 (21-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-19, 16-14) inside a loud Thornton Gymnasium.  The win is the Spartans first NACC Tournament title and AU will make their first trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament.


MATCH ONE #12 Aurora University 3, Milwaukee School of Engineering 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-19)
LOCATION: Aurora, Illinois - Thornton Gymnasium
RECORDS: #12 Aurora University 26-4 overall, 11-1 NACC; Milwaukee School of Engineering 14-12 overall, 10-2 NACC


- AU wins their first Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament title.
- Spartans advance to the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championships, a program first.
- Sophomore outside hitter SJ Nelson was named the NACC Tournament MVP.
- Alex Nonhof and Logan Brouwer were named to the All-Tournament Team.
- The 25 kills by SJ Nelson in the match sets a NACC Tournament single game record.


- The opening set was a foreshadowing of the match to come as the Spartans and Raiders battled point for point with AU dropping the first set 25-21.
- Spartan SJ Nelson had a set high six kills while hitting .500.
- After overcoming an early second set deficit, the Spartans rallied and pulled away to win 25-19.
- Nelson rose above the net again in the second set with seven kills as Logan Brouwer dished out 14 assists.
- In the third set, MSOE roared out to a 10-2 lead but the Spartans methodically chipped away and eventually pulled to down one at 17-16.
- MSOE would win the set though 25-18 and AU trailed in the match 2-1.
- The fourth set was all AU as the Spartans won with the aid of the loud Thornton Gymnasium crowd.
- AU won 25-19 behind an .889 hitting percentage and six kills from Nelson.
- Brouwer had 13 assists and Alex Nonhof had six digs on the defensive side of the court.
- The fourth set win sent the NACC title game to a winner take all fifth set, just as the two teams had done just a week ago at MSOE.
- The Raiders put a scare in the AU crowd when they opened up a 5-1 lead and forced an AU timeout.
- The Spartans rallied on an 8-3 run to go ahead 9-8 on a kill from Lucas Meier.
- The fifth would not see a lead larger than one point until the final point with the lead changing three times and the score knotted on six occasions.
- With the set tied 14-14, Josh McLellan knocked home his 12th kills of the match before Logan Brouwer and Ammar Brzovic sent the home crowd into celebration with a block to secure the 16-14 set win and the 3-2 match victory.


Kills: SJ Nelson (25) and Josh McLellan (12)
Assists: Logan Brouwer (52)
Blocks: Ammar Brzovic (6), Sebastian Ciszewski and Josh Mclellan (5)
Digs: Alex Nonhof (19), Logan Brouwer (12) and Nathan Kirwan (11) 
Aces: Logan Brouwer, Reece Wiatrowski, SJ Nelson, Nathan Kirwan and Josh McLellan (1)


Next action for the Spartan men's volleyball team comes on Monday, April 14 when the 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball selection committee announces the field of 19 for the 2025 NCAA tournament. Announcement will be made on NCAA.com at 9:00 a.m. (cst).