The future looks bright for the Badgers men's volleyball program.

Two Badgers earned recognition as Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced their list of major award winners and all-stars for men's volleyball on Thursday, March 5.

Devin Cooney's stellar season earned him OUA Second-Team All-Star honours, while Gavin Everett was named to the OUA All-Rookie team. 

This latest honour marks Cooney's third straight all-star appearance as he averaged over 14.5 points per game this past season. The fourth-year outside hitter demonstrated consistent scoring ability, finishing with double-digit point totals in 17 of his 20 games played while posting a season-high 29.5 points from 22 kills, six service aces and 1.5 blocks in a four-set victory over the RMC Paladins on Jan. 16. Over the course of the season, Cooney hit major milestones, reaching 1,000 career points and becoming the program's all time leader in kills with 983. 

"I'm extremely proud of Devin and his accomplishments this past season," said head coach Ian Eibbitt. "To be recognized in our league is a privilege and to share this with his teammates and the other deserving players that were also acknowledged is a tremendous honour.  Devin's character is greater than his ability, and to share the gym with him daily is something I am grateful for."

The Business Communication major's 3.51 kills per set and 4.1 points per set ranked fifth and sixth in the OUA, respectively, and eighth in U SPORTS. Cooney also accumulated 253 kills en route to 293 total points on the season, placing him seventh in the OUA and 10th in the country in both categories.

Cooney earned his second career OUA Second Team All-Star selection, adding to a decorated resume that includes OUA First Team All-Star recognition in 2024-25. In his first season in 2022-23, he was named to both the U SPORTS and OUA All-Rookie teams.

Everett made his impact felt early in his career, appearing in all 20 matches this season. Offensively, the first-year middle contributed with 46 kills. The Studio Art major also saw his best showing against the Paladins on Jan. 16, earning eight points from six kills, a service ace and a solo block.

"I could not be happier or prouder of Gavin on what he was able to accomplish in his first year," Eibbitt said. "This young man cares more than anyone about team success and is committed to improving every day. I have no doubt the future is bright and with his desire to improve and incredible work ethic, there are no goals he can't achieve."

This season, the product from Toronto provided solid defensive play as well, tallying 26 total blocks, including a career-high five (two solo, three assists) in one matchup against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Jan. 23. Everett notched a total of 68.5 points on the year, earning him this honour among the best first-year players in the conference.



The complete list of 2025-26 OUA men's volleyball award winners and all-stars is as follows:

MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year - Maxime Gratton, University of Toronto
Rookie of the Year - Mekhi Fitzgerald, McMaster University
Coach of the Year - James Gravelle, University of Windsor
Dale Iwanoczko Award - Fehin Awobodu, University of Waterloo
Champion of EDI Award - Chris Zimmerman, Queen's University

FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS 

THIRD TEAM ALL-STARS
 

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM