WSN: Welcome back to “In the Huddle,” a podcast by the Washington Square News. I’m Sidney Snider, sports editor at WSN, and today I’m here with Emerson Evans, a sophomore men’s volleyball player from Huntington Beach, California. On Sunday, Evans was named the United Volleyball Conference Tournament MVP following NYU’s conference win over Nazareth University. He has played in every match of the Violets’ undefeated 2025 season, leads the team in kills and was named all UVC Second Team. Thank you for joining me today, Emerson. 

Evans: Thank you for having me. Excited to be here. 

WSN: First off, congrats on this weekend and the whole season. NYU is ranked first in the nation right now, which is so impressive. How has it felt coming hot off of last year with your freshman season being the best in program history?

Evans: I mean, it’s definitely a different vibe this year. Like last year was, I feel like, was sort of an underdog story. It was, sort of, turning our culture around, changing the program into one that has a winning culture. Whereas this year, the whole goal in mind has just been getting back to the tournament, giving us all the chance to play for a national championship. So it feels pretty good to, you know, see that we’ve done that now, winning the UVC, going undefeated and we just got our bracket a couple hours ago. So it’s nice to know that we’re back in the same spot we were at last year and at least have a chance to, you know, get a ring this season.

WSN: Like you mentioned, the NCAA tournament starts this coming weekend and you’re hosting. How are you guys prepping? What’s the mindset going into it? 

Evans: Well, we’re prepping first by taking the day off today, which is nice. 

WSN: Awesome.

Evans: I think everybody’s a little bit tired for the weekend, but we’re gonna go hard and practice this week and probably watch a lot of film. I mean, our first round matchup will be against [Baruch College] or [Buffalo State University], but teams that we’ve played before. And so we’ll watch some film, scout, and I mean, we know — at least with the first match — if we play our game, like we, we have the team to win. Even with the second round, like, [Coach José Piña] is saying this whole season has been, it’s always and only about us.

And while we know that other teams have the talent to do damage, we also know that we have the squad to win it. And if we keep it on our side, stay in the right mindset and play on like how we know how to play, we’ll win. And so just going into the week, we’re gonna watch some film, practice hard, probably take a light week on lifting, just make sure everybody’s healthy and motivated going to the tournament. I mean, it’s a big weekend, so. 

WSN: Yeah. Totally. I think the team’s dominance over every other team has just been so apparent. So I’m wondering what your guys’ practice schedule is like to prepare you for that? 

Evans: Uh, usually it’s five days a week, Monday to Friday, and then we’ll lift Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Uh, it’s sort of complicated. Sometimes there’s a lot of people in Tisch or in programs that have weird class schedules or, even with lifts, that can’t make it. But this year the team has been really, uh, focused and balanced in terms of when you miss a lift, you make it up. Uh, if you’re not at a practice, you’re always coming hard the next day, ready to play. When we’re in the gym, we’re always working hard, getting focused reps, which I think has been a key component to our success this season.

WSN: You’ve mentioned a couple times the team mindset is really just grinding and going for that win. What was your mindset specifically going into the season? 

Evans: Well, last season I switched positions. In high school I played middle blocker my whole career and switched to opposite last year. And I didn’t, at least statistically, didn’t have the season that I was hoping for. I was definitely still kind of adjusting and so my goal this season was just to, like, develop more confidence on the right side, get a lot more, like, ability to deal with a lot more out-of-system sets and junk and be able to just provide more to the team. Uh, last year I felt like I was kind of, whole teams would, like, leave me on the other side and just not focus on me at all. I, I think I’ve done a pretty good job with that, at least with taking a larger production on the offensive side, and at least becoming one of the key contributors to our offense, which is — which I don’t know — been happy. I’ve been happy. 

WSN: Yeah, totally. And I think the stats reflect that. Do you have any role models on the team or people that you’re really looking up to? You have a very large graduating senior class. 

Evans: I really look up to both of our senior captains. I think the way that Buddy Cohen, one of our captains, a middle blocker, handles himself on the court is the most, just controlled and calm attitude I’ve ever seen in a game. Like I don’t understand how he can be so collected and relaxed in every tight situation. He hits the ball out, he’s smiling, he’s good, I hit a ball out, he’s smiling. He is the first one to tell me I’m okay. Like I, I mean, I tore my jersey earlier this season in the game that we lost.

WSN: I remember that one.

Evans: So it was, it was definitely a lowlight, so definitely Buddy. I think he’s just such a great role model and leader, especially in clutch situations during games. And then also our other captain, uh, [Zach Knudsen]. Zach is just so amazing with keeping the team focused and I mean, I think that just as a libero, his position kind of goes unnoticed. But without him, we’re not where we are today. He gets every single ball up. He’s always there. I mean, I, I’m not a good defender and basically [if] a ball comes over, I’m just praying Zach’s there and somehow he always is. 

WSN: Yeah, I think your guys’ connection on the court and off is super apparent. And continuing with that, I think your connection with Devyn Nguyen is also super apparent. Can you talk about him a little bit? 

Evans: I mean, it helps to be roommates with a setter. I’ve known him for two years now. I mean, he is one of my best friends in the world. It’s, it’s pretty awesome to be able to play with one of your best friends. Like, my dad always tells me his favorite moments are when Devyn gets kills in the game because it’s the hardest that I celebrate. So whenever he does something cool, I celebrate. Whenever I do something cool, he’s the first person to be there. It’s pretty cool that we’ve both been able to grow together and get better together. And his, I mean, I think he has a chance at winning national Player of the Year. I know for sure he’s the best setter in the nation. And it’s pretty cool just to see how great his offense is. I mean, the way he distributes the ball to everybody, our whole team’s hitting above 300 this year. It’s pretty cool. And I’m, I’m proud of him, I’m happy for him. Um, I hope that he continues his success for the next two years.

WSN: You have this kind of fun, behind-the-back thing you do with the ball when you’re about to serve. 

Evans: Last year in the playoffs, I started bouncing the ball eight times. That was always my routine. And in high school, when I was still more of a basketball player than a volleyball player, I would always go back and like dribble the ball between my legs or do something stupid. And so this year I kind of just mended the two, like pass-service rituals together. And so I always catch the ball at the end line, ball behind the back. I take three or four like dribbles, alternating hands, and then my eight bounces, uh, it’s been working for me. I mean, I do miss much more than Coach Piña wants me to. But in my opinion, I’m doing a pretty decent job in service line. So it, it just helps me, like, calm myself before big points when it comes to the serving. 

WSN: Yeah, definitely. You always looked very locked in when you’re up to that. Going into this weekend, you’ve been to this round in the NCAAs before. What are you telling the team and what’s the conversation like? 

Evans: Like I said before, our motto this season has been, it’s only and always about us. I think our team is just very focused on doing what we can do and controlling the controllables. I mean, there are things that are out of our control — the other team makes a great kill, um, they get a lucky up. You know, there’s not much we can do in scenarios like that. And so it’s kind of focusing on optimizing every touch that we have and making everything as perfect as possible on our side. And once again, we know that if we play the way we can, we have the talent to win this weekend.

And I, I mean, I’m a little nervous. It’s a hard draw. Like [Cal Lutheran] was last year’s champions. [Vassar University], we have a rivalry with ’em. They’re always hard to play, especially in the playoffs, like last year, when we lost. And so I think the team’s just extra motivated. Like I think it helps that we have a hard draw. We know that we have to work this weekend to get — pull out a win — and we’re just hoping to get back to the Final Four. And once you’re there, anything can happen.

WSN: So last year going into NCAAs, you didn’t have an undefeated record. You mentioned to me last year that you wanted revenge on the teams that you had lost to. Does it feel any different coming into the tournament undefeated this year? 

Evans: I think it definitely does. Last year, I mean, NYU hadn’t had too much previous success. We won the UVC — it was pure, just we’re stoked to be here. We got our draw. I didn’t even think about [Southern Virginia University]. I didn’t even think about the Final Four. I was just happy to be there. And we kind of went with it with this like, let’s-just-play-and-see-what-happens mentality. And we won and it was, it was great. I think this year is definitely different. Our goal the whole season has been to win a national championship.

Not just to make the playoffs. And so, I mean it, it’s different in that sense, but the team is still very confident going into the weekend. I think that’s the main difference, it’s just like, we’re here, we’re ready to play. We see ourselves as genuine contenders. And so people say, like, being undefeated is a bad thing because you haven’t been tested. And that’s what happened last year with Southern Virginia. Because they lost to us having not lost all season. But I, I, I would argue that we have been tested this year, I mean, against Vassar again, against [Stevens Institute of Technology], against [North Central College], we’ve played close five-set matches and we’ve been in those situations before. We know how to compete. I, I think we’re gonna be ready. 

WSN: Thank you so much for speaking with me and good luck this weekend. 

Evans: Thank you for having me. Let’s go get a national championship.