On Thursday morning, the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association announced their 2026 postseason awards and Lindenwood had four players receive recognition for their hard work throughout the regular season. Luke Kraft and Brendan Louthain were named to the All-MIVA Second Team while Zach Solomon was tabbed an All-MIVA First Teamer. The final Lion was Caden Whiteside, who took home the MIVA Newcomer Of The Year Award in his first season playing at Lindenwood after redshirting in 2025. 

Whiteside, a Redshirt-Freshman from Powell, OH appeared and started in all 26 matches this season for the Black and Gold and finished the regular season with 222 kills which was the second most on the 2026 squad, and also finished third on the team in total points with 255.5. During MIVA play, Whiteside led all first year players with 136 kills across 16 matches played and averaged 2.34 kills per set. The 6'4 Outside Hitter had a career-high 19 kills on March 21, 2026 at Queens in a five set victory for the Lions and put down 10 or more kills in five conference matches and nine total matches overall. Whiteside finished the 2026 season tied for the most sets played at 92 and was a consistent offensive threat. 

After being named to the 2025 All-MIVA Second Team, Zach Solomon took a big leap in his second season with Lindenwood and set the LU NCAA Era record for service aces in a single season with 54. His 54 aces also led the MIVA and the NCAA as he averaged .6 service aces per set, and ranked seventh nationally during the season in assists per set averaging 10.15. On February 4, Solomon surpassed 2,000 assists for his career en route to a four set upset victory over #7 Loyola Chicago to help the Lions start off MIVA play 1-0 for the first time since the 2023 season. The 6'4 setter from Muskego, WI was a three-time MIVA Offensive Player of The Week and became the first Lion to ever win the AVCA National Player of The Week award back on February 10 where he had 84 total assists in two wins over #7 Loyola Chicago and #11 Lewis. Solomon appeared in all but one match during the regular season in 2026, and led the Lions with 893 assists across 88 sets played. 

Rounding out the All-MIVA Lindenwood selections was Luke Kraft and Brendan Louthain who both appeared on the All-MIVA Second Team. Kraft, a transfer from Maryville University, made an immediate impact for Lindenwood in his first season as he led the team in several offensive categories during the season including kills (266), points (325.5), and kills per set (3.13). The 6'5 Opposite Hitter from Kirkwood, Mo finished ninth overall in the MIVA in kills and was seventh during conference matches as he recorded 160 kills across 51 sets played. The Junior appeared in 24 of 26 matches for the Black and Gold this season playing in 85 sets, while also finishing third overall in the MIVA in service aces with 41, and had 15 matches this season in which he had 10 or more kills. Kraft had a season-high 21 kills on a hitting percentage of .471 back on February 19, 2026 against McKendree in which Lindenwood reverse swept the Bearcats, and added a season-high six service aces in a five set win over Purdue Fort Wayne on March 28 as well. 

Meanwhile, Brendan Louthain made an appearance in 70 sets this season and was third on the 2026 squad in kills with 211. The 6'2 Outside Hitter set his career-high for service aces in a single season as he finished the regular season with 37 and had seven matches in which he record three or more service aces. Louthain played in 11 MIVA matches and led Lindenwood in points per set during those 11 matches averaging 3.88 and finished conference play with 110 kills which ranked in the top half of the MIVA. The Senior from Greenwood, Ind led all Lion outside hitters with a hitting percentage of .316 during the regular season and posted 13 matches with 10 or more kills, including a stretch where he had 10 or more kills in five straight matches spanning from Janaury 30 through February 12.

The Lions will now return to action on Saturday night as they will host the #6 seed Lewis for the opening round of the MIVA conference tournament. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+