Southern Virginia Men’s Volleyball: From Conference Champions to National Contenders
By Jackson Stone
Continuing their winning streak, the Knights Men’s Volleyball team secured a conference championship in their usual fashion with two games that were won rather comfortably. Christian Schaeffer led the team in kills, Justin Madsen in digs, and Kristo Bianchi in blocks all around. SVU had an outstanding performance this past weekend. SVU’s level of play was at an all-time high in the conference championship games. Serving, something that this SVU team has struggled with, was one of the most significant assets this past weekend. With Sam Candland leading the team with 12 aces in the semifinal game, the team racked up 20 aces in total. Growing the divide in the score, the team made a comeback for their opponent impossible. SVU secured conference champions in three sets each in both games, which is no easy feat, but with such a powerhouse team, they did it with ease.
With the first round of the NCAA tournament being hosted by SVU, they get that sense of a HomeCourt advantage, which for any team is a benefit. This honor is something that SVU has never achieved as an organization. The Men’s Volleyball team also became the first to rank number one in the NCAA. With teams from all over the country, hosting the first round of the conference is a rare and wonderful experience for the players and the fans alike to be playing where you are the most comfortable and the ability they now have to have a huge fan base there to support them through their battle to victory.
Friday and Saturday, April 19th and 20th, SVU will be fighting for a spot in the tournament semifinals and finals. Their games will be at 4 pm on Friday, and after an easy win against Saint Joseph Long-Island, Knights men’s volleyball will play the winner of the NYU VS. Baruch game, which will be after the Knights play on Friday. The final match hosted by SVU will be on Saturday at 6 pm. All games will take place at W&L in their main gym, so let’s get out there and bring the energy. GO KNIGHTS!
Check out our previous story covering the team’s perfect season!
