MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — The Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team went undefeated in its double-header weekend with a win over Messiah in five sets 26-24, 22-25, 25-27, 25-13, 15-10 and a four set victory over Penn State Behrend 25-15, 25-21, 22-25, 25-18. 

Freshman middle McKay Walker impressed in the first match of the day with a .458 hitting average with 15 kills on 24 total attempts while recording four blocks. Nahuel Recabarren recorded a .351 hitting average with 18 kills on 37 total attempts while tallying five digs. Kaipo Tagaloa dished out a game-high 45 assists while also recording a team-high 11 digs. Tyler McCreadie dominated at the net with a season-high and game-high seven blocks. 

The Knights (6-3, 2-0 CVC) found themselves down 5-3 early in the first set before two attacking errors from Messiah (8-4, 2-0 Middle Atlantic) tied the set at 5. Each team traded points, tying four separate times before Jeremy Brown gave Southern Virginia its first lead 21-20 since the first point of the set. A 3-1 swing by the Falcons regained the lead 23-22 before the Knights strung together a 4-1 to take the first set 26-24 and the 1-0 lead in the match. 

Despite trailing 9-7 early in the second set, Messiah used a 3-0 run to take their first lead of the set 10-9. Both teams continued to side out with Southern Virginia holding on to the 14-12 lead before a 5-0 run by the Falcons gave them the 17-14 lead. The Knights chipped away at the deficit coming within one point 23-22 off a 5-2 run, but two straight points by the Falcons tied the match 2-0. 

Southern Virginia went down 4-3 early in the third set, but an 8-4 run made the new score 11-8 midway through the third. Both teams scored five points to bring the score to 16-13 in favor of the Knights, but Messiah used a 5-0 run to give them the 18-16 late in the third. A three-point swing gave Southern Virginia its lead back 23-22, but the Falcons closed the set outscoring the Knights 5-2 winning the third set 27-25 and taking the 2-1 lead in the match. 

Southern Virginia had its most dominant set in the fourth doubling up Messiah three separate times. The Knights had the early 8-4 lead before the Falcons used a 4-0 run to tie the game at eight. Southern Virginia confidently responded with a 12-2 run led by two McCreadie service aces to make the new score 20-10. The Knights outscored Messiah 5-3 the remainder of the fourth set and tied the match 2-2 off a final McCreadie kill. 

The Knights went into the final set confidently, establishing an early 6-2 lead before the Falcons came within one point 6-5 with a 3-0 swing. A 5-2 run by Southern Virginia extended its lead to four points 11-7 before Messiah came within two points 11-9 off a kill and an attacking error. The Knights locked in the first victory of the day with a 4-1 run to close out the fifth set led by three Walker kills. 

In the second game of the day, Paul Clark shined with a .389 hitting average with ten kills on 18 total attempts while recording eight digs. Samuel Candland impressed with a .261 hitting average with 11 kills on 23 total attempts. Tagaloa dished out a game-high 36 assists while Walker recorded a game-high six blocks. 

Southern Virginia (7-3, 2-0 CVC) continued their momentum from the first game establishing an early 11-3 lead in the first set led by two Recabarren kills. Both teams continued to side out until the score reached 19-14 in favor of the Knights before Candland sparked a 6-1 run to take the early 1-0 lead in the match. 

Midway through the second set with the score tied at eight, Southern Virginia began to pull ahead with a 3-0 run off of two attacking errors and a kill from Tagaloa to make the score 11-8. Both teams traded points before a 4-1 run by Penn State Behrend (7-4, 2-0 AMCC) brought the team within one point 17-16. The Knights outscored the Lions 8-5 the remainder of the set to take the 2-0 lead in the match. Paul Candland led all players with five kills in the second set. 

Southern Virginia sat in a good position midway through the third set to complete the sweep with a 12-9 lead, but Penn State used an 11-3 run to take the 21-14 lead over the Knights. Southern Virginia attempted to make a comeback with a 7-2 run of their own to come within two points 23-21, but the Lions managed to hold off the Knights and take the match into four sets 25-22. 

The Knights held a 6-5 advantage early in the fourth set, but a 5-1 swing jumped their lead to five points 11-6 with kills from Samuel Candland and Curtis Stone. Both teams continued to side out until the score reached 22-18. Southern Virginia used a final 3-0 run off a final service ace from Clark to take the second victory of the day. 

Southern Virginia continues its season hosting Juniata College in Knight Arena on Friday, Feb. 28. The match is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.