LEXINGTON, Va. – After earning a share of the Continental Volleyball Conference regular season title and the number one seed in the conference tournament, the Southern Virginia University Men's Volleyball team (17-3) fell in a five-set thriller to the five-seed Rutgers-Newark (15-7) in the semifinal match.
The opening set was a back-and-forth affair, with the Knights taking their first lead since the score was 2-1 after back-to-back points made the score 16-15. After falling behind two points, 22-20, the Knights rattled off three straight tallies to take the lead and hold the advantage in the set. The Scarlet Raiders, however, notched three straight kills, including back-to-back kills from CVC Player of the Year, Andrew Zaleck, to take set one.
Southern Virginia took control of set two early on, using a 5-0 run to take a 7-3 lead. Rutgers went on a run of their own, tallying eight of nine points to take the lead, 13-11. A
McKay Walker kill capped a quick 3-0 run, awarding Southern Virginia the lead. The teams battled over the next few minutes, trading points until a service error by
Kristo Bianchin tied the game at 19 and sparked a run by Rutgers-Newark, who collected six of the next seven points to reach set point. Southern Virginia, however, would not go down easily, scoring three straight points to get back in the set. With the scoreboard reading 24-23 in favor of Rutgers, Zaleck would secure the victory with his second set-clinching kill of the match.
Down 2-0, the Knights fell behind early in the third set, with two straight blocks pushing the score to 9-4. A 3-0 run in the middle of the set cut the deficit to one, 13-12. The teams split the next six points before a solo block by
Christian Sheaffer tied the game at 16. The Raiders managed to tally six of the next eight points to push the advantage to four, 22-18, and force a timeout from Head Coach
Tom Peterson. Following the break, the teams each gathered a point before the Knights scored six straight to stay alive and force a fourth set.
With the crowd behind them and holding all the momentum, Southern Virginia started with an explosion in the next set. A huge block by Bianchin and
Jayton Hall earned the set's first point, then back-to-back aces by Hall, and finally, a
Christian Sheaffer kill capped the 4-0 run to open the set. Rutgers-Newark would try to remain within striking distance but never closed the gap to less than four. Southern Virginia forced a fifth set after grabbing five of the final six points, capped by a Zaleck service error.
The intensity was palpable in the final set, with both teams fighting for the first spot in the tournament championship. The set opened up with each team gifting the other a point with back-to-back service errors. The Scarlet Raiders took a 3-1 lead after a Zaleck kill and a
Christian Sheaffer attacking error. Two more service errors by the Raiders would cut the deficit to one, but Hall would also send his serve into the net to go back down two. After two straight points tied the set at five, the Raiders would also tally two straight to restore the two-point advantage. The lead would be stretched to three following another Knight service error and a Daniel Quay kill. After splitting the next eight points, an attacking error gave the Scarlet Raiders the final point, propelling them to the finals after a semifinal upset.
Southern Virginia will now await the NCAA tournament selection show on Monday, April 17, at 10 a.m. to determine whether or not they will continue playing this season.
For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's volleyball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.
