Springfield, OH - Less than fifteen hours after their season-opening victory, the Southern Virginia University men's volleyball had little time to catch their breath before two matches to complete the Jim Coleman Memorial Invitational. Despite the quick turnaround, they showed no wear and tear by sweeping both matches against No. 12 Loras and the tournament host, Wittenberg.

Match One

In perhaps their toughest match of the weekend against Loras, the Knights were quick to assert their dominance. The nation's number one team rattled off five straight points three separate times in the first set to claim the all-important 1-0 lead. The Knights' defense was buzzing with six blocks in the first frame.

After falling behind 9-10 in the second set, they used two more bursts to distance themselves and their opponent. Kyler Evans and Jason Wang seemed impenetrable at the net, combining for several key blocks. Gehrig Tolman was smooth again as the Knights starting setter and contributed to the block party.

After riding a surge of momentum to take set two, Southern Virginia was in cruise control during the potential final frame, claiming a 25-19 victory to finish off a convincing sweep over one of the top teams in the country. Christian Sheaffer's performance mirrored his stat line from last night, finishing with a team-high 13 kills.

Match Two

The day's second match featured an excellent display of depth from the Knights. Samuel Candland continued his dominant weekend with five kills in the opening set. He was nearly impossible to stop in all three matches and looks motivated after battling injuries toward the end of last season. With his stellar play and several service aces from the rest of the team, the Knights took the first set, 25-17.

Stalwart seniors Jayton Hall and Maxym Sutton were efficient. While both of them recorded blocks, Hall finished with a .571 hitting percentage and four kills, and Sutton recorded a perfect day with three kills on three total attacks. Gehrig Tolman led the team in their final match with three service aces to cap off a stellar debut weekend with his new team.

While Wittenberg kept the score close in the third set, the Knights managed to cap off another sweep on a service error. The win moves them to 3-0 on the young season and will more than likely keep them at the No. 1 spot for a third consecutive week when the AVCA releases their weekly national poll next Tuesday.

Next Tuesday, January 28th, the team will host its first official match of the season in Knight Arena. As part of a tri-match, they'll face Averett at 3:00 PM and Roanoke at 7:00 PM, while Averett and Roanoke will duel between the Southern Virginia matches. For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.