Harrisonburg, VA - In their opening match of the weekend at the EMU Royals Tournament, the Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team kept their perfect record intact with a victory over Trine University, 3-0. Christian Sheaffer led the team with 12 kills and an outstanding hitting percentage of .800, while Samuel Candland and Maxym Sutton each collected four service aces.

In the early going, Jeremy Brown was the main point-getter for the Knights, registering two kills and an ace to give the team an early 4-1 advantage. After a few minutes of back and forth play, the Knights blew open the first set for good by scoring 11 of the next 12 points, ultimately securing the opening set.

After an early deficit in the second set, Kristo Bianchin, who has admirably found his way back onto the court after an early season injury, delivered a kill followed by a block with Jeremy Brown to bring his team back to even. A flurry of attack errors from Trine gave the Knights the needed room to cruise to a win in set two, putting them on the cusp of their eleventh consecutive sweep to open the season.

Christian Sheaffer eventually brought his team across the finish line with an ace to secure the final point in the inaugural matchup between the two squads. Five different Knights, including Sheaffer, Jeremy Brown, and Gehrig Tolman secured at least two aces while only surrendering one to their opponents. Kristo Biachin was extremely efficient, finishing with five kills on six attacks.

The Knights will return to the court on Saturday afternoon, February 22nd, for a match with Randolph-Macon at 4:00 PM. They'll face the hosts of the tournament, Eastern Mennonite, two hours later to wrap up their weekend of competition. For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.