Wilkes-Barre, PA - It was another Saturday of success for the Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team after they swept through two more opponents, Wilkes and Widener. They improved their record to 9-0 and have yet to drop a set this season.
Match One
While the Knights were surpassed in the AVCA national rankings this week, now listed as the No. 2 team in the land, they proved that they don't need a top ranking to show they'll be a force come postseason. In their first match of the day against Wilkes, another newcomer to the CVC, the Knights used a quick start to assert control.
Samuel Candland and Christian Sheaffer put together perhaps their best performance of the season so far, combining for 25 kills without committing a single attacking error. The two All-Americans have proved formidable when on the court together, casting doubt into their opponent's minds early in matches.
Once Candland took over the serving duties with his team in the lead, 18-6, the Knights would not relinquish another point en route to a set one victory. Wilkes made things interesting in the second, fighting back after an early deficit to pull within two points at 22-20. However, a Wilkes service error gave way for a service ace from Christian Sheaffer before an emphatic block from Jeremy Brown to clinch the set and a 2-0 lead.
After dropping the first point of the third, the Knights got down to business and rattled off 10 of the next 11 points to seize control. Gehrig Tolman recorded 36 assists, the most for him in a Knights uniform, and Southern Virginia closed out the match with a 25-10 win in the third.
Match Two
In their second match of the day against Widener, the Knights' dominance continued. Isaac Carrillo was subbed in for the Knights after the opening point, which immediately paid dividends. He recorded his first of four service aces to increase their lead. After a big run in the middle of the frame, the first set went to the Knights, 25-10.
With the score tied at six in the second, Curtis Stone found the scoresheet for two kills and provided a surge of momentum to the Southern Virginia side of the court. Maxym Sutton provided a couple of aces later on to put Widener on the brink of defeat.
In the third set, Southern Virginia looked like a team that didn't want to stay away from home longer than they had to. They quickly put away their opponents and captured another victory via sweep. Christian Sheaffer and Jason Wang were excellent defensively, combining for 8 blocks, while Jeremy Brown had a very efficient afternoon with eight kills and a hitting percentage of .636.
The Knights end the weekend with a perfect record in conference and overall play and are one win closer to opening the season with ten consecutive wins for the second straight year. For their next match, the team returns home to host Stevenson in Knight Arena on Friday, February 14th, at 7:00 PM.
For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.
