Elizabethtown, PA - After a Friday night win over Juniata, the Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team traveled two hours east for a tri-match with Elizabethtown and No. 16 Misericordia.

The Knights battled their way past Elizabethtown, winning in three sets before upending Misericordia in three sets as well to push their unbeaten streak to 20 games.

Game One

Running on little rest against Elizabethtown, the Knights did their best to put their opponents away early. Kristo Bianchin and Christian Sheaffer led the charge in the first set, combining for a couple of kills and a block to open a 6-2 lead. After the Blue Jays mounted a comeback, Jayton Hall came in to provide Southern Virginia a boost and ultimately claim the first set, 25-16.

In the second set, Jeremy Brown and Kyler Evans recorded back-to-back kills to give the Knights a three point lead, 11-8. The Blue Jays remained in touch throughout the set, but it wouldn't matter as the Knights held the slim lead through the end of the set. On the cusp of another sweep, the win would not come easy for the Knights in what would turn out to be a lengthy third frame.  

In the potential final set, Gehrig Tolman fed Jeremy Brown and Christian Sheaffer at will as the two combined for nearly 60 total attacks. They helped the Knights jump out to an early lead, but the Blue Jays responded and led most of the time. Trailing 18-15, Southern Virginia was in danger of dropping their first set of the season. However, the team stayed composed and allowed their defense to bring the score back to even before Kyler Evans brought the match to an end, 27-25.

Game Two

Misericordia posed as another serious threat to the Knights undefeated record. Like Southern Virginia, the Cougars have been a top twenty team all season long. They played well in the opening moments of the first, putting Southern Virginia in an early 5-2 hole. Once again, defense was the catalyst in bringing the Knights back to even. Samuel Candland's service ace gave way for a much needed Southern Virginia run to grab back the lead.

Jayton Hall added his second ace of the set to put the Knights ahead 23-19, giving them enough of an advantage to hold off their opponents and secure a 1-0 lead. Christian Sheaffer came alive in the second set, registering a couple of service aces to keep his team in control. Candland remained a dominant force, leaving the Cougars scrambling on each attack before eventually dropping a pivotal set two.

With Misericordia leading 12-11 in the third, Sheaffer led the Knights on a run of five straight points to seemingly deliver the knock out blow to their opponents. He collected a kill and two service aces to vault his team into a 16-12 advantage. In the end, Southern Virginia's record remained perfect after finishing off the third and final frame.

After sitting out the first match of the day, Samuel Candland finished with 13 kills in match two, hitting .476 in the process. The team held the Cougars to a hitting percentage of just .133 with another dominant defensive performance. The Knights will recharge for their next weekend of competition in Knight Arena on Friday and Saturday, March 21-22. They'll face Kean at 5:00 PM on Friday for their next match.

For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.