KENOSHA, Wis. - Back in the NCAA Tournament to defend their national title, the Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team took to the court against Loras in their first matchup of the 2026 'Dance'.

The Knights found points in clutch moments to defeat Loras in four sets, setting up a date with Carthage in the national quarterfinal.

Tommy Forese had the early jump, recording each of the Knights first three kills. He also tallied two aces in the waning moments of the first to close out a first set victory.

After a challenging CVC final, David Ward returned to form and was a monster on the attack, terrorizing the Duhawks with nine kills in the second set alone. 

Midway through the third, a tornado warning in the Kenosha-area halted play for nearly an hour. Loras came out of the lengthy break on fire, doing enough to defeat Southern Virginia 25-19 to set up a critical fourth set.

Unfazed, Southern Virginia would deliver in the pressure-packed moment. They led for most of the fourth before Jason Wang finished off a nifty feed from Gehrig Tolman for the game-clinching kill.

Looking Ahead

The Knights march on to face Carthage tomorrow, hosts of the regional, with a berth in the final four on the line. The two squads will face off on Saturday, April 18th, at 7:30 PM ET.

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