BUENA VISTA, Va. – For a fourth consecutive time in the early stages of the 2023 season, the Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team swept its opponent, defeating the University of North Carolina, 3-0.
A quick start by the Knights in the first set led to an early 9-2 advantage that would prove too much for the Tar Heels to overcome. A solid .455 hitting percentage aided in Southern Virginia's dominant opening set that ended with a score of 25-15.
Similar to last night's match against Arcadia, Southern Virginia looked to make it difficult on North Carolina by mixing up the attack.
Christian Sheaffer led a balanced offense in the first set with four kills, while
Kristo Bianchin and
Jeremy Brown added three apiece.
Similar to the first set, the Knights jumped out to an early lead in the next set, scoring five of the first six points. However, North Carolina continued to fight and would cut the deficit to five, 18-13, to give them a chance down the stretch. However, Southern Virginia would close out the set by grabbing seven of the last eight points to win 25-14.
The team ended the set with an outstanding .583 hitting percentage on 16 kills compared to just five for North Carolina. Brown and Sheaffer again impressed, notching five and four kills, respectively.
The Knights also recorded six service aces in the second set after compiling five in the first, while the Tar Heels had just one in each set.
Southern Virginia hoped to seal the match with another quick set, but North Carolina would not go down without a fight. The tightly contested third and final set featured 10 ties and five lead changes. A Jack Hoppey block would spark a three-point run, giving the Tar Heels an 18-to-17 advantage, but the Knights would follow up with a run of their own to retake the lead, 20-18. The teams then traded points until an inopportune attacking error by Carolina's Hoppey sealed the victory, 25-22.
Hoppey shined in the third set, giving his team a massive boost with three blocks. His teammate Sean Gibson also had his best performance in the final set, tallying four kills and a block while making some good passes on difficult serves by the Knights. Gibson's six kills led the Tar Heels.
On the other side,
Kyler Evans and
Jayton Hall dazzled in the third set, each earning four kills on five attempts for a .800 hitting percentage. Hall concluded with a game-high nine kills, a new season-high while hitting .643.
"I would not have been able to have that many kills or that high of a percentage if it wasn't for really good passes to our setters to help run our offense," stated Hall. "I definitely tipped a lot because it was part of our game plan to find open spots on the court. Then I hit the ball hard when I found an opening and was able to score a little with that as well."
The sophomore opposite also added two service aces while the team registered 12 on the afternoon after a season-low four in yesterday's match against Arcadia. The 42 total kills by Southern Virginia is also a new record for the 2023 campaign, besting the 40 recorded on Friday night.
All three Southern Virginia setters had an opportunity to get extended playing time, with
Bryce Stringam and
Jeffrey Tomlinson setting new career highs on the afternoon.
The Knights will now compete against another talented club team, Liberty University, when they travel to Knight Arena on Monday, Jan. 30.
"Getting ready for our next game we will look to improve on our mistakes and fix our weaknesses so that we can continue to play as a unit and beat our opponents," exclaimed Hall. "We have the ability to go very far this season as long as we stick together."
For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's volleyball and to keep up with Monday's match, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.
