BUENA VISTA, Va. – The Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team (3-0, 0-0) continued its excellent start to the 2023 season, sweeping Arcadia University (0-3, 0-0) three sets to none Friday night.

"It was good to get another win," Head Coach Tom Peterson declared. "We could have played better for longer periods, and we will continue to work on that so that when we are confronted with pressure situations, we will be better equipped to handle those situations."

In just the second overall meeting between the programs, Southern Virginia used a four-point run at the beginning of the first set to ignite the home crowd in Knight Arena. Arcadia maintained its composure and cut into the advantage, but Southern Virginia would go on another extended run, scoring seven of the following eight points. Arcadia would not go down without a fight, cutting the deficit to two after a 10-4 run towards the end of the first set, necessitating a timeout from Southern Virginia's Head Coach. Following the timeout, Danny Gonzalez had a massive kill to make the score 20-19. Southern Virginia would then score three consecutive points to force an Arcadia timeout. An ace by Jayton Hall took the match to set point, which Southern Virginia would earn due to a Gonzalez error, giving the team a 1-0 advantage.

The first set featured a balanced Southern Virginia attack, with four players recording two or more kills. Kristo Bianchin was especially dangerous in the middle of the court, notching three kills on five attempts.

Southern Virginia came out firing on all cylinders in the second set, scoring nine of the first 12 points. Arcadia would do its best to come back but they were never able to string together multiple points, and Southern Virginia would take a 2-0 lead in the match after the 25-14 victory in the second set.

Steve Rasmussen was outstanding in the set, adding four total blocks – one solo and three assists – to the two recorded in the first set to surpass his previous career-high through just two sets.

"After the first set, I understood their middle's tendencies," shared Rasmussen. "He got a couple of shots on me where he cut the ball back, so I started taking middle then pressing cross to catch him. After that, the other blocks were just flow, honestly."

On the offensive side of the ball, Jeremy Brown had his best set of the evening, hitting .429 and registering a set-high five kills.

The third and final set started with Arcadia battling to grab a 5-4 lead. Southern Virginia would go on yet another run over the next several minutes to retake the lead, 13-7. After falling to a 22-13 deficit, Arcadia strung back-to-back three-point runs to make the score 23-19. Two consecutive attacking errors by Arcadia sealed the victory for Southern Virginia.

Christian Sheaffer sealed an excellent overall performance with six kills while hitting .500 in the third set to conclude the match with a game-high 14 kills and an impressive .571 hitting percentage.

Rasmussen ended up with seven total blocks, a new career-high for the senior. "Steve caught fire, and it was enjoyable to see his hard work pay off," stated Peterson. "He had several blocks that were exceptional. He is a great teammate, and all the guys were excited for him."

"I didn't realize it was seven, but that's awesome," exclaimed Rasmussen. "It's just evidence that our guys were serving them out of system, and that lets us take advantage of hitters having to swing uncomfortably."

Bianchin also had a career night, recording eight kills while hitting .500. "It was one of Kristo's best nights for us," mentioned Peterson. "He showed off his athleticism, and I am excited to see his continued progression."

"Our passing this evening was excellent and much more consistent, which helped our offense be so balanced," the Southern Virginia Head Coach continued. "Being able to have a diverse offense will be a big deal, especially when we get into conference play."

"We have a lot of momentum and confidence, but the special thing about this team's momentum is we have built it together, and we are moving together," added Rasmussen. "I have never been on a team where the energy flows this well. There are five guys immediately at my back on every error (literally), lifting me up. And when you do something well, it's the same effect! We really do live and breathe as one. Good teams could typically get one or two players, but they can't get all of us, and they need to get all of us to win."

Southern Virginia will continue its home stand tomorrow afternoon when it plays the University of North Carolina. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m.

"Tomorrow will feature one of the top club teams in the country with very talented players," announced Peterson.

When asked how the team gets ready for tomorrow, Rasmussen said, "we will get ready for tomorrow the same way we got ready for today. We know it's going to be a challenge. But, no matter who is on the other side, we play the best volleyball we can to honor them."

For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's volleyball and to keep up with tomorrow's match, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.