BUENA VISTA, Va. – After eight straight regular-season contests on the road, the Southern Virginia University Men's Volleyball team returned to The Barn, improving to 11-2 on the year after back-to-back Continental Volleyball Conference victories over Roanoke and Randolph-Macon.

In the first-ever matchup between the Knights and the Maroons, the home team was slow out of the gates, falling behind early. Three straight points saw the Knights retake the lead and gain some momentum. After the Maroons tallied two consecutive points to retake the advantage, the Knights scored four of the next five points behind great serving by Tyler Sheaffer. After Roanoke tied the contest at 15, Southern Virginia registered five consecutive points to take hold of the reigns in the set firmly. The visiting team, however, didn't shrink, recording three straight tallies to cut the deficit to two. The Knights closed out the set, scoring the final three points of the set to take a 1-0 lead. The home team maintained a balanced offense throughout the set, with four players recording two or more kills, led by Christian Sheaffer, who tallied four kills.

With all the momentum from winning set number one, Southern Virginia got off to a much better start in the second set. A 6-0 run in the middle of the set increased the advantage to nine, putting the game out of reach for the Maroons. Four straight points, including back-to-back service aces by Jayton Hall, saw the Knights take set number two, 25-14. Southern Virginia held Roanoke to just four kills and a -.105 hitting percentage in the set. Hall scored just one less point than the entire Maroon squad in the set, registering five points with three kills and his two service aces that closed out the set. Kyler Evans was also impressive, tallying three kills in the set to accompany a block.

Set number three was very similar to the second, with the Knights jumping out to an early lead and using an extended run in the middle of the set to control the momentum. Five straight points secured the victory, with point 25 again coming off a Hall ace. The third and final set also saw the Knights record their highest hitting percentage of the first match, .481, on 14 kills. Kristo Bianchin, Jeremy Brown, Christian Sheaffer, and Kyler Evans all tallied three kills as Southern Virginia maintained its balanced attack.

Match number two was a rematch between the Knights and the Yellow Jackets, who played at the beginning of February at the Macon Invitational, with the hosts winning three sets to none. Randolph-Macon looked to get a second consecutive sweep of Southern Virginia after failing to succeed in the previous six seasons. The visitors went up 2-0 and carried all the momentum into the third set.

The Knights ramped up the intensity in the third set with nothing to lose. After a service error by Tyler Sheaffer opened the scoring, Southern Virginia then rallied, scoring the next four points ad six of the next seven to liven up the crowd. The Knights would again go on a run, tallying five of the next six points to take an 11-4 lead early on. After two quick tallies by the visitors, Southern Virginia scored five straight to put a stranglehold on the set. Although the Yellow Jackets didn't go down without a fight, the Knights relied on their excellent blocking in the set to lead them to a 25-17 win.

With the home crowd behind them, the Knights again got off to a great start in the next set, benefitting from two service errors and two blocks to take a 7-3 lead. After trading 3-0 runs, Southern Virginia scored 12 of the next 18 points to increase the advantage to 10. A Kody Rogan service error squared the match at two.

In the fifth and final set, the Yellow Jackets went against the run of play to take control of the set early on, grabbing eight of the first 12 points. After McKay Walker cut the deficit to three, Randolph-Macon scored two straight to take a 10-5 lead. With their backs up against the wall, the Knights battled back, inching their way back into the contest by taking it one point at a time. Back-to-back kills by Christian Sheaffer gave the team some momentum, and then two straight attacking errors by the Yellow Jackets ratcheted the volume in The Barn up a few notches. Walker then hit the net on the ensuing serve, restoring their two-point lead. After trading points, the Knights added two straight to tie the set at 12. The teams then split the next seven points, with Southern Virginia escaping three match-point opportunities for the visitors. Kills by Christian Sheaffer and McKay Walker propelled the Knights to their first lead of the set, 17-16. The first match-point chance for the home team was shut down by a Jarrett Carrano kill. Southern Virginia, however, would not fail on its second attempt to close out the match, completing the reverse sweep with a final set score of 19-17.

Christian Sheaffer again dazzled, leading all players with 16 kills. McKay Walker had his best performance of the year, tallying 11 kills while hitting .368 and registering a match-high four service aces. He, Kristo Bianchin and Tyler Sheaffer led the team with five total blocks each. Jeremy Brown, Jayton Hall and Justin Madsen all impressed on the defensive side of the ball, recording 26 total digs between the three, with Hall tallying a match-high 10 digs.

Southern Virginia continues CVC play on Tuesday, Mar. 14, when it takes on Eastern Mennonite on the road.

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