BUENA VISTA, Va. – In the regular season finale, the Southern Virginia University Men's Volleyball team (17-2, 7-1) made quick work of visiting Kean (14-14, 3-5) on a special Saturday that saw four seniors recognized for their contributions to the program.

"I am so proud of our seniors for the players and men they have become," exclaimed Head Coach Tom Peterson. "We are lucky to have such great leaders on our team, and they will be missed greatly. I am excited to see them move on to the next chapter of life."

Kean came out firing early, looking to spoil the celebrations and Southern Virginia's chances at hosting the Continental Volleyball Conference tournament. The teams went back and forth in the opening minutes of play, with nine ties and three lead changes occurring in the first 18 points.

McKay Walker would start a scoring run for the Knights with a powerful kill, sending fellow senior Jeff Tomlinson to the service line. Following a kill from Christian Sheaffer, Tomlinson capped the 3-0 run with an ace.

After two straight points, the visitors looked to tie the game again, but Jayton Hall slammed the ball down the line for his first kill of the match to get the lead back to two. The point proved crucial as the Knights grabbed seven of the next eight points in the set to take control.

Kean, however, would not go down easily, chipping away at the deficit. On its third set point attempt, Southern Virginia would convert, with Christian Sheaffer tallying his sixth kill of the set for the final points.

The Knight's offense impressed in set one, setting a new record for kills in a set with 20. Sheaffer led the way with six but was followed closely behind by Jeremy Brown (five), McKay Walker (four) and Kyler Evans (three). Tyler Sheaffer's 18 assists are also a new personal best for assists in a single set.

The Cougars could not cool down the Knights in the second set, giving up 16 kills while managing just ten of their own. Sheaffer and Walker again led the way, but Senior Steve Rasmussen was outstanding in the set, registering three kills on four attempts. The team hit .500 with just two errors in set two.

Southern Virginia would have its lowest hitting percentage in the third and final set—.407—but leaned on its best serving of the match to lead it to victory.

Brown again impressed from the service line, recording two aces in the final set. Tomlinson would add another ace in the third set to tie Brown for the most by any player in the match with two.

The two triumphs this weekend propelled the Knights to a first-place finish in the conference, securing the opportunity to host the conference tournament next weekend.

"Winning the regular season conference title is a big deal, and I am extremely proud of our players," added Peterson. "This means we get to host the conference tournament's semifinals and finals, which is a huge advantage for us."

Southern Virginia will take on the winner of the Randolph-Macon Rutgers-Newark match on Friday, April 14.

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