HARRISONBURG, Va. – After dropping the first set, the Southern Virginia University Men's Volleyball team (12-2, 5-1) won three straight to take down conference foe Eastern Mennonite University (9-8, 0-1), 3-1 Tuesday night.
The opening set was a back-and-forth affair from the first serve, with neither team holding more than a three-point lead. The Knights played from behind for most of the set but never trailed the home team by more than two points. After being down 17-15, three straight points capped off by a
Jeremy Brown and
McKay Walker block saw the Knights take the lead. Head Coach
Tom Peterson called a timeout after an attacking error made the score 23-22 in favor of his team. Following the timeout, a
Christian Sheaffer kill put Southern Virginia in an excellent position to close out the set. The Royals, however, had other plans, tallying four straight points led by two kills by Nate McGhee and two blocks by AJ Bagby to earn a 1-0 set advantage.
After hitting zero percent in the opening set, Southern Virginia bounced back in the second, tallying a match-high .423 hitting percentage and 14 kills. Despite the excellent hitting percentage by the Knights, the start to the set was similar to the first set, with neither team gaining much of an advantage. After the score was tied at nine following a Southern Virginia service error, the team registered six straight and 13 of the next 16 points to take control of the set. A
Kyler Evans kill closed out the set and saw the Knights square the contest at one set apiece.
In the third set, the visitors jumped out to an early lead after a 6-0 run gave them all the momentum. Two more extended runs in the middle of the set created a 13-point deficit that proved too much despite a push by the Royals toward the end of the set.
Hoping to extend the match, the home team came out firing at the beginning of the fourth set, recording the first three points. Southern Virginia, however, tied the game quickly, scoring the next three points. The teams then traded points until a 6-0 run by the Knights gave them the lead and the momentum. Back-to-back Southern Virginia errors cut the deficit to four, 17-13, but a 5-0 run by the visitors squashed any hope of a comeback.
Jayton Hall closed the contest with a kill to end the set with a 25-16 score.
Tyler Sheaffer impressed throughout the match, lighting up the score sheet with 36 assists, five kills on ten attempts for a .400 hitting percentage, and three blocks.
McKay Walker again made his presence felt in his second full match of the year, leading all players with 14 kills on a .500 hitting percentage while adding five blocks—the most on the team.
Southern Virginia has ten days before its next match when they take on No. 13 Marymount in a Continental Volleyball Conference clash.
For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's volleyball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.
