BUENA VISTA, Va. – After a ten-day hiatus, the Southern Virginia University Men's Volleyball team (13-2, 6-1) returned to the court Friday night, taking on Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) opponent Marymount University (16-5, 3-2) in a ranked matchup.

Jeremy Brown was impressive to start the match, registering two huge kills, including a monster from the back row, as the teams went back and forth in the opening minutes.

Neither team gained much of an advantage for the first half of the set, with the Knights holding the largest advantage at three points.

Then, a 4-1 Southern Virginia run, capped off by a solo block by Tyler Sheaffer, forced a Marymount timeout, trailing by five, 16-11.

Following the break, a Saints attacking error and a service ace by McKay Walker stretched the lead to seven before a Hayden Kerekes kill ended the run.

The Knights, however, tallied three straight and five of the next six points to put a stranglehold on the first set.

Southern Virginia closed out set one with a bomb from the back row by Christian Sheaffer, 25-15.

Despite dropping the first set, Marymount came out firing in set number two, jumping out to an early 5-2 lead. However, it didn't take long for the Knights to claw their way back, tallying four of the next five points to tie the game at six.

The Saints maintained a slight advantage on the scoreboard until back-to-back aces from the service line by Tyler Sheaffer squared the set at 13 and forced a timeout from the visitors.
After the Knights climbed to a 19-16 advantage, three straight points by the Saints tied the game. The home team then went on a 3-0 run of its own, capped off by a Brown serve off the tape and in to retake control of the set and force the second and final timeout from Marymount.

Following the timeout, Southern Virginia secured the second set victory after three straight points, including a remarkable one-hand block by Christian Sheaffer, causing an eruption in "The Barn."

The third set began with a back-and-forth for the opening 14 points until a 3-0 run by the visitors awarded them a 10-7 lead. The Knights would then go on a 6-0 run of their own to retake the lead.

Marymount battled from behind for the entirety of the set but would not go away easily. They cut the deficit to three, 20-17, but a service error and back-to-back service aces from Tyler Sheaffer put the set out of reach. A Ricardo Pena serve into the net gifted the Knights the match's final point.

Southern Virginia's serving was a big difference maker in the contest, recording 12 aces compared to just two from the visitors. The Sheaffer brothers led the charge, tallying eight between the two—five from Tyler and three from Christian.

The Knights also outhit the Saints, registering a .269 hitting percentage, led by Kristo Bianchin, who hit an impressive .667 on seven kills—the second most on the team and in the match. Bianchin led all players with three total blocks.

Christian Sheaffer again led the team with 12 total kills and just one error—good for a .550 hitting percentage.

Defensively, Jayton Hall was outstanding—recording 11 digs to lead all players.

Southern Virginia returns to the court tomorrow, taking on St. Andrews in an exhibition match starting at 3 p.m.

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