#1 Seed - Marymount University 'SAINTS'

Just four years ago the Saints were playing in the program's first ever season. Now, in 2017, they are hosting the CVC Tournament thanks to going 13-1 in conference action and winning the conference regular season title. The Saints are 19-9 overall and ranked #13 in the latest AVCA poll. Marymount, coached by Hudson Bates, is making their third straight tournament appearance but is looking for their first win in tournament play.

Marymount comes into the tournament on a two-game losing streak but should be battle-tested after facing eight teams that are ranked in this week's national poll. The Saints are hitting .253 as a team, the second-best mark in the league. They are an attacking offense, ranking 3rd in both service aces with 138 and kills per set at 11.98. Defensively they rank 6th in digs per set (9.54) and 2nd in blocks per set (2.14).

Junior TJ Wiechecki is the focal point of their attack, leading the CVC with 407 kills. As potent as he is offensively Wiechecki is also averaging 1.54 digs and 0.73 blocks per set. Sophomore Eric Wiles (208 kills) and junior Graham Clark (145 kills) are other options while senior middle blocker Tomasz Ksiazkiewicz is hitting .382 this year and ranks 3rd on the team with 61 total blocks. Junior Erich Bratke spends most of the time as the team's setter, averaging 8.45 per set while junior Connor Choate leads the team with 2.38 digs per set.

#2 Seed - Juniata College 'EAGLES'

Juniata enters with a 19-10 overall record and finished the regular season with an 11-3 conference record. This will be the Eagles fifth trip to the conference tournament, with two previous titles (2013 and 2014). After going through a stretch of four losses in five matches to start March, the Eagles enter the tournament as the hottest team, having won six straight.

"The biggest differences that I have seen has been our consistency and mental toughness," said Juniata head coach Glenn DeHaven. "The team has grown up and matured quite a bit since our return from spring break. We have placed a lot of our focus in those two areas. The team has done a better job of preparing themselves for our opponents and giving themselves opportunities to be successful."

The Eagles are hitting a conference-high .266 as a team, averaging 11.53 kills per set. They ranked 2nd in service aces, with 150, and 3rd in blocks per set, 2.05. Sophomore Quinn Peterson leads the team with 367 kills this season.

"Quinn has put in a lot of work in both on and off the court in preparation for this season. We have worked a lot with him to expand his offensive range along with his ability to bounce back from mistakes. I give Quinn a lot of credit, he has kept an open mind and been very accepting of new thoughts and ideas while staying coachable. The exciting part for me is I truly believe he is only starting to scratch the surface of his potential."

Senior Kyle Seeley is hitting a CVC best .444 while ranking 3rd with 94 total blocks. Michael Young has stepped in as a freshman to rank 4th in the conference in assists (9.40) while junior Chris Heron leads the team with 232 digs.

#3 Seed - Stevenson University 'MUSTANGS'

Stevenson, the defending CVC Tournament Champions, are the #3 seed in the tournament this year after going 10-4 in conference play. They enter with a 20-11 record, having won four of their last five matches.

Stevenson is hitting .236 overall as a team and average 12.04 kills per set. They led the CVC in service aces with 175 and finished 4th in total blocks with 306.

Sophomore Landon Shorts, the 2016 CVC Newcomer of the Year, has continued to shine and leads the team with 387 kills this season.

"Landon is a terminating hitter and server", said first-year Stevenson head coach Aldis Berzins. "When he is on, teams have trouble stopping him and we score streaks of points. It is always a thrill to watch Landon on the floor."

The Stevenson attack features four players with at least 200 kills while their net defense is led by senior Nate Ellis, who is tied for the conference lead with 109 blocks. Senior Kyle Johnson runs the offense, totaling 985 assists this year while freshman Derek Tangorra has totaled 261 digs.

"If we are to be successful this weekend we must stick together as a team and believe we can win. We need to play better than we have all season, not just play good. I need to coach at my best too. I think the guys are ready to peak," said Berzins.

#4 Seed - Eastern Mennonite University 'ROYALS'

Eastern Mennonite will be making their first ever CVC Tournament trip after going 21-10 during the regular season, just the second time in program history they have reached the 20 win mark. The Royals went 9-5 in conference play and are coming off a 3-1 win over Penn State-Altoona.

"We expected to make the conference tournament this year but we are still hungry," said first-year head coach Ross Madden. "We have the mindset that we want to dominate the competition and make the NCAA Tournament."

The Royals high-powered attack averages a conference-high 12.17 kills per set, with three players over 250 kills, while hitting .227 as a team. Christian Taylor runs the balanced attack, averaging a conference-best 10.65 assists per set.

"We have a great player at every position, so coming up with a game plan against us can be diffucult," said Madden. "We have hard working blockers, which really helps our defense. And our hitters then are able to achieve their level of production thanks to our quick and scrappy defense that gives us extra opportunities."

The Royals aforementioned defense ranks 1st in the league in digs and total blocks (257). The depth on the team shows on the defensive end where they have seven players with over 100 digs this season, led by junior Micah Buller (199). Dan Lutz gives the team a presence at the net, tying for the conference lead with 109 blocks.

"The opportunity to compete in these huge tournaments for all the fans, players, and coaches is pretty awesome," said Madden. "We are going to squeeze as much as we can out of these moments, out of these players, and it is going to be a blast."