The Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team defeated No. 3 Kean University in a five-set thriller Saturday afternoon, earning the first Continental Volleyball Conference regular season title in program history.
The No. 11 Knights ( 21-2, 11-0) struggled in the first set, hitting .154 while only tallying eight kills. The No. 3 Cougars (21-5, 10-1) opened with their best set of the day hitting .455 and totaling 13 kills to take set one 25-20.
In the second set, Southern Virginia led 15-9 when the Cougars went on a 9-4 run bringing the game to 19-18. The Knights responded with a 6-3 run of their own, winning set two 25-20.
With the score 6-5 in the third set, the Cougars went on a10-0 run to lead 16-5. The Knights attempted a pair of short-lived comebacks but eventually fell 25-17 giving the Cougars the 2-1 lead.
The Knights entered the fourth set desperate for a win to keep them in the game and responded with their most dominant performance of the night. With the game tied 6-6, Southern Virginia outscored the Cougars 19-11 for the 25-17 victory and tying the game back up at two sets apiece.
In the deciding set, Kean University jumped out early taking a 5-2 lead. The Knights answered scoring four consecutive to claim their first lead of the set with the score now 6-5. The rest of the match consisted of back-and-forth play until the Knights trailed 14-13.
After a service error tied the game at 14, Mark Stapley and Mitch Usevitch put the Knights in front with a key block and then a Cougar attacking error allowed the Knights to complete the upset.
The Knights were led Paul "Cougar" Clark collecting a game-high 19 kills and seven digs. Nahuel Recabarren tallied 17 kills on the night while middles Usevitch and Colby Wilson recorded six and five. Kaipo Tagaloa registered 46 assists on 53 of the Knights kills and led the team with eight total blocks. Danny Aina was solid at the libero position with seven digs.
Southern Virginia ended CVC play undefeated for the first time in the program's short history which also means they will host the CVC tournament for the first time in school history.
"This was a match of ups and downs," said Head Coach Tom Peterson. "Kean had their way in the third set after we were tied at 1-1. We were out of sync for a bit but to the teams' credit, we kept fighting and finished the third set competing again. We were fortunate to come out on top in overtime. I'm proud of the team and this all happened due to the hearts of our players."
The Knights travel to play Stevens Institute of Technology Friday, April 5 at 4:30 p.m.
STORY COURTESY OF SOUTHERN VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION