The Marymount University men's volleyball team advanced to the conference semifinals and set a new program record for wins, sweeping Randolph-Macon on Tuesday in the Lee Center 29-27, 25-17, 25-20.

It was the 23rd victory of the year for the #14 Saints, who improved to 23-7 overall and advance to play host Rutgers-Newark in Friday's Continental Volleyball Conference semis.

The match played out in a strikingly similar fashion to the regular-season meeting between the teams last month, where Marymount fought off three game points in the opening set before winning more comfortably in sets 2 and 3.

This time, the Saints fell behind 24-22 in the opener before again surviving three game points to come from behind. Three straight kills from senior Ervin Harrell put the Saints on top 25-24, but Marymount fell behind 26-25 before taking the next point. A Raymond Tarasi kill gave MU a 29-27 win in set 1.

The second set was tied at 10, 11, and 12 before Marymount went on an 8-1 run.

A Jason Perkins and Sava Topich block assist was followed by a Miles Olson service ace. Kills from Harrell and Topich and an RMC service error soon pushed the gap to 20-13.

Randolph-Macon inched to within one late in the third set after MU had led by as many as six points. Marymount claimed the final four points to win the match, with Tarasi following up a block solo with a kill during that stretch.

The winner of Friday's Marymount vs. Rutgers-Newark matchup will face Juniata or Southern Virginia for the CVC championship.

STORY COURTESY OF MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION