STORY COURTESY OF SOUTHERN VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

The Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team made quick work of the #5-seeded Marymount Saints on Friday night, rolling to a straight-set sweep in the CVC Tournament Semifinal, 25-17, 25-19, 25-16. The dominant performance sends the Knights to the CVC Championship Final, set for Saturday, April 12 at 3:00 PM.

The match began with some early service errors on both sides, but Southern Virginia quickly settled in. A service ace from Kyler Evans and a pair of kills from Christian Sheaffer kicked off a seven-point scoring surge for the Knights. Samuel Candland and Jason Wang added to the offensive burst, giving Southern Virginia an 11-3 lead. Despite hitting just .217 in the opening set, the Knights controlled play with a strong net presence and serving. Candland and Jayton Hall led the charge to seal a 25-17 first-set victory.

Set two started evenly, with the teams knotted at 5-5 before Southern Virginia's offense hit its stride. The Knights posted an explosive .640 hitting percentage in the frame, sparked by attacks from Jeremy Brown, Gehrig Tolman, and a key block from Evans and Sheaffer. Marymount struggled to regain momentum amid a flurry of service errors. Down the stretch, Evans and Sheaffer remained lethal, while Wang and Brown delivered key kills to close out the set 25-19.

The third and final set was competitive early before Sheaffer and Candland pushed the Knights ahead with a series of aggressive swings. Brown then delivered back-to-back aces, igniting a five-point run. With the Knights in full control, Sheaffer took over down the stretch, scoring the team's final five points on kills to emphatically secure the 25-16 win and the match sweep.

Sheaffer led all players with 16 kills, hitting an exceptional .565 on the night. Brown added four service aces, while Justin Madsen and Brown tied for the team lead with seven digs each, anchoring a strong back-row defensive effort.