Buena Vista, VA - The Southern Virginia University men's volleyball team resumed their conference slate by welcoming the Marymount Saints to the barn. A perennial force in the CVC, the Saints have often been one of the top teams in the country for years, but the Knights continued their winning ways with a sweep of the Saints, improving their record to 16-0.
Marymount played tough in the first set, trailing by a score of 16-14 at the midway point. However, the Knights put on a flurry of attacks led by Kristo Bianchin and took six of the next seven points. Eventually, the Knights claimed the opening frame 25-18, but the team was not content with their performance. Jeremy Brown and Kristo Bianchin led the team with a couple of kills each in the early going.
Brown came out firing in the second set to give the team an early lead. Gehrig Tolman continued to feed him and Bianchin at will and it paid off, boosting the Knights to a comfortable advantage. Christian Sheaffer also began to find his groove, registering a couple of kills and an ace after a tough first set for the All-American. Southern Virginia owned a 12-4 lead and showed no signs of slowing down.
The onslaught continued far into the second set as the Knights were swinging at everything they saw. Libero Justin Madsen's stability on defense was crucial while the Knights found their rhythm, and by the end of the second set, he led both teams in digs. Samuel Candland put the finishing touches on an exciting second frame, giving his team a 25-10 win and putting Marymount on the brink of their first conference loss of the season.
In the third and potential final set, Marymount showed some pushback, trailing by just one early on, 6-5. Their momentum was short lived however, and the Knights quickly built themselves a double-digit lead. Jason Wang subbed in and immediately made an impact, taking part in three blocks to get the home crowd on their feet. Gehrig Tolman made several sneaky plays at the net, eventually tying his season best with five kills.
Jeremy Brown put the nail in coffin with a service ace to secure the final point of the match. Kristo Biachin had a game, recording kills on five of his six attacks while adding four more block assists to his name. Sheaffer and Brown led the Knights in kills with 10 and 8 apiece to lead the attack, and the defense came on strong during the third.
With a record of 16-0, Southern Virginia marches on as one of just two undefeated teams in the country. They remain the only team to have not conceded a single set to any opponent. Next in the schedule, the Knights will remain home for a match with St. Andrews on Saturday, March 8th, at 12:00 PM. For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.
