This past Friday night, the Wittenberg men's volleyball team pulled off one of the program's biggest upset wins over the defending NCAA Division 3 Men's Volleyball champions Southern Virginia in Pam Evans Smith Arena.
The match began dominated by the Tigers, as they won the first two sets with scores of 25-20 and 25-17 respectively. The former champions Knights fought back however, quickly tying the game with two straight set wins 25-23 and 25-19, sending the event to a fifth set. The race to 15 points was on and the teams went back and forth, until a service error by Southern Virginia allowed the breathing room Wittenberg needed to get the victory in the end 15-13.
Southern Virginia started their championship defense with a strong undefeated record of 8-0 heading into the match and were ranked #5 regionally in the NCAA through the AVCA Coaches poll. The Tigers, while unranked, had a strong start to their season as well with a 6-2 overall record, but were still underdogs compared to the Knights. With their win, they jump to a 2-6 overall series record against Southern Virginia.
The team was led by senior outside hitter Eli Halverson with a powerful 17 kills, two blocks, and ten digs for 20 points. Teammates junior outside hitter Michael Yurk and sophomore opposite hitter Zach Newton each added 14 kills. Other notable team leaders include freshman setter Gavin Hagerty with 24 assists and sophomore setter Carson Hill added 19 assists. Hill himself had seven digs alongside Halverson and senior libero Jake Downs, who had eight.
The big win was during the Springfield Men's Volleyball Showcase hosted by Wittenberg University, where the Tigers went undefeated on Friday, first with a shutdown 3-0 victory against Bridgewater and then the upset win against Southern Virginia. Saturday saw the Tigers fall to another regionally ranked opponent #13 Loras 3-1, before redeeming themselves with another shutdown 3-0 victory vs. Illinois Tech.
The Tigers' next matchups will be a doubleheader at Lakeland University on Saturday, February 14 at 2 p.m. against the Muskies, as well as a neutral site game in Lakeland vs. Wisconsin - Stevens Point at 4:30 p.m. later that afternoon. The Tigers also have their first conference matchup of the season to look forward to, playing at home vs. Trine in Pam Evans Smith Arena on February 20 at 7 p.m.
The Tigers look to use the momentum gained from their huge win over the defending champions towards their quest towards a conference championship as the season progresses.
