Liberty University Club Sports
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Southern Virginia University
Men’s volleyball swept by NCAA DIII Southern Virginia
1/31/2023 1:07:17 PM | Men's Volleyball
In a match that took just over an hour, Liberty University’s men’s volleyball team had difficulty finding its rhythm on offense or defense in Monday night’s 25-16, 25-9, 25-21 loss at NCAA Division III Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Va.
"SVU is a very competitive team and we struggled a little bit offensively, but we were still able to still compete and find our footing at times," Flames Head Coach Josh Knapp said. "SVU's going to be one of our toughest competitors we get to see this season. They outsized us when it comes to stature, and they run a fast offense with a lot of options. We were able to handle the serve-receive, but we struggled with the speed of the game and in putting the ball away. In the future, we will be looking to maximize our offensive capabilities and set up a few systems to give us a few more attacking options."
Liberty (0-2) was paced on attack by four kills apiece from graduate outside hitter Cross Edwards, senior middle hitter Tyler Wemple, and freshman opposite hitter Zachary Lamoureux while senior middle hitter John Sauder added three kills and three blocks. Senior setter Chase Keith distributed 11 assists and junior libero Mason Ellenberger had seven digs to go with his 27 service receives.
Christian Scheaffer led the Knights (5-0) with 14 kills and five block assists and setter Tyler Scheaffer dished out 22 assists and served two aces. SVU, which hasn’t lost a game in five matches this month, will next host Virginia Tech, which edged Liberty in five games last Tuesday in the Flames’ season opener at Liberty Arena.
"The tempo of their offense was quite quick so our blocking was a little slow in adjusting," Knapp said. "In the third game, we saw improvement and used it to get some great touches to see how we can compete against a great team. We're still a very young team, and we're only in Week Two. These two matches are a bright starting point to get an early look at what we need to work on and find ways to improve."
The Flames will return to the Liberty Arena to host JMU next Tuesday at 7 p.m. before traveling to JMU on Saturday, Feb. 11, for their only ECVA Play Dates of the spring semester.
"That gives us time to get back into the gym and work on some things we've seen," Knapp said."We are excited to get in our gym and really focus on those skills and systems we need to work on."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
