Liberty University Club Sports
ECVA South Play Date
Men’s volleyball sweeps its way to ECVA tournament title at JMU
2/12/2023 5:15:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
After dropping five-game matches in its first two showdowns with ECVA opponents Virginia Tech and JMU at the Liberty Arena, Liberty University’s men’s volleyball team experienced the thrill of victory for the first time this season in a big way, going 6-0 in match play and dropping only one game all day in sweeping its way to the championship at the ECVA Play Date hosted by the Dukes. The tournament triumph clinches a bid for the Flames to the ECVA’s season-ending East Coast Championships.
“It was a really good look and performance from the guys this weekend,” Flames Head Coach Josh Knapp said. “We were able to make some changes to our systems that we put in place and the guys showed trust in that process and got to see the results when it came to their success on the court. Securing a bid to the East Coast Championship with this win takes a lot of pressure off of us moving through our season. We get to focus on training and our growth and with it only being four weeks into the season, we have come very far from where we started.”
He said the team functioned as one body, with all of its starters and reserves playing their part.
“With the systems we’ve been putting in place, they are really focused on our entire team moving as one unit,” Knapp said. “No one player really stood out. Each guy on the court was able to do his job and the task he had to do very well. Guys weren’t playing for themselves; they were playing for one another and finally felt what it was like to play as a team.”
The Flames dominated Duke in the first round of pool play, winning 25-17, 25-13, before overwhelming UNC Greensboro, 25-17, 25-12, and sweeping North Carolina State, 25-19, 25-17. They rebounded from their only lost game in the tournament by overcoming Virginia Tech, 23-25, 25-12, 15-11 in the final round, securing a No. 1 seed out of their pool and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
“We were able to settle in and work with what we’ve been putting in place and the guys did a great job of making on-court changes,” Knapp said. “The scores reflected our ability to adapt and keep improving throughout the day.”
In the championship semifinals, Liberty straight-setted the Wolfpack, 25-20, 25-20, before fending off the Hokies, 25-22, 25-21, by controlling the pace of the match, making fewer errors, and outplaying them.
“Our guys are really starting to find their footing when it comes to doing what we’re working on in practice,” Knapp said, noting the slow start to the spring semester did not concern him as the team’s goal is to be playing its best when the matches count the most, in the March 31-April 1 ECVA East Coast Championships in College Park, Md., and the April 13-15 NCVF National Championships in Kansas City, Mo. “It’s not a sprint for the first matches of the season; it’s a long-distance race.”
He said outside hitters Cross Edwards, a graduate student, and freshman Josh Culpepper played exceptionally well along with middle blockers Jared Vazquez, a 6-foot, 9-inch-tall junior, and senior John Sauder, as well as freshman right-side hitter Zach Lamoureux.
“Our middles stepped it up this weekend and were able to put their focus on blocking and we saw significant improvement as Jared lead the team in blocks,” Knapp said, noting that he controlled the match against Virginia Tech, which has some very aggressive middle hitters, and made sure they were only able to put solo blockers on the Flames’ outside hitters. “Josh Culpepper’s mentality on the court really pulled our team dynamic together to help win these matches. He stepped up again this weekend and showed us his versatility as a hitter. He was very consistent and had great looks on the court from the outside hitter position and helped lead the team in kills.”
Junior libero Mason Ellenberger and senior setter Chase Keith played instrumental roles, as well.
“Mason was a huge part of the foundation of our team in his serve receive and defense, controlling our back row,” Knapp said. “Chase keeps improving with the way he is running our offense, distributing the ball, and gave our hitters some very good looks.”
After hosting Virginia at the Liberty Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m., the Flames will travel to the Hoosier-Illini Classic on Saturday and Sunday in Bloomington, Ind. There, they will face many programs from the Midwest Region that they don’t play in the regular season, including Ohio State and a few other teams that will challenge them at nationals.
Meanwhile, Liberty’s Division II team will get its first chance to compete when it hosts the ECVA South Play Date on Saturday at the LaHaye Multipurpose Center, the same venue where the Flames will host the ECVA DI and DII Conference Championships on March 25.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
