Sophomore outside hitter Anthony Bernardo spikes off a blocker during an ECVA tournament at Liberty last spring. (Photo by Aziz Ibrahim)
DI men’s volleyball team ousted by Florida in quarterfinals, DII falls to Virginia Tech in final
10/13/2024 9:41:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
Liberty competed in its only ECVA Play Date of the fall, acclimating its freshmen to the collegiate game while placing eighth and second, respectively.
Liberty University's Division I and II men's volleyball teams faced some tough competition from the ECVA South, a couple teams from the ECVA North, and one NCAA Division III program in Saturday's first ECVA South Play Date hosted by Virginia Tech.
The Flames' DI squad took NCAA DIII Roanoke College to five games in their first match of pool play before falling, 25-17, 13-25, 25-17, 21-25, 15-8.
"We were using different lineups and using the Roanoke match as a test game to try new systems," Liberty Head Coach Josh Knapp said. "We looked at different combinations, rotating in freshmen recruits, and tried to use the tournament as a foundation for the future.
Liberty bounced back to win its next match against ECVA North rival Penn State's B team, 25-20, 25-20, 20-25, 25-20 and was named champion of its three-team pool.
"Penn State's B team had a lot of size in that front row, and they had a very strong offense and blocking ability at the net," Knapp said. "Overall, we had consistent swinging and did a good job of avoiding that block, with smart decision-making on attack. They did a great job of not overextending themselves. We also had great service pressure from junior outside hitter Zachary Bell and freshman setter Isaac Oden, who both had five aces in that match."
However, the Flames were eliminated by the University of Florida in the quarterfinal round of championship play, 25-16, 25-17. The Flames finished eighth out of 14 teams in the DI bracket overall.
"Florida was a solid matchup and a tough team to face right out of pool play," Knapp said. Those walk-ons and freshmen recruits did well for the first tournament, and we did great playing together as a team and finding some chemistry throughout the day."
Freshman setter Isaac Oden, playing in place of Josh Culpepper who is studying in Japan this semester, filled in admirably with 93 assists in the three matches. His primary target was sophomore outside hitter Anthony Bernardo, who led Liberty with 27 kills on 62 attempts.
"Isaac did a great job of spreading out the offense as a setter, taking on that role of running the offense as a freshman, which is not an easy task," Knapp said. "Anthony Bernardo was our most consistent hitter, and we also saw play on the outside from Zachary Bell and new recruit Joshua Davis, a transfer. All three of them did a great job throughout this tournament against some very good competition."
Sophomore libero John Kinzler excelled in service receive, handling 57 serves and leading the team with a passing rating of 2.14 and 24 digs.
"John was an outside hitter on our DII team last year, and he stepped up to fill the role of libero, looking to replace Mason Ellenberger," Knapp said. "He played super consistently and showed great promise. His passing stats were really consistent off his serve receive."
The Flames' DII team, meanwhile, finished 2-1 in its pool, sandwiching wins over Radford and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill's B squad around a loss to Appalachian State's B team. Then in the playoffs, Liberty downed JMU and won a rematch with ASU before falling to host Virginia Tech's B team in the final to take second out of 10 teams.
Knapp is looking to add another tournament in November as well as setting up scrimmages with local NCAA DIII teams throughout the second half of the fall semester.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
The Flames' DI squad took NCAA DIII Roanoke College to five games in their first match of pool play before falling, 25-17, 13-25, 25-17, 21-25, 15-8.
"We were using different lineups and using the Roanoke match as a test game to try new systems," Liberty Head Coach Josh Knapp said. "We looked at different combinations, rotating in freshmen recruits, and tried to use the tournament as a foundation for the future.
Liberty bounced back to win its next match against ECVA North rival Penn State's B team, 25-20, 25-20, 20-25, 25-20 and was named champion of its three-team pool.
"Penn State's B team had a lot of size in that front row, and they had a very strong offense and blocking ability at the net," Knapp said. "Overall, we had consistent swinging and did a good job of avoiding that block, with smart decision-making on attack. They did a great job of not overextending themselves. We also had great service pressure from junior outside hitter Zachary Bell and freshman setter Isaac Oden, who both had five aces in that match."
However, the Flames were eliminated by the University of Florida in the quarterfinal round of championship play, 25-16, 25-17. The Flames finished eighth out of 14 teams in the DI bracket overall.
"Florida was a solid matchup and a tough team to face right out of pool play," Knapp said. Those walk-ons and freshmen recruits did well for the first tournament, and we did great playing together as a team and finding some chemistry throughout the day."
Freshman setter Isaac Oden, playing in place of Josh Culpepper who is studying in Japan this semester, filled in admirably with 93 assists in the three matches. His primary target was sophomore outside hitter Anthony Bernardo, who led Liberty with 27 kills on 62 attempts.
"Isaac did a great job of spreading out the offense as a setter, taking on that role of running the offense as a freshman, which is not an easy task," Knapp said. "Anthony Bernardo was our most consistent hitter, and we also saw play on the outside from Zachary Bell and new recruit Joshua Davis, a transfer. All three of them did a great job throughout this tournament against some very good competition."
Sophomore libero John Kinzler excelled in service receive, handling 57 serves and leading the team with a passing rating of 2.14 and 24 digs.
"John was an outside hitter on our DII team last year, and he stepped up to fill the role of libero, looking to replace Mason Ellenberger," Knapp said. "He played super consistently and showed great promise. His passing stats were really consistent off his serve receive."
The Flames' DII team, meanwhile, finished 2-1 in its pool, sandwiching wins over Radford and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill's B squad around a loss to Appalachian State's B team. Then in the playoffs, Liberty downed JMU and won a rematch with ASU before falling to host Virginia Tech's B team in the final to take second out of 10 teams.
Knapp is looking to add another tournament in November as well as setting up scrimmages with local NCAA DIII teams throughout the second half of the fall semester.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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