Flames rally past NCVF national champion Wisconsin; fall to runner-up Ohio State in Hoosier-Illini quarterfinals

Saturday, February 14

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DI men's volleyball setter Josh Culpepper serves

Senior setter Josh Culpepper follows through on a serve in the Flames' sweep over VCU last Tuesday at the Liberty Arena as Head Coach Bryan Rigg (standing) and Assistant Coach Stephen Patag look on.

Flames rally past NCVF national champion Wisconsin; fall to runner-up Ohio State in Hoosier-Illini quarterfinals

2/16/2026 6:23:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Liberty went 3-0 to win its pool on Friday before making an early exit in Saturday’s playoffs.

Liberty University's No. 20-ranked Division I men's volleyball team went unbeaten in Friday's pool play matches at the Hoosier-Illini Classic hosted by the University of Indiana before falling in the quarterfinals of Saturday's championship bracket.
"The top teams in the country all come to play in this tournament each year, so it lets us know where we stack up outside of our ECVA South conference," Flames junior libero John Kinzler said. "This tournament is essentially a preview of nationals. I always enjoy playing in the Hoosier-Illini, and Liberty has a history of performing well at this tournament.
Liberty opened pool play by rallying for a 16-25, 25-19, 15-12 upset of No. 8 Wisconsin, the reigning NCVF national champion that eventually won the tournament crown.
"Wisconsin's only loss in the whole tournament was to us," said Assistant Coach Stephen Patag, who normally coaches the Flames' DII squad but filled in for interim Head Coach Bryan Rigg. "We were able to distribute the ball pretty well and got good production from our middles and opposite hitters. Our service pressure and passing drastically improved from the first to the second set. Once we got our offense going and our passes were dialed in, John Kinzler did a fantastic job with his defense and passing, and (senior opposite hitter) Zach Lamoureux played a great game."
He said Liberty limited its unforced errors in the last two games and shut down the Badgers' middle hitters, who were very effective in the first game.
"They like to run a very fast offense with short passes to their middles, and our service pressure kept them out of system, so they weren't able to do that as much," Patag said.
The Flames closed out pool play by winning matches over No. 15 Indiana, 25-23, 25-20, and unranked Tennessee, 25-22, 25-12.
"Against Indiana, we put in (sophomore outside hitter) Connor Cranage, and he had himself a game," Patag said. "He was pretty unstoppable from the outside position. Indiana didn't really have an answer for him."
Senior setter Josh Culpepper and senior outside hitter Zach Bell provided good service pressure, and Cranage was able to put the ball away, even with some out-of-system kills. Junior middle hitter Austin Leach and freshman middle hitter Ian McKee also contributed timely kills and blocks.
"I was very impressed with our energy this weekend," Kinzler said. "Although we didn't win the tournament, the energy and firepower we came in with were up there with the best. Guys on the floor and on the bench were on fire to win the whole weekend. Our offense really came to life this weekend as well, especially from the outside. Whether we were in system or not, we were able to get kills in every rotation."
On Sunday, Liberty was eliminated by No. 19 Ohio State, last season's national runner-up, 25-19, 27-25, in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
"As the top seed out of our pool, we had a first-round bye, and Ohio State played a previous match," Patag said, noting the Buckeyes warmed up by eliminating No. 24 Illinois in the 8 a.m. match before facing Liberty. "We started a little slow, but we battled back and played really well and led for most of the second set with our service pressure."
The Flames earned a game point, leading 25-24, before Ohio State won a very long rally, ending with a tip shot that landed in the deep left corner of the court.
"They sided out and took the next two points to close out the match," Patag said. "Our early exit was obviously not what we wanted, and a disappointing loss for the guys. We were excited to maybe have a rematch with Wisconsin and face some other teams as well. But there was a lot to take away from the loss to Ohio State."
The main affirmation was that the Flames have the talent to compete with any NCVF team in the nation.
"As we improve on our hitting efficiency and the execution of our game plan, with our serving, offense, or defensive standpoint, that will help push us over the edge," Patag said. "Any time you can take trips like this, it's great, not only for the level of competition, playing in a tournament with five of the top 10 teams in the nation, but for growing together as a team. It was a great team environment."
Virginia Tech, entering the tournament ranked third in the nation, was eliminated in the quarterfinal round by No. 7 Missouri, which lost to Wisconsin in the championship final.
Liberty will make its final DI and DII roster decisions this week before competing in Saturday's ECVA South Play Date hosted by James Madison University.

"As we look to split up the roster, we realize there is a lot of talent, a lot of very skilled players," Patag said. "We will have to break down our needs at each position, rewarding the best players by giving them spots on the top team. Our goal is to compete for two national championships."

He said the progression of all the players on the Flames roster this semester has been evident.

"Players on both squads, the program as a whole, have been working hard, especially since we've been back from (Winter) Break," Patag said. "There has been a lot of great improvement, extensive growth in team systems and chemistry. The players really respect Coach Rigg, who has stepped in as interim coach and has done a fantastic job of growing the team culture and developing the DI and DII teams. Everybody is working hard together to create a culture of unity and support for one another. It's a very competitive but supportive atmosphere."

If the Flames' DI and DII teams can place in the top two at either this weekend's tournament at JMU or the ECVA South Tournament at Liberty on March 7, they will qualify for the March 20-21 East Coast Championships hosted by the University of Maryland. That will be the final tune-up for the April 2-4 NCVF National Championships in Kansas City, Mo.

Patag will not be available for that tournament as he is getting married near New Orleans on April 4, the day of the championship match. Rigg will coach both the DI and DII teams at that nationals before taking a late-night flight back in time to preach the April 5 Easter morning service at Mercy Presbyterian Church, where he serves as lead pastor.

"I am really excited to see what the team will do in the upcoming tournaments and at (NCVF) Nationals," Kinzler said. "This team truly has what it takes to go the whole way. It will just be a matter of execution when we are on the big stage in April."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer