Men’s volleyball wins back-and-forth battle with Wolfpack in final match at Liberty Arena

Tuesday, February 24

Lynchburg, VA

7:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

NC State University

Junior middle hitter Austin Leach (16) goes up for a jump ball against Virginia Tech in a match at the Liberty Arena. (Photo by Emily Cuthrell)

Men’s volleyball wins back-and-forth battle with Wolfpack in final match at Liberty Arena

2/25/2026 12:01:00 AM | Men's Volleyball

After defeating NC State in the virtual championship final of Saturday’s ECVA South Play Date at JMU, the Flames have 10 days to prepare for the March 7 ECVA South Championships at the LaHaye Multipurpose Center.

Fresh off a 5-1 finish that sent it to the championship game of Saturday's ECVA South Play Date at James Madison University, Liberty University's men's volleyball team picked up where it left off in Tuesday night's postponed matchup with North Carolina State University, the other finalist at JMU. The Flames won the fourth and final matchup of the season at Liberty Arena in dramatic fashion, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 17-25, 15-7.

"These are some of the best teams we'll see, so it's great to know we can hang with them," junior middle hitter Austin Leach said of the Wolfpack and Virginia Tech, the team it defeated in straight sets at JMU to clinch an autobid to the March 21 East Coast Championships at the University of Maryland. "They're both very good teams, very resilient. They get a lot of things up when you think you have a kill and you're celebrating and the ball's coming back over the net."

Flames Interim Head Coach Bryan Rigg said while Liberty played better against Virginia Tech, they showed their true colors against the Wolfpack.

"We played a much cleaner game, a much better game against Virginia Tech," he said. "This was a demonstration of resiliency. We didn't play very well. There were a lot of things we didn't do well. We were a little lackadaisical at times, but when games were close, they were resilient. It didn't demonstrate great execution, but it demonstrated good character."

In Game 3, sophomore outside hitter Connor Cranage got the Flames started with a sharp-angled cross-court kill to tie it at 1-1 before senior opposite hitter Zach Lamoureux tied it at 2 with a dink off a NC State block, and Leach re-tied it at 3 with a monster block.

"We definitely knew we had to come out and create some energy," Leach said. "We were a little tired from our tournament over the weekend, so anything we can do to conjure up some energy, I'll do whatever. If I've got to go up there and get the block, I'll do my best to do that, or if I've got to dance in the huddle pre-game to get the guys feeling light and loose, I'll do that, too."

Freshman outside hitter Jackson Byers kept the volley alive at the left side before Leach spiked a kill off a block at the middle, and senior libero Rylan Austin served a trickle ace for a 5-4 Liberty lead.
A dig save by senior setter Josh Culpepper at the center of the court kept another point alive for a cross-court kill by Lamoureux, knotting the game at 7.

Cranage tied the match at 11 with a deep and powerful cross-court kill, giving him the serve, before back-to-back stuff blocks by Culpepper at the right side and a service ace extended Liberty's lead to 14-11 and forced the Wolfpack to call a timeout.

Culpepper's backwards set from the middle that landed over the net for a winner stretched Liberty's lead to 15-12 before a kill by Byers off an NC State block, and his two-handed first-ball kill put the Flames up 18-13. However, the Wolfpack responded with a four-point run that prompted a Liberty timeout, and they tied it up when Byers' block from the right side landed just wide.

Byers' kill off an NC State block in the middle gave the Flames a 19-18 advantage and a Cranage kill from the left side put them back on top 20-19 before a block and kill by Lamoureux down the right sideline extended the edge to 22-19. Cranage's kill off a block put the Flames up 23-21 before a block by Leach set up game point, clinched by a service error by the Wolfpack.

Leach started the Game 4 scoring for Liberty with back-to-back blocks for a 2-1 lead.

A deep kill by Byers ended a long rally in the Flames' favor, tying the game at 4, before a kill by Lamoureux from the left side tied it at 5. A Byers kill off a block at the right side drew the Flames back within 14-12, but the Wolfpack went on a 9-1 run to seize control. Kills by Lamoureux and Culpepper, a block by Leach, and a kill by Byers extended the game before a service error ended it, forcing Game 5.

"These guys are resilient," Leach said. "They can come back from anything. It just takes a spark, and we had a couple sparks today, with Culpepper, who had what felt like six blocks in a row, and Lamoureux controlling it on the right side. Those are our two captains, which is great. We definitely have some sparks on this team."

Culpepper put the pressure on the Wolfpack with his serve to start the deciding game, landing an ace before a block by Lamoureux from the left side put the Flames on top 2-1.

A block by freshman middle hitter Ian McKee pushed the lead to 5-2 before a spike by Cranage was blocked long, and a hitting error by the Wolfpack stretched the gap to 7-2. After a timeout, Cranage ended a long volley and extended Liberty's advantage to 8-2 with a kill off a block at the left side. An ace by junior libero John Kinzler made it 10-2 in favor of the Flames before a cross-court kill from the right side by Lamoureux made it 11-2.

A powerful kill by Cranage off a cross-court set from Culpepper boosted the lead to 12-4 before another made it 13-5. A left-handed option kill by Culpepper at the middle off an assist from Byers gave the Flames game point before a block by Leach sealed the win.

"Connor stepped up in a big way," Leach said of Cranage. "He was in a tiny bit of a slump early on, which is very unlike him, and he hopped right out of it, which was awesome to see. It takes a great player to get that out of your head and get back in it like that and start to carry us to victory at the end."

"I was proud of them," Rigg added. "We played 10 or 11 guys, and some guys, it was hard to come off the bench, hard to get a rhythm, but it all worked out."

He said the Flames must rest up before hitting the practice courts to fine-tune areas of their game before the ECVA South Championships.

"We're still working on the middle connection," Rigg said. "We could probably go to them a little more, but we're just not comfortable yet. Statistically, we're not running the middles enough, so we've got to run them more, but that's a comfort level we've got to figure out. That's my big to-do on the list."

"Otherwise, the pieces are there," he added. "We have some good things to work on, and I think the guys are adjusting well. Just the small things we need to improve."

Leach credited Rigg for giving the Flames the added fuel they needed to eliminate Virginia Tech at JMU.

"That was a very tiring day, mentally and physically, and it takes a really good coach to push everybody through that," he said. "He kind of carried us with all of that encouragement and support, and belief that we could beat anybody. All the guys started encouraging each other and playing loose, which is when we're at our best."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer