DI, DIII men’s volleyball teams eliminated in copper semifinals, bronze quarterfinals at nationals

Senior Zach Bell digs in front of sophomore outside hitter Connor Cranage during a match in the Liberty Arena. (Photos by Travis Clayton)

DI, DIII men’s volleyball teams eliminated in copper semifinals, bronze quarterfinals at nationals

4/4/2026 11:12:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Liberty struggled in pool play, with both teams going 0-3, before winning three of their four crossover tilts and one of Saturday’s three playoff matches.

After disappointing opening days of pool play, both Liberty University's Division I and III men's volleyball teams experienced bumpy rides during this weekend's NCVF National Championships at the Kansas City (Mo.) Convention Center, Hy-Vee Arena.

"Sometimes, we adjust well to travel, and playing in big convention centers, but both teams were disappointed for different reasons this week, even after we got there early, and looked great in practice Wednesday night," Flames interim Head Coach Bryan Rigg said. "As a coach, I tried all I could to call timeouts, give them pep talks, and tips and techniques to work through their mental blocks."

Seeded second and third, respectively, in their four-team Division I and III pools, both Flames' lineups started off 0-3 on Thursday, with the DI squad falling to fourth-seeded Oklahoma, 25-19, 25-22; third-seeded San Diego State 25-21, 25-22; and top-seeded Purdue 25-23, 25-19. The DIII team dropped a tight opening match to No. 1 University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13; before being dominated by No. 2 Minnesota, 25-14, 25-17; and swept by No. 4 Illinois, 25-19, 26-24.

"We definitely should have won that first one against Oklahoma," Rigg said. "We got off to a slow and sluggish start and didn't play our best volleyball on Day One. Our setter-to-hitter connections weren't quite right, and our servers were missing serves, so we got timid and really cautious."

Rigg filed a formal protest in that match, and a committee of arbiters spent 20 minutes reviewing the call before the head referee awarded Liberty the point, only to turn around and give it back to the Sooners.

"It was a very frustrating start, and the refereeing didn't help," Rigg said. "Then, playing against San Diego State, the top team in our pool, that was a really close match, decided by a few points."

Liberty's DI unit split its cross-over matches on Friday, upsetting the University of Virginia, the No. 6 seed in the entire tournament, 25-17, 25-16, before losing a three-game battle to UCLA, the No. 5 seed, 23-25, 25-20, 15-9. Meanwhile, the DII squad swept the University of Connecticut, 27-25, 25-21, before surviving past the University of California-Davis, 22-25, 25-13, 15-7.

"That UVA match was a moral victory," Rigg said, noting the Flames lost two out of three meetings with the Cavaliers during the regular season and again at the East Coast Championships, a tournament UVA won. "They have been our Achilles Heel for last two to three years, so it was encouraging for the guys to beat them."

Based on their 1-1 and 2-0 showings in those cross-over matches, the DI and DIII teams dropped to the copper and bronze brackets, respectively, for Saturday's playoffs, with the DI team sweeping Alabama in its quarterfinal match, 25-21, 25-9, before being swept by Santa Clara University, 25-16, 25-18, in the semifinals; and the DII lineup being ousted by Florida, 33-31, 25-19.
Complete tournament results are available online.

"It was tough for the guys, one of those moments where the game plan wasn't right, but for all the negative things that happened on the volleyball court, the team used the tournament for positive character development, and honoring the Lord in the way they navigated through disappointment," Rigg said. "That was encouraging for me to see, that they are preparing for whatever life brings. It was really a joy to be with them. Even at lunch after all we had been through, they were talking about some of the things they are thankful for."

After missing the gold, silver, and bronze brackets, Rigg said the disappointment was real, but the players made the best of the situation in Saturday's bracket play.

"They were not playing for a championship now, but for the same reason they first started playing volleyball in the first place: for the love of the game, the joy of camaraderie on the team, and to use the gifts God has given them to glorify Him," Rigg said.

He said this year's team is full of Champions for Christ, even if they didn't go out that way on the court this weekend.

"I loved the conversations we had," Rigg said. "I have coached guys who have achieved at a higher level, but this is one of best groups of guys I have worked with. I am very confident that they're going to be moving forward successfully in their jobs, as husbands and fathers, making great contributions to society, and as members of their churches and followers of Christ."

The Flames will be looking for a replacement at the helm, as Rigg was only serving as head coach after his successor Josh Knapp accepted a coaching position at the University of Lynchburg at the end of the fall semester.

"I'm not leaving town," Rigg said. "I'll be making sure things get handed off properly, and will still be there as needed."

Liberty will only be graduating three seniors: outside hitter Zach Bell, opposite hitter Zach Lamoureux, and setter Josh Culpepper.

"They'll be returning all their guys, and they are ready for next year to make a bigger push at nationals," Rigg said. "Having been here and done this for 10-13 years, when you lose a really good senior class, that makes all of those underclassmen rise to the occasion and become leaders. I'm optimistic for the next three years with this group. They're not far from doing great things. They're on the cusp of it."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer