On Thursday, April 10, the men’s volleyball team advanced to the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Finals after beating Stevenson University, and they were named MAC Champions on Saturday, April 10 after going against Messiah University.
The match against Stevenson opened with multiple ties and lead changes throughout the first set. By the end of the set, the Mustangs had managed to get a three-point lead on the Ducks, ending the first set at 25-22. They battled for the lead in the second set early on, The Ducks’ lead was extended to seven points, with the Mustangs not coming close to closing the gap again. After three kills and service aces, Stevens ended the second set at 25-17. Despite the best efforts put forward by the Mustangs in the third period, after tying five times throughout the set the Ducks pulled through for the set ending it at 27-25. Stevenson took the quick lead in the fourth set, but the Ducks were quick to fight back, taking a quick lead on the Mustangs. Ending the night with eight kills from senior Koby Sherman, the Ducks took the set at 25-17 and the game at 3-1.
The game’s success came from standout performances by Sherman with 25 kills, sophomore Joshua Levandoske and Esteban Schmitt with 15 and eight kills, respectively, and junior Tyler Hoke with six kills. Senior Sebastian Huyke managed 53 assists, and senior Jesse Knuckles got 13 digs.
The Ducks then moved on to the Championship against Messiah, where they took their fourth championship in a row with a 3-0 win. Messiah took the lead in the first set, and eventually extended to a six-point lead. However, after a 9-1 run in favor of the Ducks, they were able to take the lead and end the set at 25-23. The second set tied at 4-4 early on, but after a 6-2 run and an ace, the Ducks got a six-point lead on Messiah. They managed to close the gap, but more effort from Stevens pushed the final score for the set to 25-18. Stevens took an early lead in the third set, and the two teams had battled back and forth for it throughout the set. After battling for the lead, an attack error ended the match, with the set ending at 25-20.
Continuing his hot streak, Sherman ended the game with 11 kills. Following him was Levandoske with eight, and Schmitt and sophomore Alex Ocott with six. Huyke stayed a game leader with 30 assists, Knuckles and Huyke ending with five digs. After leading the Ducks through two wins, Sherman was named MAC Championship Most Valuable Player with 36 kills spanned across the two games.
The Ducks are set to host a five team pod for the NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Tournament. Tournament action began yesterday on Thursday, April 17, with Randolph-Macon College going up against Nichols College. If the Ducks win in the second round, they will match up against either Juniata College or Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday, April 19. The winner of that matchup will be seen moving on to the National Semifinals in Salem, VA.
