Men’s Volleyball Headed to the Final Four with 3-0 Sweep of Messiah College

HUNTINGDON, PA – And Cinderella has made it to the ball!

Knocking off ranked teams one-by-one, Wittenberg's Men's Volleyball used its armory of weapons to overpower Messiah College and steamroll its way into the final four of the NCAA Division III Tournament. 

The Tigers, currently unranked in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll, got out the broom and swept the Falcons, 3-0, at Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of Juniata College on Saturday, April 18, in a quarterfinal match of the tournament to advance to the semifinals and will play Carthage, ranked No. 3, on April 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Springfield, Massachusetts. Carthage defeated Southern Virginia, ranked No. 6, in three sets to advance. The other semifinal will feature host Springfield, the No. 1 ranked team, taking on Cal Lutheran, No. 5, at 5 p.m. 

It was the 14^th-straight victory for Wittenberg, now 24-5 on the season. Messiah College, ranked No. 8 in the AVCA national poll, ends the season at 26-7. While this is Wittenberg's first tournament appearance, it was the fourth for Messiah, which advanced to the final four in 2023.

After getting off to a slow start in set one and trailing halfway through, the Tigers started finding the open spots and tied things at 10-all, then took the lead at 15-14 and never looked back. In set two, they jumped ahead 6-3 and weren't tested the rest of the way, even leading by eight at one point. Then in set three, Wittenberg led from start to finish, securing the win in scores of 25-22, 25-18, and 25-19. Senior Michael Yurk (Indianapolis, IN / Bishop Chatard) captured the final point by landing his team's only service ace of the night. The match came down to the Tigers finding the floor on a more consistent basis, outhitting Messiah, .453 to .277.

Continuing to use as many players as they can, Wittenberg had six players with seven or more kills, making it difficult for opponents to focus on one player, as a new one usually comes to the forefront. 

This time, it was Zach Newton (Morgantown, IN / Franklin Community) leading the way in the kill department with 10. He also had a team-high two blocks and 12 total points. Reese Monnin (Xenia, OH / Carroll) landed nine kills, Eli Halverson (Hamilton, OH / Badin) had eight, and Harrison Mitchell (Dublin, OH / Scioto) and Yurk each added seven.

Carson Hill (Liberty Township, OH / Lakota East) led the team in assists with 22, while Gavin Hagerty (Fishers, IN / Fishers) finished with 17. Jake Downs (Cincinnati, OH / Milford) grabbed a team-high eight digs, while Halverson picked up five.

The final four will begin with the semifinals on Thursday, April 23, at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. The national championship match will take place on Saturday, April 25, also at Springfield College.

Team Comparison

• Wittenberg had 46 kills on 86 total attacks for a .453 hitting percentage, along with 41 assists, one service ace, 24 digs, and four blocks.
• Messiah registered 40 kills on 83 total attacks for a .277 hitting percentage, along with 38 assists, two service aces, 27 digs, and no blocks.

Written by: Cindy Holbrook