CVC Playoff Preview: #2 Eagles Travel to Virginia for Semifinal Match

Lexington City, Va.- Men's Volleyball heads down to Washington & Lee University for the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Tournament as the two seed and the number two team in the country. 

Juniata enters the tournament with a bye to the semi-final match, making their 13th appearance in the conference tournament. In search of their fifth conference championship (2013, 2014, 2017, 2023), the Eagles earned five CVC All-Conference selections, tied for the most in the conference. Backed by the CVC Coaching Staff of the Year, the Eagles will take on the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders, who currently sit 23rd in the NPI and 21st in the AVCA Coaches Poll. 

Will Sierer, a first-team CVC selection along with Chris Mellor and Tyler Phillips, serve as the offensive force behind a team hitting .302 on the year, placing them in the top five in the country. On the defensive side, Juniata dominates as well, holding opponents to a .140 hitting percentage on the wings of CVC second-teamer Dante Palumbo (61 blocks), Phillips (57 blocks), and CVC third-teamer Andrew Byrne (191 digs), placing them fourth in the nation. The 27-2 Eagles sit with the best winning percentage (.972) in the country and are one of the scariest teams in the country, beating Rutgers-Newark in four sets as the Scarlet Raiders sat at 13th in the poll prior to the matchup. 

Rutgers Newark matches up well for the Eagles, sporting an offense hitting .252 (32nd nationally) with CVC second-teamers Michael Suarez (294 kills) hitting .246, and Aleks Kolodziej (219 kills) hitting .300 for the 19-8 Scarlet Raiders. Duncan Sturt edges out Sierer for the conference lead in assists per set with 10.06 compared to Sierer's 10.01. Rutgers-Newark excels when playing within system and Sturt manning the offense, while the Eagles have been dominant in disruption.

The winner of our 5:30 Friday night matchup between the Scarlet Raiders and the Eagles will play on Saturday against the winner of #6 Southern Virginia and Kean. Make sure to purchase tickets in advance via this link to see the Eagles compete.