In an epic showdown between No. 7 Rutgers University-Newark and No. 6 Southern Virginia, it was the Scarlet Raiders who walked away victorious, 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-17), with the rights to host the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Tournament.
As a team, the Scarlet Raiders (19-3, 7-0) hit .345 with 33 total kills. Andrew Zaleck led the team with 10 kills with a hitting percentage of .563 while Robert Long finished with eight. Arvind Kumar was surgical from the service line with four service aces while Daniel Quay led the team with four blocks. Derek Au continued his stellar season with 31 assists while Matt Nikishin flew around to keep rallies alive with five digs.
Southern Virginia (15-3, 7-1) struggled offensively against the Scarlet Raiders and hit -.109 for the match. Nahuel Recabarren paced the Knights with five kills on 22 attacks while Kaipo Tagaloa recorded a team-high 10 assists. Mckay Walker finished with five blocks.
Both teams traded points in the early goings until the Scarlet Raiders opened the set up with a 5-0 run. Rutgers-Newark held onto their lead and further increased the gap between them and Southern Virginia with a late 6-1 run with a pair of kills by Quay. Southern Virginia made a comeback attempt with a 4-0 run, however, Rutgers-Newark answered with a 4-1 run to close out the set.
In the second set, the Scarlet Raiders had their best hitting performance of the night, hitting .588 with 11 kills and just one error. Rutgers-Newark jumped out to a slight lead then built upon that lead with a 5-1 run to take a 14-7 lead. The Knights struggled to stop the Scarlet Raiders' offense as Rutgers-Newark picked their spots and made them count.
Once again, Rutgers-Newark got off to a strong start in the third set, jumping out to an 11-3 lead. Southern Virginia responded with a 5-0 run but they were unable to make up the difference as the Scarlet Raiders kept their foot on the gas. Up 24-17 and the crowd on their feet, Southern Virginia recorded an error to close out the match in favor of Rutgers-Newark.
STORY COURTESY OF RUTGERS UNIVERSITY-NEWARK