Men’s volleyball season ends after CVC loss

Megan Dell

April 20, 2017

Sports

Stevenson University’s men’s volleyball team concluded their season with an overall record of 20-12. The Mustangs played the Juniata College Eagles in Arlington, Va., in the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) semifinals on April 5. The Eagles came out on top, beating the Mustangs 3-1, ultimately ending the season for the Mustangs.

Sophomore outside hitter Landon Shorts attacks from the outside against Mount St. Joseph. (Photo by Sabina Moran)

While the Mustangs may have lost their chance to compete in the NCAA tournament, they did not go down easily. In the first two sets, Juniata won 22-19 and 25-22. The Mustangs took the third set 25-23, but lost the fourth set 25-18. The Mustangs and the Eagles had met on two prior occasions this season: the first on Feb. 24, as Stevenson won 3-1. The second meeting was on March 31 where the Mustangs lost in three straight sets.

The Mustangs are disappointed that their season has come to an end, as they had hoped to make it into the NCAA tournament again. Sophomore outside hitter Landon Shorts said, “Personally I am not satisfied with how the season went. We did great things this year, but we didn’t reach our goal of winning our conference and making it to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.”

The men’s volleyball season comes to an end following CVC semi-final loss. (Photo by Sabina Moran)

Junior middle blocker Alex Klunk agreed. “Having such a good season last year, we wanted to repeat that success and go even further this year,” he said. The players are now focused on preparing for next season. Freshman libero Derek Tangorra said, “We had opportunities to capitalize this season, and we didn’t do that. I am expecting more success in the coming season.”

This season the team faced changes in leadership from the previous year. “We had three seniors who graduated, who were a key part to our former success. This year, we had new players on the court and had to find a chemistry and a new way to win,” said Shorts.

The team is optimistic about their chances of returning to the CVC semi-finals and the NCAA tournament next year as they feel that their team members work well together, and push each other to be better every day. To learn more about the Stevenson’s men’s volleyball season, go to www.gomustangsports.com.

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