Bird's Eye View - 2020 Men's Volleyball

The Cardinals exceed all expectations in 2020 after climbing the national ladder to finish the year ranked 9th in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. After going 21-13 in the program’s second year, Fisher was 15-4 before the season abruptly ended in mid-March. 

Head coach Steve England’s team toppled the nation’s top-ranked team and defeated No. 9 Endicott en route to having two players lauded by the United Volleyball Conference and six recognized by the Empire 8. At the conclusion of the campaign, David Cerqua and Josh Bigford became the program’s first-ever All-Americans.

Here are the most memorable moments from Fisher’s campaign. 

Fisher Looks to Build Off Last Year's Success; Program's Third Season Starts Friday

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The spring semester is underway at St. John Fisher College and the men's volleyball team is set to start its third campaign as a program this weekend. The 2020 schedule is filled with 27 regular season matches including 14 at home for the Cardinals. Fisher will host two tournaments throughout the season, the Cardinal Classic and the Fisher Invite while finishing up the year with its final six matches all being played at the Manning and Napier Varsity Gym. 
 
The Cardinals made an eight-win improvement from their first to their second season as a program in 2019, finishing with a record of 21-13 while earning a bid into the United Volleyball Conference postseason tournament for the first time. The third-seeded Cardinals were victorious in their first playoff match before falling to SUNY New Paltz in the semifinals, three sets-to-one. New Paltz would go on to win the conference title and the NCAA Division III National Championship. 

COMPLETE RELEASE

Men's Volleyball Earns First Two Wins of the Season to Close Out Cardinal Classic

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team picked up a pair of straight-set victories to close out the Cardinal Classic on Saturday. The Cardinals defeated Johnson & Wales University (25-17, 25-12, 30-28) and then Elmira College (25-18, 25-14, 25-21) to move to 2-1 on the year. 
 
Josh Bigford led all players in kills in both matches with 15 and 11 respectively. David Cerqua had game-highs of 15 digs and then eight digs versus the Soaring Eagles. The Cardinals went 2-1 in the tournament finishing behind No. 11 Wells who went a perfect 3-0. 

COMPLETE RELEASE

Bigford Named Empire 8 Player of the Week

Josh Bigford had a solid opening weekend to the season as the Cardinals started out 2-1 in their home tournament, the Cardinal Classic. The sophomore had a team-high 12 kills and eight digs as Fisher fell to No. 11-ranked Wells College, 3-1, on Friday. 
 
The Cicero native then had an impressive day on Saturday as he racked up game-highs of 15 kills and 11 kills in the Cardinals' straight-set victories over both Johnson & Wales and Elmira. Against the Wildcats, Bigford had a .438 hitting percentage and then a .429 hitting percentage versus the Soaring Eagles. To win the final set over Elmira, the Cardinals scored the final seven points of the match with the last six coming on Bigford's serve. 

Cerqua Breaks Program Record for Digs in a Match as Men's Volleyball Rallies to go Undefeated at Wildcat Invitational

UTICA, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team won both of its matches at the SUNY Poly Wildcat Invitational on Saturday. The Cardinals, who are receiving votes in the latest NVA/AVCA Division III Men's Coaches Poll, won in straight-sets against John Jay College (25-12, 25-17, 25-15) and then pulled off a come-from-behind five-set victory over the Wentworth Institute of Technology (22-25, 21-25, 25-14, 25-23, 15-12) to finish a perfect 4-0 at the tournament. 
 
The Cardinals record moves to now 6-1 on the year. In the win versus John Jay, Matt Broderick had a game-high nine kills while Dylan Urbanski led all players with 23 assists. David Cerqua produced the most digs for Fisher with eight. In the five-set thriller, Cerqua broke his own program record for digs in a single match with 33. Josh Bigford tallied 18 kills while Paul Hackford finished with 42 assists. 

COMPLETE RELEASE

Cerqua, Beiter Honored by Empire 8 For On-Court Performances

David Cerqua led all players in digs in every match this past weekend for the Cardinals as they went 4-0 at the SUNY Poly Wildcat Invitational. The libero recorded a program-record 26 digs in the 3-2 win over Wentworth on Saturday as Fisher came back from down two sets to defeat the Leopards. Heading into the match, Wentworth was undefeated and is receiving votes in the latest national poll. Cerqua leads the conference in digs (97) and digs per set (3.73) this season. The junior also tallied 14 assists on the weekend.
 
Matt Beiter receives the Rookie of the Week honor in only his second week of his collegiate career. The Fairport native led the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory against Adrian on Friday. The opposite hitter also tied for a team-high two total blocks against the Bulldogs. In the five-set victory versus Wentworth, Beiter produced five digs, three kills and one ace.

Men's Volleyball Downs Division II Daemen to continue Hot Streak

AMHERST, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball  team beat Division II-Daemen College at the Wildcats' Lumsden Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. It marks Fisher's eighth-straight victory as it record improves to 8-1 on the year while Daemen falls to 2-4.

Josh Bigford was the top offensive threat in the match once again as the sophomore racked up a game-high 17 kills for the Cardinals. Paul Hackford posted a season-high 45 assists while Martin Hackford had another solid day with 10 kills and a game-high five aces.

COMPLETE RELEASE

Men's Volleyball Squishes Slugs of UC Santa Cruz in Straight-Sets

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team defeated the University of California, Santa Cruz in straight-sets (25-19, 25-18, 25-22) Friday evening on the Bobby Wanzer Court at Manning and Napier Varsity Gym. 
 
The win was Fisher's ninth-straight while its record improves to 9-1. UC Santa Cruz, last year's National Runner Up, falls to 8-9 on the year. This was only the second meeting between the two programs with the Cardinals avenging a five-set loss to the Banana Slugs in 2019. 

COMPLETE RELEASE

Paul Hackford Surpasses 2,000 Career Assists as Men's Volleyball Surges to a 3-0 Weekend at Fisher Invite

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team kept its win streak alive with a pair of victories Saturday at the Manning and Napier Varsity Gym. The Cardinals defeated Thiel College in straight-sets (25-13, 25-21, 25-16) before having to pull off a two-set comeback against Geneva College (19-25, 24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 15-10). The Cardinals ended their home tournament, the Fisher Invite, with a record of 3-0. 
 
Fisher's unbeaten streak reaches 11 as it is just one away from tying the program record of 12 straight-wins set in 2019. The Cardinals are now 11-1 with their only loss coming to nationally-ranked Wells College. 
 
During the first match, junior Paul Hackford surpassed 2,000 career assists. The Orchard Park native led all players in assists in both matches with 24 against Thiel and then a season-high 46 versus Geneva. The setter also had a career-high and game-high 22 digs in the five-set victory over the Golden Tornadoes. 
 
Josh Bigford led the Cardinals in the kills category in both matches with eight and 16 respectively. 

COMPLETE RELEASE

Men's Volleyball Stomps Sage in Straight-Sets for First Conference Win

ALBANY, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team defeated the Sage Colleges Saturday at the Gators' Kahl Gym. The Cardinals, ranked 14th in the NVA/AVCA Division III Coaches Poll, won in straight-sets (25-17, 25-12, 25-18) to earn their first United Volleyball Conference victory of the season. Fisher's record is now 12-2 overall and 1-1 in league play while Sage moves to 4-12 and 0-3 in the UVC. 
 
Josh Bigford excelled on the court for the Cardinals with a season-high .545 hitting percentage as the sophomore racked up a game-high 14 kills while only committing two attack errors. Fisher tied a season-high with 13 service aces in the match. Junior Martin Hackford led the way for the Cardinals with tying a career-high five aces to go along with nine kills. 

COMPLETE RELEASE

Bigford Becomes Fisher's First-Ever UVC Athlete of the Week

Bigford's is Fisher's first-ever recipient of the UVC Player of the Week award. The sophomore was named Rookie of the Week six times for the conference last season. This past weekend the No. 14 Cardinals traveled to No. 5 Vassar on Friday and pushed the Brewers to a five-set match where Fisher ultimately came up short. In the match, the Cicero native earned a new career-high with 27 kills while also tallying six digs and four total blocks. On Saturday, Fisher earned its first win in league play with a 3-0 victory over Sage. The outside hitter had 14 kills, two total blocks and three digs while hitting a season-high .545. This is the third time this season Bigford was selected as Empire 8 Player of the Week. 

COMPLETE RELEASE

No. 10 Men's Volleyball Topples No. 1 NYU to Start Spring Break Trip

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team defeated the number-one ranked team in the nation-New York University at the Violets' Brooklyn Athletic Facility on Saturday. The Cardinals, ranked 10th in the NVA/AVCA Division III Men's Coaches Poll, came back from down two sets to win in five sets (22-25, 25-27, 27-25, 26-24, 19-17) in a United Volleyball Conference matchup.

Fisher's record is now 13-2 on the year and 2-1 in conference. NYU takes its first loss of the season with a record of now 12-1 and a 3-1 in league play.

Josh Bigford had a game-high 25 kills with seven digs and three total blocks for the Cardinals. Matt Beiter had a career-high 14 kills with five digs and three total blocks. Paul Hackford earned a season-high 55 assists to go along with six kills, six digs and a game-high two service aces.

COMPLETE RELEASE

No. 7 Men's Volleyball Dispatches No. 9 Endicott to Close Out Spring Trip

BEVERLY, Mass. - The No. 7 ranked St. John Fisher College men's volleyball took down the No. 9 ranked Endicott College in four sets (20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14) at the Gulls' MacDonald Gymnasium Saturday. The Cardinals earned their second top-10 win in the last eight days after defeating No. 1 NYU last Saturday. 

Fisher now improves to 14-4 on the season while Endicott drops to 13-3. The Cardinals hit .449 in the match, their second-highest hitting percentage in a match this season. Josh Bigford led all players with 20 kills. Matt Broderick hit a season-high .667 with 13 kills and Paul Hackford posted a game-high 43 assists. 

COMPLETE RELEASE

Martin Hackford Breaks Program Record with 8 Aces as No. 9 Men's Volleyball Thrashes Elmira

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team won in straight-sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-8) over the Elmira College Soaring Eagles in a United Volleyball Conference matchup at Manning and Napier Varsity Gymnasium on Wednesday night. With the win, Fisher improves to 15-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play. 
 
The Cardinals, ranked ninth in the NVA/AVCA Division III Coaches Poll, were led by junior Martin Hackford who tallied a program-record eight service aces in the match. The Orchard Park native entered tonight leading the UVC in aces per set. 
 
Josh Bigford had a game-high 11 kills while hitting .455 in the match. Paul Hackford led all players with 30 assists and seven digs. Eric Bentivegna had a strong performance with tying a career-high seven total blocks and adding seven kills. 
 
Martin Hackford's career-night started off right with four aces in an early 6-0 run that put Fisher up 7-4. The Cardinals ran away with the rest of the set to win by seven. 

COMPLETE RELEASE

Bigford Named Co-Player of the Year as UVC Posts All-Conference Teams

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The United Volleyball Conference has released its end of year awards and All-Conference teams for the 2020 season. Josh Bigford and Paul Hackford of the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team were honored with Bigford selected as Co-Player of the Year as well to the All-UVC First Team while Hackford reeled in Second Team honors.

COMPLETE RELEASE

Bigford, Cerqua and England Receive Major Awards while Six Gather All-Empire 8 Men's Volleyball Honors

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The Empire 8 announced its 2020 Men's Volleyball Awards and All-Conference teams Tuesday morning. The St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team won three of the four major awards while six athletes overall were recognized.

Josh Bigford was named Player of the Year and David Cerqua earned Libero/Defensive Player of the Year. The Fisher coaching staff that is led by Head Coach Stephen England was selected as the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.

COMPLETE RELEASE

An All-American Duo! Bigford and Cerqua Earn First-Ever All-America Honors for Men's Volleyball

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced its 17th annual Men's Division III All-America Teams and two members of the St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team have been honored as First Team All-Americans.

On Monday, Josh Bigford and David Cerqua became the Cardinals' first-ever All-Americans in the program's three-year history as the pair were selected with best players in the nation for their performances during the 2020 season. The sophomore and junior helped the Cardinals have an impressive 15-4 record and finish the shorten season ranked ninth in the country.

Bigford has received every award imaginable the past few weeks. The Cicero native was named the Player of the Year for both the Empire 8 and United Volleyball Conference. Then the outside hitter earned Player of the Year for the North Region in the inaugural Div. III Men's Regional awards. The Cicero-North Syracuse High School graduate was incredible offensively with the 11th most kills in the nation (264), the 15th best kills per set rate (4.0) in the country and the 17th most points per set in Div. III. (4.58) all while hitting .325. Bigford also earned 112 digs, 25 total blocks and 23 service aces.

When Fisher faced its toughest opponents of the season, the program's all-time kills leader rose to the challenge. The sophomore tallied 25 kills in a five-set victory over No. 1 New York University on February 29 and then posted 16 kills and 13 digs against No. 9 Endicott College as the Cardinals topped the Gulls on March 7. He also set a new career-high for kills in a match with 27 at No. 5 Vassar on February 21. Bigford was one of three underclassmen selected to the 14-member First Team All-America.  

Cerqua, the lone libero selected as a First Team All-American, ranked third in the nation in total digs (230) and fourth in digs per set (3.15). The junior had double-digit digs in 11 matches this season and broke his own program record with 33 in a five-set victory versus Wentworth on January 25. The Baldwinsville native played in all 19 matches and 73 sets during the season as he helped guide the Cardinals to their first national ranking as Fisher rose to as high as seventh in the poll during the season. Cerqua also received Libero/Defensive Player of the Year for the E8 and was an All-North Region honoree.

Fisher was one of three schools to have multiple First Team All-Americans for the 2020 season. The Cardinals were 15-4 and carried a 3-1 UVC record when the remainder of the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 virus. After dropping their first game of the season against nationally-ranked Wells College, the Cardinals went on a 11-game winning streak. Fisher finished the campaign with a straight-sets victory over Elmira College on March 11.

United Volleyball Conference Tabs Four From Fisher for Academic Excellence

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Fresh of a season full of accolades and milestones, the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's volleyball team received more acclaim as the United Volleyball Conference announced its All-Academic Teams and Individuals following the 2020 season.

Among the 43 student-athletes that were applauded for the academic abilities, were Avery Terroso, Max Thurston, Paul Hackford and Martin Hackford.  To be recognized, an individual must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.30 (on a 4.00 scale), a 4.10 (on a 5.00 scale) or an 82 (on a 100 point scale) during the spring semester. In addition, the student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically, display positive conduct on and off campus and be enrolled full-time at the member institution.

COMPLETE RELEASE