Men's Volleyball | 2/1/2023 3:59:00 PM

PITTSFORD, NY – The St. John Fisher University men's volleyball team (7-2) will travel to Huntington, PA this weekend to play in the Juniata Invitational. The Cardinals are coming off a five-set loss to Daemen University. On Friday Feb. 3, Fisher will take on No. 2 Juniata at 7 p.m. before a matchup with No. 3 Messiah University on Saturday, Feb. 4. The Cardinals will wrap up their weekend with a contest against Penn State Altoona. 

Scouting the Opponents
The Juniata Eagles wrapped up their weekend by besting nationally ranked Carthage in a five-set showdown, part of weekend where the Eagles would go 3-0. When Fisher matched up against Juniata a season ago, the Cardinals were unable to claim the fifth set, losing 3-2. The teams matched up well statistically:

• Both the Cardinals and Eagles had 64 points
• Eagles finished with 54 kills, Cardinals with 52
• Eagles bested the Cardinals in aces 5 to 3
• Eagles had 9 blocks compared to 5 from Fisher
• Cardinals had 52 assists while the Eagles had 47
• Cardinals tallied 68 digs with the Eagles finishing with 54

Josh Bigford and Jake Baker combined for 35 of the 52 Cardinals kills. The Cardinals would hit 0.197 (52 kills, 21 errors, 157 attempts) in the loss, though they held the Eagles to a 0.138 (54 kills, 33 errors, 152 attempts) mark. 

The matchup against Messiah and Penn State Altoona will be the first time in programmatic history that these teams play.

This weekend, Messiah finished with a perfect 4-0 record, capped off by a sweep over No. 1 ranked Carthage Firebirds. Messiah has started the season 5-0 and will take on Rutgers-Newark and Geneva College this week before their matchup against Fisher.

Meanwhile, Penn State Altoona is looking for their first win after starting the season 0-4. They will compete against St. Vincent and Stevenson prior to facing the Cardinals.

Access off the Court
The 6'3" sophomore S Gavin Newman sat down with the Sports Information Team to provide access off the court on his thoughts on the 2023 campaign. The Long Island native has had an impressive season thus far, with 115 assists over 29 sets played to go with 11 service aces.

Q. There was a strong crowd turnout on Sunday for such a competitive game. Can you talk about the impact of having friends at the games?

A. It helps so much when we have fans and our friends in the stands. For me personally, when I see friends in the stands it brings a whole new energy level. Seeing friends pushes me to play harder because you don't want to play poorly in front of all your friends.

Q. How has the addition of Coach Cohen complimented the team?

A. I think he's great – he's super funny and is not too emotional. He makes correction in practice but does so in such a respectful manner. He communicates with his eyes or movements. In the timeouts, he is always even keel which helps us to get better knowing what to expect in a timeout. Even when we are up a lot, we know he is going to provide feedback on how to improve.  

Q. Can you talk about the development of your serve – last year, you finished 4^th among all DIII Rookies in Aces/Set.

A. I've always jumped serve and had a similar style of serving, but only recently have I really found success. My club coach taught me the mechanics of how to jump serve in 10^th grade and from there practicing everyday has 100% helped me get better.

Q. Coming off a successful rookie season and a strong start to this year, where do you see the team when you have graduated?

A. Hopefully we will have won a national championship. We have a pretty young team that should be good for a while.

Q. Last question – do you have any pre-game rituals?

A. The only superstition that I have is stepping on the court for the first time with my left foot. I did the same thing when playing baseball in high school too.

Player to Watch

The player of the week to watch this week is Griffin Stella, who is coming off a career game in the loss to Daemen. The 6'2" junior middle finished with a season high nine kills across 14 attempts (0.571 hitting percentage) and racked up an impressive 7.0 blocks, matching a career high, which he has done now five times, most recently last April in a win against Vassar. Stella has now finished with 7+ kills in five straight, a feat he has not accomplished in his tenure with the Cardinals. The native of Churchville-Chili has had an impressive season, totaling 56 kills over 105 attempts (0.419), with 35.0 blocks, five digs, and an ace, generating the second most points on the team with 75 (Bigford leads with 135.0).

Stay up-to-date with the latest news, scores, highlights and more by downloading the official mobile app for Fisher Athletics. Just search SJF Athletics in the App Store or on Google Play and download today for free.  Follow the Cardinals on social media for more! Twitter | Instagram