Men's Volleyball | 4/13/2023 1:40:00 PM

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The No. 10 St. John Fisher University men's volleyball team (24-6, 3-3) will look to reclaim their title as champions of the UVC this weekend. Entering as the number three seed, the Cardinals will square off in a highly anticipated rematch against the No. 11, sixth seeded NYU Violets Friday night at 7:30 p.m., with the winner heading to the semi-finals to face the No. 8 two seeded SUNY New Paltz Hawks.
This will be the fifth straight year the Cardinals will have reached the tournament, posting a 3-2 record in the time, including their 2-0 performance that led to being crowned champions a year ago.

Scouting the Opponents

The Cardinals dropped to NYU earlier this season, their first loss since 2018 to the Violets. The team lost the match in three sets, hitting at a .112 mark. Matt Beiter, Gabe La Robardiere, and Jake Baker led the team with just six kills.

Shall the Cardinals win against NYU, they would take on New Paltz. The Hawks came back to reverse sweep the Cardinals when the team met in February, holding Fisher to negative hitting percentages in the last three sets to take over the match. Fisher has won three of the last five meetings, with all but one match going to five sets.

Earlier this season, the number one seed, Vassar outperformed the Cardinals from the service line, leading to the Brewers sweeping their way past Fisher. The Cardinals finished the loss with just one ace compared to 22 service errors.

Stat Watching

A season ago, Matt Beiter and Gavin Newman set the program record for aces in a single season, after each nailed 50 service aces. Newman has carried his success from the line into this year, collecting 46 aces during the regular season.
Just four aces shy of tying the record, Newman, who is averaging 0.51 aces per set, will look to break his own record this weekend.

Coaches Corner

Q: This team is looking to move to the NCAA tournament for the second straight time. What is the message to the guys this year heading into the UVC?

1. We're starting over. We have put in an incredible amount of work over the last three months and now everyone is 0-0. These guys have worked hard this opportunity and we need to look at this opportunity to continue our season one match at a time and we are super excited to compete in the tournament.

Q: Your first UVC Championship match is against NYU, who bested you in a sweep earlier this season. With a win, the team would move on to face New Paltz. In preparation, how do you control the emotions that might be associated with earlier losses to those teams this season?

1. I think with NYU we left a lot on the table and to get the opportunity for potential redemption is a little sweet. All of the teams in the tournament are incredible, but so are we. We have to be sharp on our side and control components of the match that we can control.

Q: Josh Bigford and Jake Baker are your two captains on this team. Earlier this season, you emphasized the importance of having two upperclassmen leading the team as outsides. Can you talk a little bit about the strong season from Griffin Stella?

1. What he has done statistically is highly impressive, ranking second in the UVC in hitting percentage (.441) and third in blocks (1.03 per set). We need to increase his volume, but he has been a game-changer for us. We want to control the middle of the court and our middles, both Griffin and Matt Beiter have been excellent for us. Stella has worked hard to be a strong blocker and he has had a great season.

Q: You have almost gone through a full season with this team and at Fisher. What has been your favorite part?

1. A lot of credit to Steven England (former head coach) for recruiting not just great athletes, but wonderful young men. Volleyball skills can be taught and adjusted, and the support we have received from both the administration and the student body has just been remarkable.  

Q: Last question for you. You son, Tyler has played outstanding, especially as of late. How has it been working with him here at Fisher?

1. Tyler has worked tremendously hard and his opportunities slowly started to come. His first time in the rivalry match against Nazareth College went extremely well, especially with so many fans in the crowd. As a dad it was pretty cool to see and as a coach I was really proud but it has been fun. I am glad he is here and the guys have been great with him too, for which I am extremely appreciative.  

Player of the Week to Watch

With a series of major matches coming up, the Cardinals will rely on fifth year outside and captain, Josh Bigford to continue to pace the way. In another strong season, Bigford leads the Cardinals with 276 kills, 3.21 kills/set, a .339 hitting percentage, and points with 337.0. Bigford also ranks second on the team in aces 34, good for a 0.40 ace per set ratio.

This will be the fifth straight season Bigford and the Cardinals have made the championship, as Bigford was named the MVP of the tournament last season after hitting .326 with 31 kills, 17 digs, and seven blocks across the two matches. Bigford had 13 kills, five digs and three blocks in a four-set victory over Vassar in the UVC Semifinal match. Less than 24 hours later, Bigford had a match-high 18 kills, while hitting .340 with season-high totals of 12 digs and four blocks, as the Cardinals made history by winning the UVC Championship over New Paltz in five sets.

Across four tournament matches, Bigford has collected 57 kills with just eight errors across 154 attempts, good for a .318 hitting percentage.

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