Men's Volleyball | 1/19/2024 7:53:00 AM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher University men's volleyball team are at home this weekend for a tournament that will feature top teams like no. 5 ranked Juniata College and no. 17 Lasell University to go along with Misericordia University and Houghton University. Competition begins on Friday, January 19 and will continue on Saturday, January 20.
 
Rankings
The AVCA released their weekly DIII Poll and the Cardinals remained at no. 11 despite their 2-0 start. Juniata also stayed put at no. 5 after a season opening win over Stevenson. Lasell are no. 17 and began their season on Tuesday with a win over Elms College. Fisher will take on a variety of top-25 teams this year including no. 6 Cal Luthern, no. 9 Vassar, no. 10 NYU, no. 12 New Paltz and no. 13 Nazareth.
 
The Schedule Of Events
The competition begins with Fisher taking on the Highlanders on Friday with a start time of 5:00 p.m. That is followed up by a highly anticipated matchup with the Eagles with an anticipated start time of 7:00 p.m.
 
On Saturday, the day kicks off with the Eagles against the Lasers at 11 a.m. before the Cardinals are back in action at 1 p.m. with their own contest against Lasell. At 3 p.m. Juniata wraps up their weekend with a contest against the Cougars and then the tournament concludes with Fisher taking their turn against Misericordia with a projected start time of 5 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
The Cardinals were in Springfield, Ohio for matches against Wittenberg University and Penn State Altoona to open their season. Fisher went 2-0 dropping just one set overall. Jake Baker has led the way with 17 kills, with Griffin Stella and Ian Rauh adding 15 each as well. Gavin Newman has been the assist man, collecting 43 in his five sets of action.
 
First Time For Highlanders
The latest addition to the Highlander sports offerings is set to officially launch into action on January 19, as Houghton men's volleyball gets its 2024 season underway at the St. John Fisher Tournament. Sophomore Elijah Sproull is not only a team captain but a very focused and skilled setter and hitter. AJ Panboon is a freshman libero with a calm, quiet demeanor yet is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to defense, setting, and swinging.
 
Hot Start For Misericordia
The Cougars have started their season 3-0 with wins over Elmira, SUNY Poly and Cairn University. Misericordia University men's volleyball standout Jared Piontkowski was been named the American Volleyball Coaches Association national Player of the Week. He set the school record with a .676 hitting percentage (min. 20 att.) and had 25 kills in a 3-1 win over Elmira in the season opener. For the week, he hit .438, had five aces, and averaged 5.6 kills per set and 6.71 points per set.
 
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