Men's Volleyball | 4/11/2024 12:56:00 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher University men's volleyball team travels to Poughkeepsie this weekend, looking to win the United Volleyball Conference tournament for the first time since 2022. 
 
Here's what you need to know:
 
State of Play
The third-seeded Cardinals, who finished the regular season with a 25-5 record overall and a 5-2 mark in the conference, begin their tournament on Friday with a game against arch-rival Nazareth University at 7:30 P.M. on the campus of Vassar. A win against the sixth-seeded Golden Flyers would send them into the semifinals on Saturday against second-seed NYU at 5 P.M. The conference championship match is Sunday at 2 P.M.
 
A conference title would ensure automatic entry into the Division III Men's Volleyball Championship tournament. 
 
Know Your Opening Round Foe
The sixth-seeded Nazareth Golden Flyers enter the tournament with a 19-9 overall record but a losing 3-4 mark in conference play. Their strength lies in their serving: their 2.06 service aces per set are the best in the conference, and Nazareth senior Owen Wickens leads the conference individually, averaging 0.96 service aces per set. 
 
Other notable players on Nazareth include sophomores AJ Burda (sixth in the conference with 8.52 assists per set) and Nathan DeJoy (ninth in the conference with 0.72 blocks per set). 
 
The Cardinals are 9-2 all-time against Nazareth, including two wins this season so far. Fisher hasn't lost to Nazareth since a 3-1 defeat on March 10, 2021. 
 
Fun Fact: Nazareth was originally an all-women's college. 
 
More Foes To Know
The top-seed in the tournament is its host, Vassar. The Brewers were 22-6 overall and 6-1 in the conference this regular season, but their lone conference loss was to the Cardinals- a five-set clash on the Fisher campus on March 2. Vassar enters the conference tournament rated ninth in all of Division III, and is the defending UVC champion. The Brewers have seven players with at least 100 points 
 
Should the Cardinals win on Friday, they'll face New York University (NYU) for the right to make the finals. The Violets haven't won a conference title since 2017 but enter the tournament 16-7 overall and 5-2 in UVC play, including a five-set win over Fisher on April 5. Luke Boyer is NYU's top hitter, with 299 kills. 
 
Postseason Awards
Several Cardinals earned post-season awards from the UVC ahead of this weekend's tournament: senior outside hitter Jake Baker, junior middle blocker Ian Rauh, and senior middle blocker Griffin Stella all earned All-Conference Second Team honors, while junior setter Gavin Newman earned an Honorable Mention. 
 
Championship History
The Cardinals have won the UVC title once: in 2022 behind tournament MVP Josh Bigford. Last season, they beat NYU and New Paltz before falling to Vassar in the finals. The Cardinals have made the UVC tournament every year since 2019 with the exception of the 2020 tournament, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
What Comes Next
Should the Cardinals win the conference title or receive an at-large bid, Fisher will head to the Division III Men's Volleyball Championship tournament, scheduled to start later this month. 
 
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