GRANTHAM, Pa. – On Friday afternoon, the No. 4 Messiah men's volleyball team will begin their NCAA Tournament run with a First-Round match against the St. Joseph – Long Island Golden Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on the campus of Juniata College. The Falcons will be playing in their second NCAA Tournament in program history after advancing to the Elite Eight in 2021. The Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets will also be heading to Huntingdon, Pa. to take on the No. 3 Juniata Eagles in the other First Round match on Friday.
Friday's winners will square off on Saturday night with a spot in the Final Four next weekend on the line.
Fans should note that tickets are required for the NCAA Tournament this weekend for the following prices: $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and students, and $3 for children ages 3-12. Children 2 years of age and younger are admitted free.
See below for a quick preview of this weekend's action:
No. 4 Messiah University Falcons – 25-5 overall, 8-1 Middle Atlantic Conference
The Falcons earned one of the limited Pool C at-large bids, after falling in the MAC Championship against Stevens last weekend 3-2. Messiah will be making their second-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament after advancing to the Elite Eight in 2021. This season, the Falcons have played some of the top teams in the country, going 4-5 against teams currently ranked in the top-15. The 4-5 record only tells half of the story, as the No. 4-ranked Falcons have four total losses to the three teams ranked ahead of them nationally and earned two more quality wins against teams just outside of the top-15.
The Falcons won seven-straight matches to begin the season before dropping two-straight against St. John Fisher and Juniata. Following the setbacks, Messiah claimed 14-straight before ending the regular season 3-2 in their final five matches. Despite falling in the MAC Championship, the Falcons claimed a spot in the NCAA Tournament due to their overall record of 25-5 and the strength of their schedule.
Mason Nissley leads the Falcons and is second in the country with 4.84 kills per set and has compiled 455 total kills this season. He has also been strong from the service line, collecting 40 service aces.
Matt Knab has 74 service aces this season while dishing out 1,041 assists.
St. Joseph's Long Island Golden Eagles – 22-8 overall, 14-0 Skyline Conference
St. Joseph's – Long Island is making their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament and second-straight after winning the Skyline Conference Championship last weekend with a 3-2 victory over Ramapo. In their history, the Golden Eagles are 1-3 in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite Eight a year ago.
The Golden Eagles are 22-8 this season, making quick work of their conference foes, but struggling against the bulk of their non-conference competition. Despite dropping matches against St. John Fisher, Stevens, Springfield, and Vassar in the month of January, the Golden Eagles hold top-10 national marks in hitting percentage (ninth, .299) and opponent's hitting percentage (eighth, .140).
They are led offensively by Mark Williams and Tyler Anderson, who are both north of 235 kills this season and 2.90 kills per set on the season. Anderson is hitting at a .290 clip this year while Williams has turned in a .256 mark this season with a team-high 46 service errors.
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Golden Eagles have met one time in men's volleyball. Back on Feb. 10, 2018, the Golden Eagles earned a 3-0 sweep of the Falcons in their first year as a program.
Matt Knab for the Falcons and Jason Siriban for the Golden Eagles both competed in the match. Knab finished with a pair of kills, five digs, and a block in the previous meeting. Siriban, the Golden Eagles libero these days had a kill five years ago.
No. 3 Juniata College Eagles – 29-2 overall, 7-1 Continental Volleyball Conference
The Eagles have been one of the top teams in the country all season long, carrying a 29-2 overall record into the NCAA Tournament. Their only two losses have come against No. 2 Stevens and Southern Virginia back in late February. Since the calendar turned to March, the Eagles have rattled off 14-straight victories, including two in the CVC Tournament to win the Conference Championship with a 3-1 victory over Rutgers-Newark.
Juniata will be appearing in their four NCAA Tournament, but are making their first trip back to the Tournament since 2017. Back in 2014, the Eagles finished as the National Runner-Up and carry an overall record of 3-3 in the Tournament.
This season the Eagles are one of the best defensive teams in the country, averaging the sixth-most blocks per set in the country with 2.228. Outside hitter, Tyler Goldsborough leads the team with 2.75 kills per set and a total of 261 kills this season. Middle hitters, Kevin Duffy III and Luke Hoffman put down their swings at an exceptional clip, hitting at .453 and .442 marks, respectively.
History against Messiah
The Falcons and Eagles have the most history of any two teams in Huntingdon this weekend. Messiah is 0-4 against the Eagles, including a 3-1 setback against on Feb. 7 on the road. The Falcons took the opening set, but dropped the next three while being held to a .184 hitting percentage, their second-lowest mark of the season.
Mason Nissley led all players with 19 kills in the match, including his 1,000th career kill in the third set.
Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets – 26-7 overall, 7-1 Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League
The Yellow Jackets earned their first Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League Championship and first NCAA Tournament berth via a four-set win over Mount Union in the MCVL Championship match. They achieved this all in the program's third season of existence. They enter the tournament with a 26-7 overall record and a 7-1 MCVL regular season campaign. The Yellow Jackets made huge strides from the 2022 season, where they finished 8-18 overall.
The Yellow Jackets have never appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
This season, the Yellow Jackets are led by setter Brandon Long, who leads the country in assists per set with 10.37. Helped by Long, Baldwin Wallace is top five in the country in assists per set (fifth, 11.59) and kills per set (fifth, 12.58). Michael Beard and Michael Devlin lead the attack, both averaging more than three kills per set at 3.73 and 3.42, respectively. Beard hits at a .288 clip against Devlin's .208 mark on the year.
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Yellow Jackets have never met in men's volleyball.
