GRANTHAM, Pa. – For the first time in program history, the Messiah men's volleyball program will compete in the National Semifinal. The Falcons will take the floor in Owings Mills, Md. on the campus of Stevenson University this Friday night at 7:30 p.m. against a familiar foe, the Stevens Ducks also of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). The Falcons and Ducks will be meeting for the third time in the month of April alone with Stevens earning a 3-1 victory on Apr. 1 and a 3-2 win in the MAC Championship on Apr. 15 in Hoboken.
On the other side of the bracket will be the No. 1 Vassar Brewers and the No. 5 North Central Cardinals. The Brewers and Cardinals will square off prior to the Falcons and Ducks at 5:00 p.m. with a spot in the National Championship Match on the line. The winners of the two National Semifinals will meeting in the National Championship on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
Fans should not that tickets are required for entrance to the Semifinal and National Championship Match. While they can be purchased at the door, presale tickets are available at ncaa.com/tickets to ensure that you get a seat. All tickets are $10 per day.
See below for a quick preview of the teams competing for a National Championship this weekend.
No. 4 Messiah University Falcons - 27-5
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When the first serve goes up on Friday night, the Falcons will be playing in their first-ever Final Four in programs history. The Falcons are playing in just their second NCAA Tournament after advancing to the Elite Eight in 2021. That season, the Falcons fell to eventual National Champion Carthage, but this season a 3-0 sweep of Juniata in the National Quarterfinal propelled the Falcons to higher hights in a season full of them.
Messiah has never won more games in a single season than they have this year, claiming their 26th and 27th victories last weekend. 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.
Earlier this week,
Mason Nissley and
Matt Knab were named All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) for the third-straight season. Nissley nabbed his third-straight First Team honor while Knab claimed Second Team accolades this season.
Players to Watch
Mason Nissley, OH, Sr. - 5.57 P/S, 498 Kills, 4.93 K/S, 160 Digs - The senior earns his third-straight First-Team All-America honor after another stellar season for the Falcons. The first player in Messiah history with more than 1,000 career kills, Nissley enters the NCAA semifinals first in the country with 4.93 kills per set and second with 5.57 points per set.
Matt Knab, S, Gr. - 1,135 Assists, 10.51 A/S, 79 Aces, 143 Digs - Knab has shown off his versatility during his storied career at Messiah. After spending his first two years as an outside hitter, he's been the Falcons' setter since 2020. His 10.51 assists-per-set average this season leads DIII, he's second nationally in aces, and the team's .315 hitting percentage ranks third.
No. 2 Stevens Ducks - 33-3
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The Stevens Ducks were ranked as the top team in the nation for most of the season, but ended the regular season with a setback to Vassar and as a result stand second in the land as we head to the Final Four. Stevens has rolled through their schedule with their lone setbacks against defending national champion Carthage, No. 1 Vassar, and Division-I foe Sacared Heart. Outside of those three matches, the Ducks have dropped just 12 sets on the season.
As Falcon fans know, the Ducks claimed the MAC Championship with a five-set victory over Messiah less than two weeks ago. And in the opening weekend of the Tournament, Stevens swept Geneva before disposing of No. 11 Wentworth in four sets. In total, the Ducks are 33-3 on the season and are led by a trio of All-Americans.
Earlier this week, Koby Sherman, Percy Bickford, and Louden Moran were all named Second Team All-Americans by AVCA.
Players to Watch
Percy Bickford, OH, Sr. - 3.13 P/S, 256 Kills, .317 Hitting %, 1.41 D/S - Bickford came out blazing in 2023, picking up AVCA Player of the Week honors for his efforts in the Ducks' first three wins. He recorded career highs this season in kills and digs and enters the national semifinal on a roll after recording 60 kills and hitting .442 in Stevens' last five matches.
Louden Moran, S, Sr. - 894 Assists, 9.22 A/S, 47 Aces, .314 Team Hitting % - Moran quarterbacks one of Division III's most efficient offenses. The senior ranks in the top 10 nationally with 894 assists heading into the national semifinals and has helped Stevens to a .314 team hitting percentage, which ranks in the top six in the country. He also leads the team in aces with 47.
Koby Sherman, RS, So. - 3.88 P/S, 273 Kills, 3.1 K/S, 40 Aces - After an impressive debut season in 2022, Sherman has helped the Ducks return to the NCAA semifinals for the second time in as many years. This year, he tops the team with 246 kills and has posted 13 double-digit kill matches. In the regional final, he had season highs in kills (20) and digs (12).
When They Met
The Falcons and Ducks are certainly no strangers to one another, having met twice in the month of April before Friday's meeting. Stevens took each of the first two meetings on Apr. 1 at a neutral site (3-1) and on Apr. 15 in the MAC Championship (3-2). While the Falcons looked like the better team for stretches of the Conference Championship, it was Stevens that came out on top with dominate efforts in the first and fifth sets to lock up the victory. Look for Friday's meeting to be a prizefight worthy of the primetime spot on the National Stage.
No. 1 Vassar College Brewers - 26-1
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The Vassar Brewers are rolling. Winners of 25-straight matches, the Brewers head to the Final Four as the top team in the country with a 26-1 overall record. After starting the season 1-1 with their loss coming to fellow National Semifinalist Stevens (3-0) on Jan. 21, the Brewers have been on a roll. Since that loss Vassar has dropped just nine sets and avenged that Stevens loss with a 3-2 victory over the Ducks on Apr. 6 to claim the top spot in the national polls.
Vassar swept MIT and St. John Fisher in the United Volleyball Conference Tournament to claim the conference championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Last weekend, the Brewers swept Baruch and earned a 3-1 win over No. 9 Southern Virginia to advance to the program's second-ever Final Four (2018).
Earlier this week the Brewers had three players named First Team All-Americans with Andrew Kim claiming the program's first-ever National Player of the Year honor.
Players to Watch
Andrew Kim, OH, Sr. - 4.67 P/S, .411 Hitting %, 3.94 K/S, 1.63 D/S - The do-it-all senior adds first-team All-American to his 2023 list of accolades that also includes UVC Player of the Year and AVCA North Region Player of the Year. He enters the NCAA semifinals ranked in the top 10 for Division III in hitting percentage, kills per set, and points per set. He also has a team-best 35 aces.
Jacob Kim, S, Jr. - 740 Assists, 10.28 A/S, .362 Team Hitting %, 0.74 B/S - The junior helped Coach Richard Gary's team earn the first No. 1 AVCA Poll ranking in school history. The setter has handed out 740 assists and is fourth nationally in assists per set at 10.28. He's also led the Brewers' offense to a Division III-best .362 team hitting percentage.
Gavin van Beveren, MB, Sr. - 91 Blocks, 1.19 B/S, .530 Hitting %, 2.76 P/S - The senior picks up his third AVCA All-American award following an impressive 2023 season. He is tied for second in blocks per set at 1.193 and has helped the Brewers lead the nation in that team category. His hitting percentage is best among all DIII players and likely will set a school single-season record.
When They Met
The Falcons have played Vassar three times in program history, with Vassar holding a 2-1 record against Messiah. One of those meetings came earlier this season on Apr. 8 Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The Brewers earned a 3-0 sweep of the Falcons as part of their 25-match winning streak on the final day of the regular season for both teams.
No. 5 North Central College Cardinals - 24-3
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The North Central Cardinals are playing in just their second-ever NCAA Tournament but have advanced to the Final Four with hard-fought victories over Benedictine (3-2) and No. 8 Carthage (3-1). With their victory over Carthage, the Cardinals got their best of their conference rivals for the fourth time this season, knocking out the two-time defending National Champions from the Tournament.
After starting the season 2-2 with loss to New Paltz and Aurora, the Cardinals have gone 22-1 with a lone loss against Cal Lutheran on a west-coast trip. As mentioned, during that stretch the Cardinals earned four victories over Carthage to set up a date with Vassar in the National Semifinals. The Cardinals' season and their 16-match winning streak will be on the line Friday night at 5:00 p.m.
Earlier this week, three Cardinals were named All-Americans by the AVCA with Jared Moser, Tyler Donovan, and Jeremy Cardenas picking up honors. Moser and Donovan claimed first Team accolades while Cardenas was picked to the Second Team.
Players to Watch
Tyler Donovan, S, Jr. - 970 Assists, 10.43 A/S, 66 Blocks, .323 Team Hitting % - Donovan has been crucial to the Cardinals' unprecedented 2023 success, stepping into the starting setter position as a junior and leading the team to the fourth-best hitting percentage in DIII. He is second nationally in assists per set (10.32) and his 970 assists broke the program's single-season record.
Jared Moser, OH, Sr. - 4.78 P/S, .356 Hitting %, 4.14 K/S, 152 Digs - Moser's versatility has been a major reason that North Central advanced to the NCAA Championship semifinals for the first time. The outside hitter has 360 kills on the season, which broke his own single-season record, and he is sixth in the nation in kills per set and seventh in points per set.
Jeremy Cardenas, MB, Sr. - .436 Hitting %, 2.83 P/S, 99 Blocks, 1.1 B/S - An imposing presence in the middle during the Cardinals' dream season, the senior set the program record for blocks in a season (99 so far) and he continues to add to his school career blocks mark (249). His blocks-per-set average places him sixth among all DIII players, and he also is No. 6 in hitting percentage.
How To Follow
Both the National Semifinals and National Championship Match will be streamed on ncaa.com. Follow the links at the top of this article to follow with live video and live statistics as the Falcons look for the first National Championship in program history.
*Portions of this article were taken from the AVCA All-American announcement. Thank you to the AVCA for their contributions to this article!
