Midnight match
Men’s volleyball hosts first late-night game in Vines Center
Cheer — Almost 3,000 fans attended the inaugural 12 a.m. men’s club volleyball game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
In front of a crowd of nearly 3,000 people Friday night, the Liberty men’s volleyball team took to the court inside the Vines Center in their inaugural “Blackout” midnight match against the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University.
Becoming the first club sports team in Liberty history to play a match in the Vines Center, the Liberty Flames (1-1, 16-3-2 including fall play) were defeated (25-20, 23-25, 26-24, 25-27, 12-15) in a matchup with the defending Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Division I East Coast Regional Tournament champions.
Junior libero Josiah Williams, who has seen the team progress over his multiple years, soaked in the chance to take part in the inaugural midnight match.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us,” Williams said. “Especially for some of us who have seen the program from three years ago, it has grown exponentially. The energy the students brought was insane.”
With the Vines Center filled with fans hopeful to cheer the Flames to victory, the Flames opened the match with an early first-set victory, 25-20.
But, the Scarlet Knights responded quickly, taking the second set, 25-23.
“(The first-set victory) was huge,” Williams, the anchor of the defense, said. “It got the crowd into it. It built our confidence up. Unfortunately, we got lackadaisical in the second game (and) let our foot off the pedal a little bit.”
SPIKE — a close game ended in disappointment for the Flames. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
Down 23-21, in the third set, the Flames responded with a block from opposite hitter Kevin Snyder and kills from sophomore setter Nick Williamson and freshman middle blocker Luke Werth to come back and take the third set 26-24.
Yet again, the Scarlet Knights responded in the fourth set with a 27-25 victory.
After trading points in the fifth set, the Flames found themselves down early, 9-5. The Flames were never able to take the lead in the set, eventually losing 12-15 and securing the victory for the Scarlet Knights.
According to Head Coach Bryan Rigg, the Flames chose to host such a big event after looking to kick off their season in a memorable way and after seeing the previous midnight games held by the Liberty men’s lacrosse team.
Rigg said in order to get the word out about the event, posters and a promotional video were created. Players also greeted students before Convocation Friday to invite them to the match.
Even though the inaugural midnight match ended in disappointment for the Flames, Rigg said his team will gain a lot from such a tight contest.
“As a young team, with a bunch of freshmen and transfers, we’ve never been in big situations like this, so … we can learn from some of the disappointments,” Rigg said. “… To feel what it’s like to go back and forth and be so close makes us better for next time.”
After the match, Werth recognized the effort his team put into playing their best.
“As long as we feel like we left the best (play) on the court, we should be satisfied with that.,” Werth said. “Rutgers is a great team, and I’m happy to see them hopefully again in the East Coast Tournament.”
According to Williams, the Flames need to refine their game more and be more consistent They will have the opportunity as they host the EIVA Tournament Feb. 14 in the LaHaye Multipurpose Center.
RODRIGUEZ is a sports reporter.