MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD SET FOR THIS WEEKEND
The AMCC Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament kicks off Friday evening with semifinal matchups, with the championship match slated for Saturday at 3:00pm.
The AMCC Men's Volleyball Championship Tournament kicks off Friday evening with semifinal matchups, with the championship match slated for Saturday at 3:00pm. Buffalo State University went a perfect 6-0 in conference play to earn the top seed and hosting rights for the conference championship tournament. The Bengals will take on #4 Mount Aloysius College Friday at 4:30pm, while #2 Penn State Altoona and #3 Penn State Behrend will square off in the night cap at 7:00pm. All matches will be played at Canisius High School in Buffalo, NY.
#1 Buffalo State enters the tournament looking for their first AMCC championship, as the Bengals are looking to make a statement in their first season in the league. They are led offensively by senior OH Malachi Jackson who is tied for tops in the conference with 4.00 kills per set in conference play, while swinging at a .343 clip. His 4.5 points per set are second-best in the AMCC. On the defensive side, junior DS Alex Vega tops the league with 3.63 digs per set. Sophomore MB Kaden Strong leads the conference with a .500 hitting percentage in AMCC matches, while also contributing 3.06 kills per set, as sophomore S Jackson Stang contributes 7.67 assists per set for the Bengals.
With a 4-2 record in conference play, Penn State Altoona has earned the #2 seed with a tiebreaking head-to-head victory over Penn State Behrend in the regular season. Freshman OPP Caleb Fries has had a standout rookie campaign for the Lions, as he is tied for the top spot in the conference with 4.00 kills per set in AMCC play. He also recorded 12 service aces and averages 2.14 digs per set and 0.64 blocks for set, averaging an AMCC-best 4.0 points per set. Sophomore S Mason Grover has recorded 155 assists, ranking him second in the league with 9.12 assists per set, while freshman L Adam Chan is second in the conference with 2.65 digs per set. Defensively, sophomore MB Landen Fisher leads the Lions, and ranks second in the AMCC, with 18 total blocks and 1.00 blocks per set.
Also with a 4-2 conference record, Penn State Behrend enters the tournament as the #3 seed. Junior OH Kyle Hoffman leads the Lions, and ranks fourth in the AMCC, with 3.16 kills per set in conference play. Junior MH Joseph Sciscio tops the conference in blocks with 1.05 blocks per set, while junior MH Lewis Rhodes contributes 0.80 blocks per set. Junior DS/S Luke Mumpower adds 2.00 digs per set and six aces for the Lions.
Rounding out the field is #4 Mount Aloysius College, who earned a berth to the AMCC championship tournament for the first time in program history. Senior OH Matthew Franz leads the Lions and ranks third in the AMCC with 3.35 kills per set, while his 13 service aces in conference play is second-best in the league. Andrew Wlodarczyk contributes 2.65 kills per set against AMCC teams. Sophomore L Corey Obeldobel ranks second the AMCC with 60 digs in conference play and third with 2.61 digs per set. Sophomore S Evan Schmidt's 195 assists is second-best, while he ranks third with 8.48 assists per set.
TICKET INFO: Tickets will be $7/day (AMCC students are free with valid ID). All ticket sales are CASHLESS and can be purchased at the door or in advance using the following link: https://buffalostate.