COLUMBUS, Ohio —
Fort Valley State University men's volleyball (18-10) concluded its historic season with a 3-0 loss to top-seeded Long Beach State University (28-3) in the NCAA National Collegiate Championship quarterfinals Thursday evening.
LBSU claimed the match with set scores of 25-21, 25-16, and 25-16.
Long Beach State jumped out to an early lead with a quick 3-0 start, but the Wildcats responded with a kill from
Jaxon Hicks to get on the board. FVSU tied it at 4-4 with a kill from
Isaiah Fedd following a Long Beach error. The two teams traded points in the early going, but after a 6-6 tie, LBSU went on a 3-0 run to take a 9-6 lead. Fedd ended the run with another kill, and the back-and-forth continued until the set was tied again at 16-16. Long Beach State then strung together a six-point run that gave them control. FVSU fought off the set point with a four-point rally, narrowing the gap to 24-21, but a final LBSU kill ended the set.
In the second set, Fort Valley opened the scoring on a Long Beach service error, but LBSU answered with a four-point run before an attack error stopped the momentum. Fedd added a kill to keep it close at 4-3. The Wildcats stayed within striking distance, trailing by no more than five points for most of the set. A late three-point surge by LBSU extended their lead to 23-15, and two straight points closed the frame, 25-16.
LBSU scored first in the third set, and the teams exchanged service errors to even the score at 2-2. The Sharks pulled ahead with three straight points, but a kill from Fedd broke the run. The Wildcats went on a short 3-0 run to close the gap to 7-6. Both teams continued to trade points, with Long Beach maintaining a steady three-point lead until another small run at 16-13 gave them breathing room. A four-point burst sealed the set and the match, 25-16.
Fedd led the Wildcats offensively with 14 kills on a .357 hitting percentage. Hicks and
Taviian Martin followed with three kills each.
Oshane Farquharson dished out 15 assists and added a block assist on defense.
Fedd also paced the team in digs with four. Martin contributed the team's lone solo block, while
Rashaun Wright,
Raheem Thomas, Farquharson, and Martin each added a block assist.
Head coach
Larry Wrather reflected on the team's journey: "I'm proud as a coach of what we did today and what we accomplished this season."
FVSU graduates 10 seniors and now turns its attention to the next season.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.