Juniata College Slated to Host NCAA DIII Men's Volleyball Tournament Regionals
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- Juniata College is slated to host the Regional Finals of the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship this Friday, April 21st, and Saturday, April 22nd, following their Continental Volleyball Championship victory over #14 Rutgers-Newark to earn a place in the program's fourth NCAA Tournament.
The #3 Eagles were taken to five sets in the CVC semifinals match against Marymount before defeating Rutgers-Newark in four sets on Saturday to earn their fourth CVC Championship. The win was Juniata's 29th of the season for a new single-season program record, while they equaled the program's longest winning streak at 14 games, matching a mark that was set to open the 2023 season.
Juniata will match up against Baldwin Wallace following their first Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League Championship in the program's third year.
The Regional Semifinals matchups are as follows:
25-2 (2) Messiah College will play 22-8 (3) St. Joseph's University of New York at Long Island at 4:00 pm on Friday. The winner will play in the Regional Final at 6:00 pm Saturday.
29-2 (1) Juniata College will play 26-7 (4) Baldwin Wallace University at 6:30 pm on Friday. The winner will play in the Regional Final at 6:00 pm Saturday.
Tickets will be $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.
The Regional Final match will be this Saturday at 6:00 pm, and the winner will advance to the Final Four being hosted by Stevenson University in Owings Mills, Md.
About the Opponents
Messiah College: The #4 Falcons missed securing an automatic bid with their five-set defeat to #2 Stevens in the MAC Championship, but a strong 25-5 campaign with a 4-5 record against ranked opponents earned them one of four pool B bids. Four of the five losses in the season came against higher-ranked opponents. In MAC play, the Falcons went 8-1 in the regular. This marks Messiah's second NCAA Tournament appearance.
St. Joseph's University of New York at Long Island: The Golden Eagles earned their second-straight Skyline Conference Tournament Championship with a five-set victory over Ramapo to land the program in its fourth NCAA Tournament. St.Joseph's went 22-8 overall while not dropping any of their 14 regular season Skyline Conference matches. Six of their eight losses came against AVCA-ranked opponents, while they defeated #14 Arcadia.
Baldwin Wallace University: The Yellow Jackets earned their first Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League Championship and first NCAA Tournament Birth 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.