Flames come up short against the Gators at Midnight Mayhem

While many Liberty University students around campus turned their lights off for the night, approximately 3,000 people gathered in the Vines Center Saturday morning, Jan. 26 at 12 a.m. for the annual men’s volleyball Midnight Mayhem, an iconic match marking the halfway point of the season.

The match, featured on ESPN3 for the first time in program history, saw the Liberty Flames and the University of Florida Gators battle in the best of five sets.

Although the Gators stole set one 25-17, the Flames rebounded during the second set, winning 25-22. After returning from the locker room, the Flames came close but lost the next two sets (25-23, 25-21), falling short 3-1.

The game took place at midnight and did not conclude until around 2 a.m., an experience that may have affected Liberty’s gameplay, according to Liberty head coach Bryan Rigg.

“I think they felt fairly confident, maybe too confident,” Rigg said, referring to his team. “Maybe the hour had something to do with it. Some games you struggle, some games you don’t, and this was a game we struggled in.”

According to the Liberty club sports website, the Flames made 22 service errors in four sets, which nearly doubled Liberty’s average.

“It wasn’t things (Florida) was doing. We miss on average about three serves per set, and we missed on average about six serves per set,” Rigg said. “That’s mental fortitude and toughness. Those are the things we didn’t control. I think the pressure got the best of them. That wasn’t the team I was used to.”

Offensively, senior middle hitter Eugene DeJesus led the team with 12 kills. Junior setter Kaden Knepper completed nearly 40 assists and even scored six points off his redirected sets.

“I try to identify where the blockers are,” Knepper said. “If I go up, and I see a blocker up with me, I won’t dump. If there’s nobody up with me, and I see that the middle of the court is open, I’ll try to hit that spot.”

Throughout the final two sets, neither team could maintain a comfortable lead. There were many lead changes before the game ultimately fell in Florida’s favor.

“I think we underestimated (Florida) a little bit,” Knepper said. “But I think we know better for the next time. We might have been a little tired, but the other team played the same time as we did. We could have played a little better overall.”

Several times during the match, fans rose to their feet as DeJesus rose to execute a kill, his shoulders towering above the 8-foot net. Although the Flames missed 22 serves, they found some success in their offensive distribution.

According to Rigg, one of the purposes for the match was examination. The Flames wanted to see how they matched up against a highly ranked opponent. Despite not receiving the desired result, Rigg said the overall experience helped the team moving forward.

“We want to see where we are, and we want to test ourselves,” Rigg said. “So we tested ourselves, and we saw some things we’re lacking in.”

According to Rigg, Midnight Mayhem is a great tool for growing the game of men’s volleyball, particularly men’s volleyball at Liberty.

“Men’s volleyball is a sport that’s really underappreciated,” Rigg said. “But I think there’s a fan base. I think there’s a way to keep it interesting. I’d love to see it continue to grow.”

Seldom do the Flames play in the Vines Center. The last time the Flames played at home was Sep. 30, 2017, in the Schilling Multi-Purpose Gym against James Madison.

The Flames have about two weeks before playing in the ECVA South Tournament at JMU Feb. 10.

“Florida will be in the East Coast Championships,” Rigg said. “So we will play them again most likely.”