Liberty men’s Volleyball Thumps UVA In Straight Sets And Secures First Win Of 2022 Spring Season

The Flames men’s volleyball team started the 2022 season strong with a win over the Virginia Cavaliers Jan. 22 at Liberty Arena. 

The Flames played host to UVA, trying to assert themselves as a dominant force to open the season. The team defeated UVA in all three sets, winning the match 3-0. 

In the first set, Liberty came out roaring, gaining a quick lead and maintaining it for the duration of the set. UVA struggled to get the ball over the net with six service errors, and the Flames took advantage of the Cavaliers’ mistakes, winning the set 25-19. 

The Flames kept that same approach in the second set, relying on spikes at the net to deter any UVA comebacks. Liberty’s 6-foot-8-inch senior Joshua Knapp dominated the second set, using his height and large wingspan to pelt the ball over the net for seven points. The Flames’ dominance was capped off with a fantastic block from middle blocker Ben Dowd. 

The Cavaliers stepped up their game to begin the third set. They matched every move the Flames made, holding them to only a four-point lead at most. Liberty managed to take the third and final set after a UVA player hit the ball out of play.

The match highlighted how the Flames have formed a dominant team going into the 2022 season. The team is headlined by Knapp, who is an unstoppable force of nature at the net, senior Cross Edwards, whose spike in the third set aided in handing the win to Liberty, senior Cody Reinsma, who floats to the net with a vertical jump that looks inhuman and senior John Sauder, who quietly totaled seven points in the match. 

This unit boasts a large number of upperclassmen with 14 of 24 players listed as seniors. The Flames blew out UVA in the first two sets, and they showed they could win in a gritty, slow-burn set in the third. 

 “It was a good start,” Head Coach Kaleb Van DePerre said. “I thought we responded well and passed well. The next couple of matches will be tougher, probably a lot tougher, but we’ll see what we have.”

Liberty’s next match is at Southern Virginia University Jan. 27, but the Flames return home to host Virginia Tech Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. 

Palsgrove is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter