Team News

Liberty University’s men’s volleyball team’s annual “Midnight Mayhem” matchup, set for Saturday at 11:59 p.m. against Penn State in the Liberty Arena, has taken on heightened significance with the release of the first National Collegiate Volleyball Federation (NCVF) Division I rankings on Friday.

The Flames — who improved to 8-0 in 2022 after sweeping the season’s first ECVA South play date last Saturday — debuted at No. 2 in the nation, behind only UC-Santa Barbara. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions, who are in the ECVA North Division, landed at No. 5, behind No. 3 Central Florida and No. 4 Dayton. The top-five showdown will be webcast by LFSN and streamed live on ESPN+.

Meanwhile, Liberty’s B team starts the NCVF rankings at the No. 1 position in Division III, with Penn State at the No. 3 spot. They will meet in Saturday’s opening match, a best-of-three-games showdown at 10 p.m.

The best-of-five DI match to follow will be the Flames’ final home contest of the season. Admission is $3 in advance and $5 at the door, with “Midnight Mayhem” T-shirts given to the first 500 fans.

“We love playing in Liberty Arena,” senior outside hitter Cross Edwards said. “It’s a great environment and a beautiful facility. It’s a great way to promote men’s volleyball. Penn State’s coming down and that will be our biggest test yet. They’re not in our (division), but they were the only team that came down from the North in our preseason tournament.”

Next weekend, Liberty’s DI team will travel to Bloomington, Ind., to compete in the Hoosier-Illini Tournament, featuring many of the top programs in the Midwest.