AMCC MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT SET FOR WEDNESDAY

After the COVID-19 pandemic brought the 2020 men's volleyball season to a sudden stop mid-season a year ago, the upcoming AMCC Men's Volleyball Championship tournament brings more excitement than ever. With the 2021 regular season wrapping up over the weekend, the AMCC men's volleyball championship tournament kicks off with the semifinals on Wednesday evening. No. 1 Hiram College will host No. 4 Penn State Altoona at 7:00 pm, while No. 3 Penn State Behrend will be traveling to No. 2 Geneva College for a 7:30 pm start. Medaille College has initiated a covid-related pause that will not permit them to participate.

With a 7-0 conference record, Hiram earned the AMCC regular season title and hosting rights for the 2021 conference tournament. Junior OH Tom Supan led the conference with 4.44 kills per set, while senior L/OH Cory Fischer was tops in the league with 3.48 digs per set. Hiram led the AMCC in hitting percentage with a .278, while junior MH Dangelo Boehner led the way individually, swinging at a .403 clip.

Coming in at the No. 2 seed is Geneva College with a 5-1 conference mark. Junior MB Peter Barbato led the AMCC with 195 kills and ranked second with 3.55 kills per set. Senior OH Dan Townsend ranked first with 157 digs, while coming in third with 2.75 digs per set. Sophomore S Curtis Thomas ranked second with 8.0 assists in conference play. As a team, the Golden Tornadoes led the league in almost every major categoy with 637 kills, 647 digs, 92 total blocks, 579 assists, and 98 service aces on the year.

No. 3 Penn State Behrend enters the tournament with a 4-3 record in conference play. Junior MH Cody Schnur was tops in the league with 0.88 blocks per set. Freshman OH Logan Hering ranked second in the AMCC with 130 kills and third with 3.42 kills per set. Sophomore DS Adrian Martinez's 124 digs and 3.02 digs per set were second-best in conference play. Behrend ranked second as a team with 446 kills, 494 digs, 417 assists, and 61 total blocks on the season.

Rounding out the tournament field is No 4. seed Penn State Altoona with a 3-4 conference record. Freshman OH/RS Philip Silva ranked fourth in the AMCC with 3.38 kills per set, while junior DS Micah Brinker was also fourth with 2.26 digs per set. The Lions ranked fourth as a team in multiple categories, including assists (321), kills (348), total blocks (41), and digs (331).

The winners from Wednesday night's matches will square off on Saturday, April 10 at 1:00 pm for the AMCC Championship. The highest remaining seed will serve as the host.