Carthage wins 2021 DIII men's volleyball national championship
Carthage wins Set 5 to capture 2021 DIII men's volleyball title
Carthage won the 2021 NCAA DIII men's volleyball championship
Carthage topped Benedictine (IL) 15-10 in a decisive fifth set to win the 2021 NCAA DIII men's volleyball national championship. This is the Firebirds' first-ever title and is the final touch on a 23-0 perfect season. Watch a full replay of the match here.
The Firebirds had only dropped one set all year coming into the national final before finding themselves down 2-1 after three frames. After Matt Slivinski and Zach Bulthuis showed out at the net to force the fifth set, Slivinski was unstoppable in the final period. The senior racked up six of his match-high 22 kills in the fifth as Carthage hit .611 in the period without recording a single attacking error.
Carthage forces a fifth set
Benedictine (IL) battled back from five points down and fought off one set point, but Carthage proved to be too much in the fourth set, earning a 26-24 win over the Eagles to force a decisive fifth set for the national championship.
Matt Slivinski, Zach Bulthuis and Parker Connolly had four kills each in the frame as Carthage logged its third straight set hitting above .300 for the match. Slivinski and Bulthuis also split the set-deciding block to level the match for the Firebirds.
Benedictine (IL) wins Set 3 for a 2-1 match lead
Benedictine (IL) held off a late Carthage run to take the third set 25-20. The Eagles are now one set away from their first-ever national championship. After Carthage dominated the second set, this frame belonged to Benedictine after it found itself offensively. The Eagles hit .360 for the set after failing to clear. 250 in either of the first two periods of play.
Mike LeGros and and Jacob Grygo each tallied four kills in the frame. LeGros added a service ace while Grygo also chipped in a solo block. Grygo (11) and Chase Olson (10) are the two Eagles with double-digit kills so far.
Carthage trimmed Benedictine's seven-point lead to three late in the set, but a pair of assists from LeGros put the game out of reach before errors committed by the Firebirds put Benedictine ahead.
Carthage evens the match in Set 2
Carthage was in control for most of the second frame, leveling the match at 1-1 with a 25-17 win in the second set. Benedictine had no answer for the Firebirds in this set. After hitting just .184 in the first set, Carthage was lights out with a .536 percentage. The Firebirds only committed one error compared to 16 kills.
Middle blocker Zach Bulthuis was the star of the set for Carthage, racking up six kills in the frame. He's up to nine on the match to go with a very impressive .727 hitting percentage. Those nine kills are tied with Matt Slivinski for the team lead while Carter Schmidt has eight.
Benedictine (IL) rallies to take Set 1 over Carthage
Benedictine rallied from three points down in the first set to take the opening frame 25-23 over Carthage. The Firebirds' 16-13 lead was the largest of the set before the Eagles outscored them 12-7 the rest of the way.
Carthage committed four errors during Benedictine's run, but no two were more costly than back-to-back attack errors from Matt Slivinski and Carter Schmidt with the score tied at 22. Jacob Grygo led the Eagles with six kills and a .385 hitting percentage in the set while Chase Olson added five more at a .400 clip. This is just the second set Carthage has dropped all season.
Follow live: Carthage vs. Benedictine (IL) for the 2021 national championship
The 2021 DIII men's volleyball national title match is happening now right here on NCAA.com. Benedictine (IL) and Carthage are the last two teams standing after this year's bracket started with 12 teams.
Carthage has not yet dropped a set through its first two matches while Benedictine needed five sets to top Southern Virginia and reach the finals. Tonight's winner will capture its first volleyball national championship in program history. Stick around for in-game updates. This is not a match you'll want to miss.
The 2021 DIII men's volleyball national championship game is today
A first-time national champion will be crowned in DIII men's volleyball. It's now up to Benedictine (IL) and Carthage to determine which team will make history.
The 2021 DIII men's volleyball championship match is today at 5 p.m. ET between the Eagles and Firebirds. It will stream live here on NCAA.com.
Listed below is the schedule for Saturday. All times are ET.
- Benedictine (IL) vs. Carthage | 5 p.m. | Watch live
Carthage and Benedictine (IL) to compete for the national championship
The 2021 DIII men’s volleyball national championship match is set. Carthage will battle Benedictine (IL) on Saturday for the 2021 national title. You can watch the championship match at 5 p.m. ET live here on NCAA.com.
Click or tap here to view the bracket.
Here’s how the semifinals played out. Watch the recap of each semifinal match right here.
Carthage def. Dominican (IL), 3-0 | Full replay
Carthage (22-0) extended its perfect season into the national title match with tonight’s semifinal win over Dominican (IL), 3-0. The Firebirds outhit the Stars in every set but the first, in which they averaged .054. The offense came alive in the second and third set, hitting .355 and .357, respectively.
Three Firebirds notched double digits in points, including Matt Slivinski (17), Carter Schmidt (12.5) and Zach Bulthuis (10). Gene McNulty led Carthage in assists with 39.
Dominican (IL)’s tournament run was not extinguished easily after forcing extras in the third set. George Kougan’s team-leading 15.5 points injected much-needed energy to the Stars, but the rally was not enough to force a fourth frame. Carthage has yet to lose a set this postseason.
Benedictine (IL) def. Southern Virginia, 3-2 | Full replay
In a back and forth battle that saw both teams hit supreme highs and deep lows, Benedictine (IL) beat Southern Virginia 3-2 to advance to the national championship match. It was just the second match this postseason that did not end in a sweep.
Benedictine (IL) was polarizing to begin the match. The Eagles took the first set, hitting .381 and limiting Southern Virginia to .000 hitting. The Knights stormed back to win the second set, boasting .400 hitting. Benedictine grabbed the third set and forced Southern Virginia's hand. How did the Knight's respond? Well, they held Benedictine to -0.077 hitting in the fourth.
The slow Eagles offense continued into the beginning of the fifth set before going on an 11-3 run. Southern Virginia then emerged to tie the set at 13 but fell just short of the win, as Benedictine (IL) closed out set five, 15-13, and the match for a chance at the national title.
Chase Olson led the Eagles with 16 points, while Mike Legros led the team in assists with 42.
The semifinals of the 2021 DIII men's volleyball championship are today
The 2021 DIII men's volleyball championship continues tonight, shortly after Carthage swept Dominion (IL), 3-0, to begin the semifinals. Game 2 begins at 7 p.m. ET when Southern Virginia will battle Benedictine (IL) for the final spot in the national championship game. Tonight's match will stream live here on NCAA.com.
Listed below is the schedule for Friday. All times are ET.
- Carthage def. Dominican (IL) 3-0 | Match stats | Full replay
- Benedictine (IL) def. Southern Virginia 3-2 | Match stats | Full replay
Click or tap here to view the interactive bracket.
Quarterfinal results from the 2021 DIII men's volleyball championship
The 2021 DIII men’s volleyball semifinals are set. After Thursday's commanding quarterfinal victories, Carthage will face Dominican (IL) and Southern Virginia will take on Benedictine (IL) for spots in the national championship. Here’s how the four quarterfinal matches happened.
Carthage def. Messiah, 3-0
Carthage began quarterfinal action with a 3-0 victory over Messiah. Matt Slivinski led the sweep with 13.5 points, including 11 kills, two serving aces and one block assist. Teammate Gene McNulty notched 23 assists in the win.
Dominican (IL) def. Vassar, 3-0
Dominican (IL) bookended its 3-0 win of Vassar with 25-23 first and third set victories. The Stars hit .375 in the first set — by far its best frame of the afternoon. George Kougan led the Stars with nine kills, while Adrian Cebula and Trey Cowan added eight apiece. Jack McGuire led the team in assists with 22.
Southern Virginia def. Wentworth, 3-0
The sweeps continued into the third quarterfinal match, as Southern Virginia defeated Wentworth 3-0. Southern Virginia caught fire in the first set, hitting .619, and ended the third set hitting .476.
Six Knights hit at or above .300, which allowed for a wide array of scorers. Nahuel Recabarren’s 11 kills led Southern Virginia. McKay Walker followed closely behind with 11 points — two of which were service aces — and .778 hitting. Kaipo Tagaloa pocketed 29 assists.
Benedictine (IL) def. Lancaster Bible, 3-0
The final match of the day continued the streak of quarterfinal sweeps. Thanks to Nathan Klimisch and his team-high 12 kills, Benedictine overtook Lancaster Bible, 3-0, for the final semifinal spot. Teammate Tim Folliard's .500 hitting percentage led the team. Thirty-three assists by Mike Legros completed the Eagles' dynamic trio performance.
Click or tap here to view the updated bracket.
This is the schedule — including live streams — for Friday's semifinal pairings. All times are in ET.
Thursday's quarterfinal action continues
The 2020-21 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship is underway Thursday with four quarterfinal matches, starting with Carthage's 3-0 defeat of Messiah. The winners of the four matches will advance to the semifinals on Friday.
Here's the schedule for Thursday:
- Carthage def. Messiah 3-0
- Dominican (IL) def. Vassar 3-0
- Southern Virginia def. Wentworth 3-0
- Benedictine (IL) def. Lancaster Bible 3-0
You can view the updated interactive tournament bracket here.
DIII men's volleyball championship quarterfinals set
The quarterfinals of the 2021 DIII men’s volleyball championship are set following Wednesday’s four opening-round matches. Here’s how it went down in each contest:
- Messiah opened the tournament with a 5-set victory over Fontbonne. AVCA player of the year Mason Nissely was unstoppable in the win, racking up 29 kills for the Falcons.
- Vassar handled Hiram in the 2021 tournament's first straight-set victory, though none of the three sets were decided by more than four points. Outside hitter Andrew Kim led all scorers with 17 kills.
- Wentworth followed that up with a straight-set win of its own over New Jersey City. The Leopards won every set by at least six points and were led by Ryan Love’s 15 kills. Wentworth also locked down defensively, holding New Jersey City to a .014 hitting percentage for the match.
- Benedictine (IL) capped the night with yet another straight-set victory, topping Endicott. The first two sets were close and defensive-minded. Both were decided by three points or less and neither team hitting above .150 in either frame. It was all Eagles in set three as they hit closer to .300 and Jacob Grygo put away six of his team-high 13 kills in the final set.
Click or tap here to view the updated bracket
This is the schedule for Thursday's quarterfinal pairings. All times are in ET.
The first round of the DIII men's volleyball championship is underway
The NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship kicked off on Wednesday with Messiah's 3-2 victory against Fontbonne, which is one of four first-round matches. The winners of the first-round matches will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played on Thursday, April 22.
Here's the schedule of Wednesday's action:
NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Committee announces championship bracket
The NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Committee announced today the field of 12 teams for the 2021 NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship.
Eight conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the 2021 championship. The four remaining berths were reserved for two Pool B and two Pool C candidates. Pool B consists of independents and members whose conference do not meet automatic qualification requirements. Pool C consists of institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that are not the conference champion and any remaining Pool B teams.
Conferences receiving automatic qualification are:
| Conference | school |
|---|---|
| Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference | Hiram (10-1) |
| Continental Volleyball Conference | Southern Virginia (15-2) |
| Middle Atlantic Conferences | Messiah (16-2) |
| Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League | Fontbonne (19-2) |
| New England Collegiate Conference | Endicott (9-3) |
| Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | Domincian (IL) (16-1) |
| Skyline Conference | New Jersey City (7-3) |
| United Volleyball Conference | Vassar (8-3) |
Carthage (20-0) and Lancaster Bible (11-3) enter the field as the two Pool B selections. Benedictine (13-3) and Wentworth Institute of Technology (7-2) were the two Pool C selections.
All matches will be broadcast live on NCAA.com.
In 2019, SUNY New Paltz claimed its second national title with a 3-1 win over UC Santa Cruz at Harwood Arena in Union, New Jersey. There was no championship in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information about the 2021 Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship, please visit NCAA.com.
Here's everything you need to know for the 2021 DIII men's volleyball championship selection show
The selections for the 2021 DIII men's volleyball championship will be announced Monday, April 12. The selection show will be broadcasted here on NCAA.com at 10 a.m. ET.
The 2021 championship will take place April 21-24 at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia. The event is hosted by the Continental Volleyball Conference and the City of Salem.
Twelve teams will be selected to participate in the championship.