Carthage wins 2022 DIII men's volleyball national championship

On the brink of losing the match, Springfield came through with a strong third set, winning 25-19, as the Pride trail Carthage 2-1. 

It was Carthage's first dropped set in four tournament matches. 

Stats through three sets: 

Carthage continued its dominance in the second set, taking it 25-22. It leads the national championship game 2-0. 

Matt Slivinski leads the way for Carthage in kills with 11. 

Second set stats: 

Both Springfield and Carthage took care of business in the semifinals with 3-0 wins. The two will square off for the 2022 DIII men's volleyball championship tonight at 6 p.m. ET.

Carthage is eyeing its second straight championship, while Springfield is on the cusp of its sixth title and first since 2018. 

Tonight's title game begins at 6 p.m. ET from Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It will stream live on NCAA.com, with updates posted here throughout the night. 

2022 DIII men's volleyball championship: semifinal recap

A pair of sweeps have set up defending champion Carthage with a showdown with Springfield for Saturday's national championship. The match begins at 6 p.m. ET.

Both Carthage and Springfield cruised in their final sets to secure 3-0 wins. Carthage beat Wentworth (25-22, 25-19, 25-11) after Springfield defeated Stevens (25-19, 25-22, 25-13).

The Firebirds beat Benedictine (IL) last year to win its first title. Springfield last won it all in 2018 — its fifth in DIII.

The meeting will make for the second between the two in the finals. They also met in the first DIII championship in 2012.

It took three set points, but Carthage held off Wentworth 25-22 to win the first set.

Carthage's 14 kills and .435 hitting helped the Firebirds get just enough to win.

Springfield swept its way through again. The Pride swept their 12th consecutive match, this time taking down Stevens in the national semifinals. Springfield dominated the final set to secure the win (25-19, 25-22, 25-13).

The Pride most recently won the title in 2018, completing a run of consecutive championships. On Friday, Jarrett Anderson, Brennan Brandow and Liam York all finished with nine kills.

Here's how Springfield knocked out Stevens:

Springfield comes out with the opening set win, beating Stevens 25-18 to begin the match.

Kills were very similar, but Springfield's more consistent hitting made the difference, as Stevens had eight attack errors to Springfield's three.

First set stats:

After tonight, we will know the championship matchup for the DIII men's volleyball tournament. The first semifinal match is happening now, with the second starting shortly after at 8:30 p.m. ET. 

Here are the matchups for the semifinals. Click or tap below:

• Springfield vs. Stevens, 6 p.m. ET
• Wentworth vs. Carthage, 8:30 p.m. ET

The winners of tonight's games will advance to Saturday's title match at 6 p.m. ET from Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wisconsin. All the semifinal matches can be streamed live on NCAA.com.

Springfield looking for its sixth national title

The quest for the 2022 DIII men's volleyball champion began today with eight first-round matchups – five of them being sweeps. Dominican (IL) and North Central (IL) was the only match to reach five sets, with Dominican (IL) advancing. 

Friday's scores:

• Springfield 3, Penn State-Behrend 0 | Final stats
• St. Joseph's (LI) 3, Southern Virginia 1 | Final stats
• Rutgers-Newark 3, Baruch 0 | Final stats
• Carthage 3, Mount Union 0 | Final stats
• SUNY New Paltz 3, Marymount (VA) 1 | Final stats
• Stevens 3, Endicott 0 | Final stats
• Wentworth 3, St. John Fisher 0 | Final stats
• Dominican (IL) 3, North Central (IL) 2 | Final stats

Tomorrow's schedule in ET:

• Wentworth vs. Rutgers-Newark, 6 p.m.
• SUNY New Paltz vs. Springfield, 6 p.m.
• St. Joseph's (LI) vs. Stevens, 6 p.m.
• Dominican (IL) vs. Carthage, 7 p.m.

The championship field for the 2022 DIII men's volleyball tournament has been announced. 

Click here for a full look at the selections.

Click here for a full look at the bracket.