ROCHESTER, NY Redeemer Men's Volleyball entered their piece into the history books today as they began competition in the NCCAA National Championships. This is Redeemer's first time making an appearance at the Men's Volleyball championships since joining the NCCAA in 2023. Entering the tournament the Royals were ranked 2nd, which placed them in a pool with seeds four and six.
Day one began at noon as the Royals played the sixth seed Houghton University. The Royals dominated their opening match from start to finish. There were only three lead changes during the entire match as the Royals rallied to victory in straight sets.
The middle of the court was yet again dominated by the Royals size and speed.
Caleb Joosse and
Jack Demik were uncontainable on offense as they combined for 25 of the Royals 48 points scored. Joosse had 15.5 points while hitting .692% while Demik posted 9.5 points and hitting .636%.
Defensively, the Royals were led by second year libero
Andrew Walcott who posted 9 digs. The first match for Redeemer saw each and every member of the team see court time.
Redeemer's second match of the day was against the hosts, and fourth seeded Roberts Wesleyan University. Redeemer jumped to a commanding 2-0 lead thanks to their physical play at the net and smart attacking. Robert's did not know how to handle the physical presence of Redeemer's middles Joosse and Demik. The Royals had an excellent blocking night with 20.5 total team blocks.
Robert's was sparked by the home crowd in sets three and four to take the match to a fifth and deciding set. Redeemer displayed their experience and composure in the decider, as they only gave up the lead once in the sprint to fifteen points. The Royals secured first place in the pool as they won the fifth set 15-12.
Redeemer was back-boned by first year
Ryan Brouwer who had a phenomenal performance in every aspect of the game. Brouwer had 17.0 points on .344 hitting percentage and added on 8 digs.
Jonah Heidbuurt led the Royals in point scoring with 18.5. Redeemer's defense was commanded by
Carsen Grim and
Andrew Van Dyke who each tallied 12 digs.
The Royals looks to continue writing the history books as they seek to capture Redeemer's first NCCAA National Championship. The quest for a national banner resumes at 12:30 PM EST as they take on the third seeded Carolina University Bruins in a semi-final match-up at the Voller Athletic Center.
