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The postseason opens with the newest conference in college men’s volleyball taking center stage.
The Conference Carolinas Tournament kicks off the entire postseason tonight with two quarterfinal matches. Limestone and Barton will face each other with the winner advancing to play the No. 1 seed Erskine in the semifinals, while Mount Olive looks to make another postseason run as it plays host to Lees-McRae.
Check out the postseason college men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight.
CC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS
No. 3 seed Mount Olive (13-11, 10-4 CC) vs. No. 6 seed Lees-McRae (12-15, 4-10 CC)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Mount Olive, N.C.
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
Season series: Mount Olive leads 2-0 (won in three games in February and five games in March)
Last CC Tournament title: Mount Olive (2011); Lees-McRae (never)
What to know: Two of the top outside attackers in the Conference Carolinas will go up against each other in an elimination postseason match. Mount Olive outside attacker Angel Dache finished the regular season tied for the conference lead with a 4.11 kills per game average. The all-conference senior also had a combined 30 kills in the two regular season victories against the Bobcats and added a season-high 23 kills in the team’s regular season finale against Barton last week. Lees-McRae outside attacker Brady Markle finished third in the conference averaging 3.94 kills per game. However, Lees-McRae enters the postseason on a 10-match losing steak with its last victory coming in early March. In addition, Mount Olive returns to the postseason after last season when it was upset in the semifinals as the conference regular season champions.
No. 4 seed Limestone (16-11, 8-6 CC) vs. No. 5 seed Barton (11-15, 7-7 CC)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Gaffney, S.C.
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
Season series: Barton leads 2-0 (won both in five games in January and February)
Last CC Tournament title: Limestone (never); Lees-McRae (never)
What to know: The team that surprised everyone in the conference during the regular season will play the team that surprised everyone from last year’s Conference Carolinas Tournament. Barton after winning a combined two matches in its program’s first two seasons improved this year to finish in fifth place and earn its first trip to the postseason. Libero Michael McMahon is also leading the nation 3.14 digs per game average, while outside attacker Zach McCalla is among the conference leaders with a 3.66 kills per game average. Limestone as a No. 4 seed last season upset to the regular season champions Mount Olive to reach the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship match. In addition, outside attacker Eric Zaun leads the Saints and is among the conference leaders with a 3.42 kills per game average. Zaun also had a team-high 37 combined kills in the two losses to Barton earlier this season.