EIVA Teams Finish Strong at National Championships
Posted: 4/6/2010
Most players, fans, officials, and volleyball enthusiasts agree that the 2010 NCVF Collegiate Volleyball Championship tournament in Louisville, KY was a smashing success. Thirty EIVA teams competed in the three day event, culminating another exciting year of collegiate club volleyball. In Division I, the James Madison Dukes were the class of the EIVA, pulling off several upsets on their way to the semifinals and a 3rd place finish. JMU defeated #3 Illinois in nail biting fashion (25-23, 21-25, 15-13) in the quarterfinals of the gold bracket before falling to #7 Lakeland in the semifinals. Defending EIVA Champions Virginia Tech, ranked #4 coming in to the tournament, got off to a great start, going undefeated throughout the first two days. However, the Hokies got an unlucky draw against #2 Utah Valley in the first round of the gold bracket, losing a hotly contested match 2-1 (22-25, 34-32, 9-15) before a large crowd of spectators. Like Virginia Tech, Penn State also finished tied for 9th place overall. The Nittany Lions lost a heartbreaker to Wisconsin-Whitewater (28-26, 23-25, 12-15) in the first round of Saturday's gold bracket. Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania turned heads by advancing to the silver bracket and finishing tied for 25th. George Mason finished 26th with a win over Ball State in the bronze final. Several EIVA players were named to the All-Tournament Team. James Madison's Daniel Fanning was named to the 1st team as a Middle Hitter, while teammates Hank Thornhill (OH), Patrick Hodge (MH), and Phil Slocum (S) were voted onto the 2nd team. Virginia Tech's Brian Pine (RSH) and Penn State's Austin Overmeyer (L) received recognition as Honorable Mention.
----- In Division I-AA, Liberty, Delaware, Cornell, and Virginia all advanced to the gold bracket. Liberty finished tied for 3rd overall, beating Cornell in the quarterfinals before losing to runner-up Cincinnati in the semifinals, while the Delaware Blue Hens finished tied for 5th, losing to national champion DuPage for the second year in a row. Virginia was ousted by West Virginia and was forced to settle for 9th place. Liberty's Gerrit Buintjes (MH) and Delaware's Mike Videtto (L) were 1st Team All-Tournament selections, while Liberty Libero Jared Horrigan and Delaware OH Connor Jackson were named to the 2nd Team. Cornell's Alex Fisher (RSH) and Ryan Winn (MH), Delaware's Kent Davidson (OH) and Brian Stump (OH), and Virginia's Robert Hott (MH) were recognized on the Honorable Mention.
----- In Division III, Virginia Tech B finished tied for 3rd place, while Pittsburgh B finished tied for 5th. Virginia Tech's Alex Horner (OH) earned 1st Team accolades, along with Pittsburgh's Ali Nabavian (MH).
Hokies Three-Peat as EIVA Champions
Posted: 3/28/2010
For the third consecutive year, the Virginia Tech Hokies are the EIVA East Coast Champions. Virginia Tech did not drop a game all day in Maryland's Reckord Armory, trouncing Army, Navy, and Pittsburgh in pool play before defeating Buffalo 2-0 (25-21, 25-23) in the semifinal and Penn State 2-0 (25-19, 27-25) in the championship match. Setter Ryan Arcese orchestrated a relentless attack in match after match, before being named the EIVA's Most Valuable Player for 2010. The Nittany Lions brought all they they could at the Hokies, who ultimately proved too tough. Penn State, led by All-EIVA Setter Patrick Vandenberg and All-EIVA Opposite Josh Wingenroth, battled evenly for much of game two. The Nittany Lions reached the finals by defeating James Madison 2-0 (25-23, 29-27) in the semifinals. In Division II, Virginia Tech-B topped their South rivals James Madison-B to take home the title. Outside Hitter Alex Horner was voted the Most Valuable Player for Division II.
2010 EIVA East Coast Championships
Posted: 3/26/2010
The 2010 EIVA East Coast Championships for Divisions I and II will be held this Saturday at the University of Maryland's Reckord Armory. The top teams from each regional division of the EIVA have been invited to compete. In Division I, Virginia Tech has a chance to win its third straight title, but the Hokies will have to get past Pittsburgh, the Central Division runner-up, Army, and Navy in pool play. EIVA North champion Buffalo will have to get past James Madison, Maryland, and Rutgers in Pool A, and EIVA Central champion Penn State will be tested by Syracuse, George Mason, and Delaware in Pool B. In Division II, Brockport looks to win its second consecutive championship but will have to get past James Madison B, Delaware B, and Longwood. George Washington, Albany, Liberty, and Syracuse B will square off in Pool B, while Virginia Tech B, Johns Hopkins, Fredonia, and UMBC will battle in Pool C. Doors open at 8:00 am on Saturday, with competition beginning at 9:00.
EIVA Sending Record 31 Teams to National Championships
Posted: 2/26/2010
The National Collegiate Volleyball Federation (NCVF) has teamed up with USA Volleyball to host the biggest collegiate volleyball championship event ever. With 271 teams already registered, the Louisville Convention Center will be nearly covered from wall to wall in volleyball Sport Court. The EIVA will be sending 31 teams to battle for national championships in Divisions I, I-AA, II, and III, with 15 of those teams in Division I. It is the highest number of teams that has ever represented the EIVA at the event. Only the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) will feature more teams, with 35.
NCVF National Rankings Released
Posted: 2/16/2010
The NCVF released its second Mizuno National Rankings today. The EIVA teams maintained their presence in the top 25. Virginia Tech is still atop the poll at #1, while James Madison maintained their #5 ranking by sweeping its South rivals at a recent play date. Due to bad weather, Penn State was inactive and slipped three spots to #10. Buffalo, still perfect in the North, remains at #13, while Navy enjoys a bump up to the #19 spot. In Division II, defending national champion SUNY-Cortland claims the #9 spot, while Army sits at #18. The Georgetown Hoyas also received Honorable Mention for Division II. The complete rankings are available on the NCVF website.
NCVF National Rankings Released
Posted: 2/1/2010
The NCVF released its first set of national rankings for men's Division I today. The initial poll features several EIVA teams, including the Virginia Tech Hokies, who enter the regular season as the nation's top team. It marks the first time in recent memory that an EIVA team has held the top spot. The Hokies proved they deserve consideration as the nation's best by winning the Back to the Hardwood Classic at Michigan State, the country's largest preseason tournament that features many of America's top teams. Virginia Tech's South Division rival, James Madison, appears at the #5 spot, after winning the Derrick Beckner Memorial tournament and the Messiah College tournament. A second place finish at the Hardwood Classic was enough to earn Penn State a #7 ranking in the initial poll. Buffalo enjoys one of its best rankings in recent years at the #13 spot, and despite losing last year's EIVA MVP Austin Lanteigne, Navy has proven it still is a team to be reckoned with and comes in at the #22 spot. The poll is sponsored by Mizuno and scheduled to be released every two weeks.
NCVF National Championship Tournament Registration Now Open
Posted: 1/7/2010
Registration is now open for the 2010 NCVF Collegiate Club Volleyball Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. Team captains can now register their teams online by clicking the "Register Team" link on the NCVF website (www.ncvfvolleyball.org). The Official Tournament Manual is also available. Given the number of teams that have endorsed the event, we anticipate high demand for entry into each division. We encourage teams to register as soon as possible. Registration will be open through midnight, February 26, 2010.
Hokies Win Hardwood, Other EIVA Teams Impress
Posted: 11/18/2009
The two time reigning EIVA champions look poised for a three-peat. Virginia Tech made serious waves on the national radar by winning the Back to the Hardwood Classic this past weekend at Michigan State. It was an all EIVA final, as the Hokies defeated Penn State 2-0 (25-23, 25-17) to claim the biggest tournament win in the country so far this pre-season. It was the first time that two EIVA teams advanced to the finals in Hardwood history. Penn State had beaten Virginia Tech 2-1 (26-24, 25-27, 15-13) earlier in the challenge round, only to fall to the Hokies later in the championship match. EIVA North powerhouse SUNY-Buffalo also made the trip to East Lansing and faired well, finishing second in their pool to Miami (OH) and advancing to the gold bracket, where they were knocked out by Penn State. The Nittany Lions also recorded wins over Dayton, Purdue, Cincinnati, and DuPage. Virginia Tech posted big wins over Wisconsin, Illinois State, Illinois, and Ball State. CEO of USA Volleyball, Doug Beal, was in attendance to watch the action.
Several other EIVA teams have also performed well this pre-season. James Madison defeated Virginia Tech in the South's first Divisional Play Date on October 31st and also won the Messiah College tournament last weekend in Grantham, PA. Rutgers proved they will be a force this season by beating Boston College in the finals of the Maryland Terrapin Invitational. Action will continue to heat up this Fall and Winter as teams get more active in upcoming events.
EIVA Growing Fast, as New Teams Join
Posted: 9/21/2009
 The EIVA has experienced a steady growth in the number of teams participating in recent years. Temple University, Richmond University, and SUNY-Oneonta were among the new teams in 2008-09. This year, there is projected to be an even bigger boom, as the Pittsburgh Panthers and Rutgers Scarlet Knights have committed to join the D-I Central and several other schools have expressed their intent to join what is already the largest collegiate volleyball conference in the country.
"The EIVA offers better competition for a school of our size," said Alex Hinsey, President of Pitt's team. "The EIVA gives us an opportunity to make ourselves better players, and a better team."
The Panthers are coming off a strong showing at the I-AA level in last year's national championships and are hoping to keep improving. "The EIVA offers us better exposure on the national level. Our goal this year is to make it into Division I-A. We know that if we can put up a good showing in a highly regarded conference like the EIVA it will increase our chances of getting in. We are also looking at playing in bigger tournaments with better competition to help our chances."
"Our impression of the conference is that it is the best conference in the
Northeast. We know that the teams in the conference are very strong teams from top to bottom. Some of the teams are nationally ranked and we know that one of the teams won nationals last year. We are excited to go up against teams that we know can compete with from across the country. It will give our team a chance to see where we stand."
 Pitt returns ten players from last year's squad and will be led at the Libero position by senior captain Mike Platt, a four year starter. Middles Russ Hoburg and Mike Krieg will carry the offense. Hoburg was an Honorable Mention at the national championships a season ago.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are coming off of a championship season in the MACVC and hope to continue their winning ways in the EIVA this year. Rutgers was a long time pillar of the EIVA for decades and was dominant on the national scene throughout the 90's. Unfortunately, the program fell off the radar and eventually dropped out of the EIVA in 2005. In the past three years, however, there has been a great resurgence in the level of talent and organization for Rutgers, who now has four teams training on campus. The A team destroyed its Division II and III opponents in the MACVC last year and completed an undefeated season before making a strong showing in Division I-A at the national championships. The Scarlet Knights turned heads in Kansas City by challenging eventual champion Fresno State in a hard fought pool play loss.
This year, despite being without the leadership of last year's Setter Greg Hunter, Head Coach Jamie Hor is looking forward to continued success. "We're really looking foward to this season with the EIVA and we're hoping to do well and stay competitive with the other EIVA teams," Hor said. "We'll be running a whole new offense with two new setters."
Both Pitt and Rutgers will join the already loaded Central Division. Other schools expected to join the EIVA ranks this year include Marist College (NY), Virginia Commonwealth University, St. John Fischer (NY), Monroe Community College (NY), American University (DC), George Washington University, and Christopher Newport University (VA).
NCVF Partners with USA Volleyball to Host 2010 National Championships
Posted: 7/13/2009
The National CollegiateVolleyball Federation (NCVF) in cooperation with USA Volleyball will be hosting the 2010 NCVF National Collegiate Club Championship Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky on April 1- 3, 2010.
 Click here to view the official press release.
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