JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Wildcats set their sights on the league hardware and are bringing it home to The Valley! Fort Valley State completed the task, swept Central State in straight sets and claimed the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Volleyball Tournament Championship.
The SIAC title claiming victory added another star to the 2024 campaign. After recording a perfect 10-0 SIAC regular season, the Wildcats did not stop its run there. FVSU took down Kentucky State in Thursday's Semifinal and it continued the young program's historic run Friday.
Trailing 18-16 later in the first set, the Wildcats tied the score at 19-19 before Saferino Dour, Jaxon Hicks and Isaiah Fedd down kills to surge ahead, 23-19, before Chey Cooper downed the final point for a 25-21 final. Leading 15-14 in set number two, Hicks lined an ace and Cooper followed with a pair of kills to push ahead by five and increased the margin until Fedd downed a winner for the final point, 25-17.
After a short intermission, FVSU took a 15-11 lead midway through the third set before Fedd pounded a pair of kills and Cooper served up a trio of aces for control at 22-11. Dour started the Wildcat celebration as he pasted the final point into the Marauder back row for the 25-15 final!
Not only does the victory give the team its first title, but FVSU earns the SIAC new NCAA DI/DII Men's Volleyball Tournament berth! The Wildcats, who have now more than doubled its previous two seasons win total are now 17-8 on the year, will find out its NCAA fate on Sunday, April 21, in a 4 p.m. selection show. The national tournament is set to begin on April 30 in Long Beach, Calif.
Leading the way to the SIAC Championship, Fedd earned the Tournament MVP honors following a team-best 13-kill performance. Both the SIAC Regular Season MVP, Hicks, and All-SIAC First Team, Cooper, joined him on the SIAC All-Tournament Team. Hicks recorded six kills, seven digs and three service aces, while Cooper had a double-double of 10 kills and 13 digs to go with three aces, two assists and a block.
Dour saved one of his best games of the season for the title affair where he hit six winners without an error in 10 attacks for a .600 percentage. He also served up two aces, was in on two blocks and dug two attacks.
Jose Gallardo set up 29 kills to go with five digs and a kill. Diego Cardona dug 10 attacks and Jaequon Henderson had four assists. Raheem Thomas added two kills and four digs and Taviian Martin chipped in a kill, a solo block and two digs.
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