Kenosha, Wisc. - April 22, 2022 - In a showdown of the top two-ranked programs in the nation, the Springfield College men's volleyball team was upended in the NCAA Division III National Championship by host Carthage on Saturday night in Tarble Arena.  The Firebirds won by scores of 25-21, 25-22, 18-25, 25-22.

Playing in its ninth NCAA Division III National Championship match, Springfield wrapped up the year with a 29-2 record  Today's match proved to be a rematch of the inaugural 2012 NCAA Division III Championship as Carthage concluded the year with a 29-3 record.  For the Pride, Jarrett Anderson (San Jose, Calif.) and Brennen Brandow (Manorville, N.Y.) were named to the All-Championship Team. 

On the night, Anderson led the way with 17 kills, nine digs, and three aces while Brandow turned in 15 kills.  Johjan Mussa Robles (Caguas, Puerto Rico) was credited with a match-best 19 digs as he set a new program record for digs in a season, topping AJ Nally's previous record of 305 that was set in 2010, and ended the year with 313 digs. Matt Lilley (Stony Brook, N.Y.) handed out 43 assists and posted four blocks, and Nate Reynolds (Baltimore, Md.) turned in a match-high five blocks.

For Carthage, Matt Slivinski had a match-best 18 kills, Gene McNulty totaled 43 helpers and Peyton Weiter registered 16 digs. 

Springfield burned its second timeout of the opening set after the hosts jumped out to a 10-5 lead following a backrow kill from Slivinski.  The Pride would battle back to knot things up at 12-all after Anderson blasted a ball down the line, but Carthage would use a key 5-1 burst to extend its lead to 17-13 on a kill by Carter Schmidt. Springfield would get no closer than three points as David Markes converted out of the middle for the 25-21 win.  Anderson and Brandow combined for 13 kills on 25 errorless attempts for Springfield in the opener.

Consecutive hitting errors by the Pride gave Carthage a 10-7 advantage in the second set, and the lead would balloon to 17-12 on another Springfield attack error. Springfield fought back with a 7-1 burst, as Liam York (Kailua, Hawaii) delivered a stuff block on the pin to make it 20-19. However, Carthage scored four of the next six points to earn set point before a kill by Slivinski gave the hosts a 2-0 lead in the match. 

Anderson blistered an ace down the line to give Springfield an early 3-0 lead in the third, only to have Carthage use an 11-5 surge to force the Pride into a timeout. Springfield rattled off seven of the next eight points in the frame, as the Firebirds committed six miscues, including three-straight attack errors. York muscled his seventh kill of the set through the block for the 25-18 win in a stanza where Carthage was held to a .135 hitting percentage. 

The fourth set featured 14 ties and three lead changes as Springfield held a 16-15 lead following a Carthage error after the media timeout. The teams would be tied for the last time at 22-all after trading service errors before Slivinski converted out of the back row and consecutive miscues by the Pride concluded the 25-22 final. 

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