Lincoln College Mens Volleyball Claims NCVF DII National Championship

[April 18, 2018] 

The Lincoln College Men’s Volleyball A team completed their season-long mission on Saturday by winning the 2018 National Club Volleyball Federation (NCVF) DII National Championship. The Lynx came into the 48-team event looking to improve upon their 5th place finish a year ago at the 2017 National Championship in Kansas City. This time around, LC went a perfect 9-0 in the tournament and defeated the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a thrilling, three-set title match to claim the program’s first National Championship in just its fourth year of existence.

“We could not be more proud of the way our players performed at this event and throughout the season,” said Lincoln Head Coach Mark Tippett. “They set this goal for themselves at the beginning of the year and definitely put in the work to make it happen,” he added.

Lincoln entered the 2018 DII Tournament as the overall #2 seed. The Lynx were ranked just behind the defending 2017 NCVF National Champions from St. Louis University (SLU). The two teams appeared to be on a collision course for the championship as they each easily won their respective pools on days one and two of the event to move into the 16-team Gold Division for single-elimination play on the third day.

During the final day of competition, LC cruised through the first two rounds of play, picking up wins over Azusa Pacific (25-13, 25-15) and Missouri S&T (25-16, 25-20) before being tested by a strong challenge in the semi-final round from Davenport University. In that match, the Lynx took set one 25-23, but dropped their first set of the tournament in set two 22-25. In the deciding set to 15, Lincoln was able to grab the momentum back and ride it to a 15-10 win which sent the team to the DII Gold Medal Final.

As Lincoln was concluding their emotional win over Davenport, SLU was on the next court playing their semi-final match against UW-Eau Claire which also went to a third set. Eau Claire, who entered the event as the overall #4 seed, was able to pull off the upset win in dramatic fashion by taking set three 17-15 to eliminate the defending champs from the tournament.

In the opening set of the championship match, Lincoln grabbed an early 5-2 lead thanks to two Eau Claire hitting errors and three kills from right side hitter Charles Carter (Blue Island). All three of Carter’s kills were set up by assists from junior setter Greg Scott (North Chicago). Lincoln’s lead would grow to six points at 9-3 after a kill and a stuff block by freshman right side Ramon Matos (Chicago). Hitting and serving errors by Eau Claire would help LC open up a 19-10 advantage and eventually take set one 25-19.

Set two seemed to be going along a similar course to the first set as the Lynx continued to click on offense and made enough plays defensively to keep Eau Claire off balance. Lincoln was able to build a 20-17 lead but their momentum stalled after an Eau Claire side out led to a four-point run that put the team from Wisconsin up 22-20. A kill by LC middle hitter Deantrius Coleman (North Chicago) stopped the bleeding, but would not be enough to stop Eau Claire from taking the set 25-22 forcing a deciding set to 15 for the championship.

The final set began with the two teams trading side outs and one point leads up to a 4-4 tie. The next volley featured two outstanding defensive plays from Lincoln’s freshman libero Jodiel Poveymirow (Puerto Rico). Poveymirow was able to extend the rally long enough to allow Deantrius Coleman a kill attempt that went straight down to give LC the point. Coleman’s swing sent freshman outside hitter Jonathan Vargas (Puerto Rico) behind the service line. Vargas did not waste the opportunity as he used an effective jump serve to deliver five service points in a row and put his team up 10-4. During Vargas’s run of points, the blocking combination of middle hitter Coleman and right side Ramon Matos were able to pull off three stuff blocks for points which effectively shut down the Eau Claire offensive attack.

Eau Claire managed a side out at 10-5, but this time Lincoln did not let them cut into their lead any further and eventually claimed a 15-9 deciding set victory. Match point was recorded by right side Charles Carter who was able to put away a set from Bryan Orellana to seal the win. Orellana, who has been a participant in all three Nationals appearances by Lincoln College, pointed to experience as a deciding factor in his team’s success. “I credit my brothers from my first Nationals team for showing us the path,” Orellana said. “The journey and memories of the three seasons it took to finally win it all is what will stick with me forever.”

Left to Right: Henry Van Bogaert, Coach Mark Tippett, Deantrius Coleman, Andrew Martinez, Bryan Orellana, Ramon Matos, Corey Poindexter, Jonathan Vargas, Coach Candace Company, Michael Konczal, Charles Carter, Joudiel Poveymirow, Michael Wesley, and Greg Scott

Lincoln libero Jodiel Poveymirow received the tournament’s most valuable player award. “To be named MVP is a great honor,” said Poveymirow. This was his fourth tournament MVP award of the season. The LC freshman standout credits his teammates with helping him to achieve such a consistently high level of play. “We were only focused on winning this season,” he said. “I have enjoyed playing the game I love with some amazing friends that have become my brothers.”

Lincoln’s libero was not the only LC player to receive all-tournament honors. Right side Charles Carter was named to the All-Tournament first team. Carter was among the team’s top offensive threats all season long and was the go-to hitter for match point in the championship final. “It felt amazing to put down the last ball of the match,” he said. “Looking back on our season we’ve accomplished a lot of impressive victories that wouldn’t be possible without every single one of us on this team,” he added.

In addition to placing Poveymirow and Carter on the All-Tournament team, Deantrius Coleman and Jonathan Vargas were named to the tournament’s 2nd team while Bryan Orellana and Ramon Matos received honorable mention honors.

Lincoln finishes the 2018 season with a 45-6 record and four tournament championships to their credit.

The future looks very bright for the Lynx who project to return all of the starters from this year’s championship roster in 2019. In addition, the Lincoln B team showed their ability to compete at a high level by taking 5th place in the 48-team NCVF DIII National Tournament. “The players on the B team showed great potential this season and, despite a rotating lineup, were able to stand up to some tough competition,” said Coach Tippett. “We look forward to continuing to build the program and hopefully make another run at the title next year!”

[Mark Tippett
Lincoln College
Sports Information]