CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's volleyball team (17-12) split the opening day of the 2022 IVA Men's Volleyball Championship on Saturday inside Curry Arena. The Royals extended their winning streak to eight straight matches in the opening sweep over D'Youville before falling in the night cap 3-1 to Daemen University. The Royals will now take on Limestone in the third-place match tomorrow, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. inside Curry Arena.
 
Queens: 3 | D'Youville 0
The Royals opened the afternoon with a convincing straight set sweep over the D'Youville Saints (8-12). The straight set sweep is the Royals sixth this season as they extended their program's longest winning streak to eight games.
 
In the opening set, Queens grabbed an early 9-6 lead which was capped off by a pair of Ananias Hayes service aces forcing the visiting Saints into a timeout. Queens would maintain their momentum throughout the set hitting .381 with 12 kills to grab the 1-0 lead. Daniel Leitao dished out 11 assists in the opener as five Royals, including Ananias Hayes, Fletcher Murphy, Jack Brinkman, Ruben Emmerich, and JP Payne each posted a pair of kills in the set.
 
The Royals would carry over their momentum into the second set playing one of the finest sets of the season. The Royals grabbed a quick 4-1 lead before expanding the lead to 14-7 by means of a 4-0 run forcing a Saints timeout. Coming out of the break, Queens maintained their rhythm going on an 11-3 run to close out the second set 25-11. The Royals would hit .600 with 12 kills on the set, including four each from Jack Brinkman and JP Payne.
 
The final set was close in the opener all the way until 8-8 before Queens erupted for a 10-2 run to grab a commanding 18-10 lead. The Royals would never trail the remainder of the set, and would grow their lead to as much as 13 before closing the match 25-14. Despite only acquiring four kills in the final set, the Royals capitalized on 11 Saints errors en route to victory.
 
Jack Brinkman led the Royals with eight kills and a .357 hitting percentage. Senior JP Payne would have a dominant game on the attack earning seven kills on nine attempts. Ananias Hayes would finish with six kills and a game-high three aces. Daniel Leitao dished out 19 assists while recording five digs.
 
Daemen: 3 | Queens 1
In the nightcap, the Royals saw their winning streak snapped by the Wildcats with a berth in the finals on the line. The opening set was tightly contested as there were six ties early in the set. All even 10-10, Daemen used a 5-1 run to increase their lead to 15-11. The visitors would extend their lead to as much as six before securing the set 25-18. The Wildcats were incredibly efficient on the attack hitting .500 with 16 kills while the Royals were unable to overcome five service errors as they hit .214 with nine kills. Daniel Leitao led the Royals with four kills in the opener and a pair of digs.
 
Queens would quickly flip the script grabbing an early 6-2 lead in the second set. All tied 13-13, the Royals used a short 3-0 run to propel forward and force a Wildcats timeout. Ahead 16-13, Queens used another 4-2 spark capped off by a Stirling Sims ace to force another Daemen timeout. Despite some comeback rallies, the Royals held off the Wildcats and recorded 12 kills on 30 attempts while forcing Daemen into a .097 mark with nine kills to secure the set. Through the first two sets, both teams struggled from the service line committing 16 errors.
 
The third set was also tightly contested seeing five ties during the set. Tied 8-8, the Wildcats would use a small 3-0 rally to gather a lead and never look back. The visitors would extend the lead to as much as 22-15 late in the set before winning the set taking a 2-1 lead. Queens would hit .179 in the third with nine kills while the Wildcats hit .250 with 10 kills.
 
Daemen jumped ahead quickly in the fourth set taking a commanding 7-1 lead early forcing Royals head coach Jeremy Price into a timeout. Queens would chip away at the deficit before going on a 7-3 run late to even the score 21-21. However, Daemen would answer with a 4-1 run and halt the Royals comeback efforts.
 
Daniel Leitao led the Royals attack with 15 kills. JP Payne was efficient on the attack again earning 11 kills on 17 attempts. Jack Brinkman would add 10 kills and six digs while Brandon Grabow dished out 37 assists. The Royals net presence managed to earn four solo blocks and 10 assists.
 
The Royals will return for day two of the IVA Championships tomorrow, April 23 inside Curry Arena. Queens will take on Limestone at 2:00 p.m. for the third-place match. Fans can access more information, including the tournament schedule, box scores, and ticket prices at the tournament central page.
 
Be sure to follow the Royals men's volleyball program on Instagram to stay up to date on all the latest news and updates surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on social media @QueensAthletics to follow all of the Royals sports in action.