GREENVILLE, Pa.—The Thiel College men’s volleyball team beat the tournament’s top two seeds on its way to the program’s first conference championship with a 3-1 win over Wittenberg in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference men’s volleyball championship on Saturday, April 14.
In the championship match, the Tomcats lost the first set, 25-22, but stormed back to win the next three, 25-18, 25-21, 25-20. The win caps an impressive finishing run for the Tomcats, who opened the 2019 season with a six-match losing streak.
Thiel was the third seed for the tournament and beat second seed Geneva College on Friday night in five sets. This is the Tomcats’ first season in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference after moving from the Continental Volleyball Conference.
Thiel finishes with a 17-12 overall record. The team’s 17 wins is its second-highest single-season total since the program started in 2010. The 2013 Tomcats were 20-12.
Jacob Burkley ’20, of Waterford, Pa., and Jacob DeRue ’20, of Fairport, N.Y., were named to the all-tournament team.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.