DENVER, Colo. – No. 2 seeded Concordia University-Irvine upset No. 1 Park University to capture the 2013 NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Invitational Tournament championship, presented by Tachikara in three straight sets (25-22, 25-22, 29-27).
An impressive accomplishment for the Eagles in its first season playing NAIA men’s volleyball in program history. CUI also captured the NAIA Volleyball championship sweep, as its women’s volleyball team won the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship over Columbia College (Mo.) back on Dec. 1, 2012 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Naseri Tumanuvao had a match high 17 kills in the victory and Tournament MVP Dillon Auxier added 15 along with four digs.
As a team, CUI hit .343 and Kevin Fiske led all players with 44 assists. In the first set, there were five ties and two lead changes. The Eagles led throughout in the second set, but in the third in final set, which may have been the best set of the tournament, there were 23 ties and nine lead changes.
Park led 25-24 late in the final set on a kill by Zach Penolio, but the Eagles kept pushing and tied it up with a kill by Tumanuvao. With the scored tied at 27, Park’s Fabricio Toledo served the ball into the net and gave the Eagles the lead. Then Dillon Auxier sent the Concordia-Irvine fans in a frenzy with a kill to seal the victory.
Tournament MVP: Dillon Auxier, Concordia University-Irvine
All-Tournament Team: Robert Esser, Missouri Baptist, Dontrell Brown, Warner University, Murilo Pereira, Park University, Rob Cordero, Park University, Dillon Auxier, Concordia University-Irvine, Naseri Tumanuvao, Concordia University-Irvine
Coach of the Year: Trevor Johnson, Concordia University-Irvine
Sportsman of the Year: Damon Sichler, Johnson and Wales
Tournament Statistical Leaders:
Hitting Percentage: Naseri Tumanuvao, Concordia University-Irvine, .472
Kills per game: Gustavo Cintron, Missouri Baptist, 4.30 per game
Assists per game:(Andre Calar, Warner University, 11.70 per game
Digs per game: Kalani Rose, Park University, 2.73 per game
Service Aces per game: Andre Calar, Warner University, .40 per game
Blocks per game: Ty Coutts, Johnson and Wales, 1.56 per game
First Place Team: Concordia University-Irvine
Second Place Team: Park University
Semifinalist Team Trophies:(Missouri Baptist University,(Warner University
STATS
-MAMVIC-