Men's volleyball has been battling a lineup of tough competition and are making all their final  preparations as they approach the final stretch of their season. Currently 6-10, the Golden Eagles  are hungry for success and are striving to finish strong as they look toward the MPSF conference  tournament in April.  

Led by a trio of freshmen, Yotam Briger, Ties Cornelissen and Christian Galoppo have stepped  up into crucial roles for the team. Running the offense at the net is Briger, who tallied a total of  530 assists this season. Briger's crafty and fiery playing style also makes him a force at the net,  with six solo blocks and 11 kills. At this rate, Briger is bound to make Concordia history and will soon find himself joining teammates in the record books.  

Cornelissen is having a standout season, leading the offense with 173 kills. The 6'6" outside  hitter from Holland had a career-high against Charleston with 24 kills in four sets and has been  on an upward trajectory all season. "As a team, we have improved a lot over the course of the  season," said Cornelissen. "Even though we had a lot of ups and downs over the season, we kept  our heads up and are trusting the process."  

Galoppo is a key all-around player, tallying 135 kills, 71 digs and 35 total blocks. "The goal for  our team is to keep on fighting to reach a better position in the MPSF so that our chances of  winning the title are bigger, Said Galoppo. "This will be possible if we keep our heads high and  work hard every practice, which is the mentality we all chose to approach."  

Jacob Reilly is a sophomore libero and the glue of the back row with 78 digs and 25 assists.  Reilly said, "Our team has battled a lot of adversity this year, but we are committed to each other  and trust that whatever situation that we are thrown in, we will stick with each other and get  through it together."  

Last summer, Reilly represented the country, competing on the U.S. Men's U21 National Team.  His skill and undeniable work ethic lead the team and set the standard for excellence.  "Personally, I am working on consistency and steadying out the back court to make my setters  and hitters jobs easier," said Reilly.  

As the Golden Eagles approach this crucial stretch of conference competition, they will reassess  and refine to come out stronger. "We are really focusing on maintaining a high level of volleyball  while staying healthy," said Reilly. "We have been pushing ourselves these past few weeks in  practice to get stronger and figure out how to play when we are tired or under pressure."  

Briger said, "The team will continue to focus on our controllables, growth mindset and the ability  to execute what we are working on in practice." 

Cornelissen said, "Going forward, we will focus on being as best prepared as possible for  upcoming matches by giving our maximum effort in practice and the weight room because it is  the last few weeks in which we can prepare ourselves for the MPSF tournament."  

Men's volleyball caps off two meetings against No. 1 ranked Grand Canyon tonight in the CU Center at 7 p.m. Then the Golden Eagles will fly east to Utah to face Brigham Young University on March  29 and 30. Keeping an eye on the MPSF tournament in April, the Green and Gold will work to take down these teams and continue training to prepare for the conference tournament.  

Tags: volleyball, Men's Athletics

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