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Alberto Chiaparini
Alberto Chiaparini
3
Winner St. Andrews (N.C.) SAU
2
Bluefield College BLUE
Winner
St. Andrews (N.C.) SAU
3
Final
2
Bluefield College BLUE
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
St. Andrews (N.C.) SAU 25 25 23 28 16 (3)
Bluefield College BLUE 23 19 25 30 14 (2)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball |

Close call in opener

BLUEFIELD – It was an exciting evening at the Dome Gymnasium as men's volleyball opened its 2021 campaign. Down two sets to none to open the match, Bluefield College rallied to tie the match, before falling late in the fifth set to St. Andrews University. The scores, 23-25, 20-25, 25-23, 30-28, 14-16.
In the first set the Rams scored the first point before SAU went on a 6-2 run. A kill by Leonel Fernandez ended the Knights' run. BC pulled to within two of the lead with a kill by General Smith that made it 11-9. Bluefield finally drew even at 11 on another Smith kill. The teams were close in the middle of the set with a tie at 15 before St. Andrews pulled away with a four-point lead. The Rams got within two but could not get any closer and fell 25-23.
St. Andrews set the tone in the second set going out to an early six-point lead which grew to nine points midway through. The Rams came back and were within four at 23-19 thanks to a monster kill by Jariel Diaz. SAU went on to take a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-20 win.
Eric Duron's kill gave BC the first points of the third set before St. Andrews took the lead. Bluefield tied at nine and took a 10-9 lead. Landon Ensminger's kill gave the Rams a two-point advantage but the Knights forged back ahead 17-16. After numerous ties the Rams pulled away in the end for a 25-23 win.
Set four saw Bluefield run to an early four-point lead before SAU knotted things at 10. The Rams took control and with Duron's block had their biggest lead at 22-16. The Knights charged back and Bluefield's final two points came from Fernandez on a kill and block that gave the Rams the 30-28 victory in the set.
The deciding fifth set had BC scoring first and St. Andrews holding an early two-point lead. The Rams forced a tie at eight and built a three-point lead. SAU tied the set at 13 and went on to take the 16-14 win.
Chiaparini led Bluefield with 16 kills and 13 digs, and Fernandez in his first game had 13 kills. Colby Mutter had 13 digs, while Caleb Word had 44 assists.
"I think coming in I really wanted to see what we looked like against somebody else. So I probably was a little over-cautious with my play calling. I felt like I was perhaps over-coaching, nor letting the kids go out and have fun. And then I made a couple of lineup changes, and I kept getting in everybody's way and I called a time out and said, 'You need to go out there and have fun. You don't look like yourselves." And I think it showed in the third set," said BC head coach Alfonso Alvarez.
"In the third set we were able to put some things together, and that was our scrappiness. We weren't as scrappy as I wanted us to be. We picked up our energy, we picked up our intensity, and I feel like that was the big difference."
Chiaparini returned to the court after missing the abbreviated 2020 season, and Fernandez was playing in his first collegiate match. Alvarez spoke of those two players.
"Everybody that I've talked to I kept saying, 'Wait till you see Alberto play, just watch, just wait.' And then people come to practice and say, 'Is that the guy you keep telling me about?' I said, 'Just wait until the lights turn on.' And that's the Alberto we know. He is a spectacular player and we are blessed to have him here," Alvarez said.
"We kind of know a lot about Leo. I've known him for a long time and he's one of those guys, when the lights come on, he's a big player for us. I feel like there is a really high ceiling there."
 
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