CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Catawba College men's volleyball team kicks off its first-ever campaign this week, opening at the University of Charleston on Tuesday followed by a Thursday match at King University.
Wealth of Experience
- In the initial season of Catawba men's volleyball, nine student-athletes begin their journeys in blue and white with collegiate experience under their belt
- Trevor Phillips comes to Salisbury following four years at Ball State including a senior campaign with 70 kills and a .248 hitting percentage
- Eli Zdonek garnered a placement on the All-Conference Carolinas First Team last season at Emmanuel, putting a bow on a 703-kill, 312-dig career with the Lions
- At setter, Nate Seeger racked up 1,580 career assists in four years at Division III Elizabethtown while earning a CVC Player of the Week selection as a senior
- Jacob Brown and Austin Jeter are coming off their freshman seasons spent at Carolina University in Winston-Salem
- Graduate student Luke O'Neill (UMBC), sophomore Tyler Jones (St. Andrews), sophomore Cam Reeder (Tusculum), and sophomore Kristian Smith (D'Youville) round out the transfers
At the Helm
- Head coach Bill Ferguson leads the Catawba Indians into their inaugural season, bringing an elite coaching resume to the sideline
- Ferguson came to Salisbury from Carolina University where he spent four years after helping build the program from scratch
- Prior to CU, Ferguson coached the women's program at Wake Forest for three campaigns and developed a pair of All-ACC talents
- In Ferguson's first collegiate head coaching stop, he thrived across 10 seasons leading the USC men's team that included three trips to the NCAA Final Four and two AVCA National Coach of the Year honors
Quality Opponents
- Five of Catawba's matches feature opponents receiving national recognition in the AVCA Preseason Poll release featuring one ranked foe
- The fourth-ranked Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors come to Salisbury on Feb. 22 as part of an eastern swing for the Big West Conference program
- Belmont Abbey is the second team outside the Top 20 and will match up with the Catawba Indians twice, including the home opener at Goodman Arena on Jan. 15
- Fellow IVA squad Lincoln Memorial hosts Catawba to end the year, receiving votes in the preseason ranking on the heels of a 2024 season that concluded with an IVA Tournament title
- Defending SIAC champion and NCAA Tournament attendee Fort Valley State welcomes Catawba to HPE Arena on Feb. 13
Scouting the Golden Eagles
- After a 2023 season in which the Golden Eagles went 22-7, UCWV experienced a slump last season with a 13-16 record
- The EIVA preseason poll showed UCWV tied for sixth out of seven teams despite taking down higher-ranked NJIT, George Mason, and Princeton in 2024
- The Golden Eagles have shoes to fill on the offensive end as outside hitter Max Nissen will step up following a rookie campaign that produced 168 kills and fellow German Paul Stommel returns to take setting duties
- Curtis Raines is back for UCWV after he played a team-high 103 sets and collected 182 digs at the libero position
- Transferring in from Tusculum, outside Colby Landry is expected to make an immediate impact with 883 kills, 73 service aces, and 429 digs to his name in his four-year college career
Scouting the Tornado
- King went 3-21 in 2024, but garnered four additional wins on the court that were vacated due to NCAA infractions
- The Tornado bagged sweeping victories over Talladega (NAIA) and Lees-McRae in the regular season before dropping Erskine in the opening round of the Conference Carolinas playoffs
- Each of the Tornado's top three players in the kills category were seniors last season, leaving opportunities for senior middle blocker Sean Haberthy and sophomore outside hitter Alex Barkley
Follow Along
- The UCWV match will be broadcast on the Mountain East Network with live stats on ucgoldeneagles.com
- The tilt at King will be available to watch on the Conference Carolinas Digital Network with a stats stream on kingtornado.com
