The Lancaster Bible College men's volleyball team will open its 2021 campaign on Friday, as the Chargers take part in the NCCAA National Invitational for the first time in program history. It will mark the program's first match in 323 days, with the team's last match coming on March 5, 2020, a 3-1 victory over previously undefeated, and fifth-ranked Rutgers-Newark.
 
The match on March 5, 2020 represents many things for not only the Lancaster Bible men's volleyball program, but the world in which we live. The win for the program marked the team's biggest win the of the season, and raised the team's goals to include an NCAA Division III National Championship. Lancaster Bible was ranked 12^th at the time of the win over Rutgers-Newark, and would eventually finish eighth in NCAA Division III. The fifth day of March also included a packed Horst Athletic Center who cheered and willed the Chargers to a victory that night. Just eight days later, the crowds would be gone, as the students, staff, and faculty were moved to remote learning and COVID-19 began its grip on our country.
 
Gone were the chances for a program that had done so much the previous two seasons to see how it could conclude the careers of so many who have given so much. And though there are plenty of returners to this season's team, there are so many "what-if's" for last year's program, perhaps more than other program at Lancaster Bible. The men's volleyball season, along with all of the other spring sports, was canceled on March 12, and each of the program's at Lancaster Bible, and around the country, waited to see when a return would be possible.
 
So we come to January 2021, and there appears to be hope on the horizon. Things will look different, masks during matches, testing during the week, and socially distanced rides on the bus, but there will be volleyball. And while the crowds will still be gone, and loud, ear-piercing cheers after a big kill will not be back just yet, there is volleyball.
 
Lancaster Bible's schedule for the 2021 season will remain fluid. There aren't many matches on the schedule yet, because there simply aren't many teams to play. Some teams have canceled their seasons already, while some are awaiting word from their conference office on what the season may look like. For the Chargers, they are stuck in the middle. The team is ready to play, and will continue to practice, but in terms of what the schedule may look like after this weekend, well that is anyone's guess.
 
For now, the team will look play well against strong opponents this weekend in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and following that, improve each day at practice. Matches will be scheduled and played, and still some may be scheduled and canceled – such is the world we live in currently. Head Coach Jade Brubaker and his staff will have the team ready to go whenever and where ever the team gets to play.
 
Season Preview Podcast
Coach Brubaker recently joined the Horse with No Name Podcast, and discussed the long layoff, the team's preparation for the season, and what this season may look like. You can find the link to the podcast HERE, as well as on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, by searching for the Horse with No Name Podcast.
 
The Returners
Seniors: Kyran Flahive (RS), Zac Keating (S), Kole Horst (OH)
Juniors: Daniel Keene (OH), Hunter Davis (MH), Reuben Kemrer (S), Konrad Martin (L), Caleb Roberts (MH)
Sophomores: Tanner Shertzer (L), Kevin Koch (MH), Elijah Herb (OH)
Freshmen: Joshua Barnes (OH), Darien Colburn (OH), Ethan Sensenig (RS)
 
Season Links
Team Roster
2021 Schedule
2020 Statistics
Program History
NCCAA National Invitational Homepage