Porter was talking about his junior captain, (Montpelier, Va./ Patrick Henry), the Royals Athlete of the Week.

Over the men’s season opening three matches, the outside hitter averaged 4.0 kills and 1.08 service aces. His most notable performance was against D-II Alderson Broaddus when he just missed his career high with 26 kills, tied his career best with five aces and set a new high with six block assists.

“It felt like a regular game,” said Scott. “Usually when I go for a lot of kills it’s because there’s a weaker blocker, or that’s our setup for the game. I’m not really going for career highs every game I’m just going with the flow. If someone’s not stopping me or someone’s not stopping someone else we go to them. It’s not really me going out there trying to impress other people; it’s going out to win the game.”

In his third season, Scott has become the leader he has always pushed himself to be. In his first two campaigns, he averaged the most kills on the team. Unfortunately throughout his freshman and sophomore years his game was hindered due to injuries.

During his freshman season, Scott had a fracture in his back and also a problem with the alignment of his hips.�� The IT band is a ligament that extends from the pelvic bone to the shinbone, and during his sophomore season a misalignment there affected Scott’s ability to jump.

“Previously I liked being an outside hitter because they get more sets than anybody else, but now that’s kind of stabbing me in the back I guess,” declared Scott. “The enjoyment of getting a lot of sets has kind of dwindled out because it takes a toll on your body. Now what I enjoy most is facing the other team’s setter.�� The setter is usually the captain and the facilitator of the hitters. I’m usually matched up with him on the right side and I like reading his game plan and getting that message across to my teammates so we know how to handle their play.”

According to his coach, Scott’s volleyball IQ is an obvious improvement in his game.

“He’s a lot better at dictating the flow of the game and telling it to the teammates beside him,” explained Porter. “That’s what has developed him the most because not only can he show it but he tells his teammates on the court, ‘Hey you should do this better,’ or ‘This is what you should be doing.’”

Scott’s improvement did not come unexpectedly. The men began formal practices after Thanksgiving break and during the preseason Scott worked out six to seven times a week for two to three hours.

“I feel a lot stronger,” he noted, “I’ve done what the chiropractor and a few of my physical training friends have told me to do.�� I’ve been doing that and working out with them, so I feel a lot better.”

Perhaps playing so well is a repercussion of the new talent that the team has collected this year. With the proper chemistry, Scott believes the team is capable of accomplishing great things.

“The attitudes of the freshmen are good. They have high hopes,” said Scott. “They’re putting in the effort to deliver in the long haul such as playoffs.�� Once we get our chemistry down and the game starts flowing for us, we’ll become a great team instead of just a talented team.”

Undoubtedly a team player, Brigham brings great leadership and contagious energy to the team.

“I’m not really worried about achievements or if people recognize me or not,” he explained. “I’m just here to do my job.�� I would say my job is to figure out a way to win the game and lead the way to that win.”

“We finally have what we need to get there,” Porter explained, “a setter and pin hitters that can effectively put away in the clutch.”

The men finished 14-10 overall in 2015, but 3-9 in the CVC to just miss the tournament.

Having seven returners, including five who saw consistent playing time, means Porter has a strong base of players back.

“It means we have guys that want it more than ever,” Porter added.�� “After not making the tournament, they know what it feels like to watch it all come down to who beats who during the season, rather than simply focusing on making the tournament field.”

The CVC slate of matches starts with road dates at Juniata and Thiel on Feb. 5 and 6, respectively.�� But preparations began with a tri-match over Jan. 15-16, in which the team was 1-2,�� winning against NAIA Bluefield and posting losses to D-II Alderson Broaddus and�� D-II Coker.

Junior outside hitter (Montpelier, Va./Patrick Henry) was the team’s leading hitter last year with 221 kills, despite missing eight matches.�� His lofty average of 3.81 kills per set was even higher until he filled in as the setter for three matches.

Porter said that Brigham, one of the Royals’ three captains, is stronger this season after spending time in the gym.�� But his leadership will be just as important as his play.

“Being one of only two upperclassmen, Scott has and will be our on-the-court leader,” Porter said.�� “And we need him to be that to reach our goals this year.�� He has done a great job of communicating on-court responsibilities during a match and leads the unit on the court.”

The Royals return a large defensive presence, both in the back row and at the net.�� Libero (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) (2.41 digs per set) and Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) (1.44 digs per set) bring a load of poise to the back row, while middle (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) (67 blocks, .356 attack percentage) quickly blossomed in his first season of organized volleyball.

“Micah and Colton will be very important for us this year,” explained Porter.�� “They have both showed an aggressive nature on the court, scrapping and getting to every ball.�� They will be our biggest asset on defense we look for them to take over on the court.�� Dan, with a year under his belt, will be our biggest threat at the net as he is truly developing into a blocking powerhouse.”

Buller and Lutz are also team captains.�� All three are from last year’s talented freshmen class, as is outside hitter (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), who was second on the team with 191 kills (2.48 per set).

“Tim spent the summer getting into shape and it shows when he attacks the ball,” Porter noted.�� “As a result, there is a level of aggression when going after a set.”

Senior (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) and sophomore (Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) each played in at least 10 matches as middles in 2015 and will look to expand their roles this year.

Freshman setter (Henrico, Va./Deep Run) headlines the new freshmen class, with (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis) and (North Chesterfield, Va./Thomas Dale) leading the charge for court time as transfers.�� (Richmond, Va./Patrick Henry) (1.08 kills and 0.58 blocks per set in 2014) returns after a year away from EMU.

“William previously played for national power Carthage,” Porter said, “and we look to use him in multiple roles to reach our goals this year, as well as utilizing his leadership on the court.”

Freshmen (Temple Terrace, Fla./C. Leon King), (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) and (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis) will also be pushing for playing time.

Porter said that while he has more offensive weapons this season, the key will still be ball control.

“I need our liberos and setter to have a big statistical year.�� Everything else will molded around their output and success.”

As noted by the two D-II opponents over opening weekend, the Royals have beefed up their non-divisional matches, which have been mostly absent since the NCAA began sponsoring a D-III national tournament in 2012.�� Men’s volleyball is unique in comparison to most other collegiate sports, as the voters in the national poll actually do take into account how teams do outside of their divisional contests.

Along with Coker and Alderson Broaddus, Porter added matches against D-II teams King, Lees-McRae and Limestone.�� All three play in the Conference Carolinas, whose teams were common opponents for Eastern Mennonite half a decade ago.

Porter said those additions were intentional to increase the level of play of the men’s opponents.

“The guys are excited to play tougher competition,” he said, indicating that change would help the team accomplish their goals for the season.�� “Our immediate goal is to make our conference tournament.�� Secondary is to come into the conference tournament higher than the fourth seed.”

EMU’s coach said that with the increased offensive options and overall knowledge of his players, the Royals are ready to take that next step in 2016.

“One of our main strengths will be the number of players on our roster that have a high level of volleyball IQ,” explained Porter. ��“With our transfers and current balance, I think this year we will show we are a new team.”

The Royals coughed up the first three points in the opener and never recovered, 25-17. They used a big 6-0 run midway in the second set to gain momentum to even things up, 25-16.

Neither team led by more than two in the critical set three. PSB led 20-18 but the Royals scored three straight to go ahead 21-20. The Lions scored once to tie it at 21-21, but the men kept rolling, as����(Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle Antrim) capped a key 3-0 spurt with a service ace to make it 24-21. The home team scored twice before an EMU kill closed the door on a 25-23 win.

Eastern Mennonite scored first in the fourth, but the Lions used an 8-0 run to take charge and cruise to a 25-16 win.

The teams traded points early in the deciding set five before the Royals scored four in a row to build a 7-2 cushion. The men kept the lead at four or five points until match point at 14-9. Penn State-Behrend scored three times before a block from����(Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) and����(Newport News, Va./Menchville) ended the day, 15-12.

The Royals hit .201 with 11 blocks, their second-highest total of the season.

��(Montpelier, Va./Patrick Henry) turned a match high 68 swings into 27 kills. He added 12 digs.����(Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) was good for 11 kills and 11 digs.����(Creighton, Pa./Deer Lakes) lofted 51 set assists and����(Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) picked up 13 digs.

Lutz knocked down seven blocks, including two solo. Lovell finished with six blocks to go with his nine kills.

Eric Theiss led PSB with 12 kills, while Ty Sheehan and Trenton Munk each had 11.

The Royals have another non-conference road game next Tuesday, playing at Bluefield College at 6:30 p.m.

The teams went back and forth this time around, trading sets. Eastern Mennonite fell behind in the first set, but took over the lead late and then scored the final three to win, 25-21. Cairn built up a big lead in the second set and made it stick in a 26-24 squeaker.

Set three was a different story, as the Royals quickly built up an 11-6 lead. The Highlanders made a few runs before the men closed the door, 25-18.�� Cairn forced the fifth set by making a small lead stick in the fourth, 25-22.

EMU fell behind early in the deciding set but then used a couple of short runs to get in front. A kill from����(Montpelier, Va./Patrick Henry) closed the day, winning 15-11.

Brigham led all players with 24 kills.����(Virginia Beach, Va./Salem) added 18 kills with a solid .263 attack percentage, and was second on the team with 15 digs.����(Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) had 11 kills.����(Hampton, Va./Bethel) put up a hefty 55 set assists.

Defensively, libero����(Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) led all players with 16 digs.��(Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) got his hands on seven blocks, and����(Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) had six, including two solos.�� Long helped out on five blocks.

Randall Colson led Cairn with 16 kills and six blocks.

The Royals, 5-3 overall, are at home again on Tuesday, hosting Bluefield College at 6:30pm.

Eastern Mennonite’s volleyball men officially open their new season on Tuesday, hosting Lancaster Bible College at 7 p.m. in Yoder Arena.�� The Royals finished 2014 at 12-14, but tied for the longest winning streak in program history at six matches in a row.

Porter said his team did well with the hand they were dealt.

“I felt the year went as well as we could make it go given the roster size and injuries,” explained Porter.�� “The team worked hard and prepared for the long season last year knowing we did not have numbers to successfully scrimmage in practice.”

The men returned seven of their ten players, a nice core despite the fact that they lost their top hitter and setter.

“It means a lot to have those returners because they know what playing in college looks like and they are the ones pushing everyone else to get better and do better,” Porter commented.�� “We are in a good place right now.”

Back are outsides����(Montpelier, Va./Patrick Henry) (3.29 kills/game and 1.84 digs/game) and����(Lancaster, Pa./J.P. McCaskey) (2.49 kills/game and 1.61 digs/game), along with rightside hitter����(Newport News, Va./Menchville) (0.98 kills/game and 1.54 digs/game).������(Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Watterson) was one of the top blockers in the nation last year at middle averaging 1.16 stuffs per game along with 0.98 kills.�� Fellow middle����(Berryville, Va./Leesburg Christian) brings back 1.03 kills and 0.85 blocks and����(Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) added 0.66 blocks off the bench.

��(Creighton, Pa./Deer Lakes) spent much of last season as the team’s libero, but becomes more of a general this year.

“Zach will be stepping into the setter position and I am very pleased about his versatile role on the team,” said Porter.

EMU’s coach also explained that he is expecting a lot of leadership out of his upperclassmen.

“Jesse, Kyle and Marc will lead the team as returners and two of them are seniors,” he said.�� “Their roles will have to be fulfilled this year in full as we have a young team.”

Porter also expects a lot of out his eight freshmen, both in contributions this year and during their four seasons as a whole.

“We have three liberos in����(Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman),����(Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and����(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) and we could not be in a more stable place with the liberos we have,” he explained.�� “Outside����(Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) will be producing a large amount of our offense this year as well as middle/rightside����(Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim).������(Virginia Beach, Va./Salem) is one of the most athletic rightsides to play at EMU, and setter����(Hampton, Va./Bethel) and his club teammate middle blocker����(Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) who will also be seeing time this year as freshmen.”

Besides the influx of versatile talent, Porter is excited to simply have more than the needed 12 players to complete a six-on-six scrimmage during practices.�� The Royals only had 10 men on the roster last spring.

He also sees this group of athletes functioning well as a team.

“Our biggest goal is for this group of guys to work well together,” he said, “and to do the right, simple things all the time.�� They are coming along well. ��Our short term goal is to progress day to day through practice and then game experience.�� Our long term goal is to make the CVC Tournament.”

EMU finished 2-8 in the Continental Volleyball Conference in 2014 and are still looking for their first postseason appearance as the league enters its fourth year of existence.

There is a major change in the structure of the CVC this year, however, as the Western Division of the league (made up of teams from Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio) amicably left during the offseason to form their own more geographically-concise conference, the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League. ��The Eastern teams of EMU, Marymount, Stevenson, Juniata, Thiel and Cairn maintained the rights to the CVC name as well as automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and added a seventh team in Rutgers-Newark.

While the league was originally started to provide an automatic bid when the NCAA added a sponsored national championship for 2012, the continued growth of the sport allowed the expansive conference to add more teams and now cut down on travel expenses.

Porter agrees that the split was for the better.

“It just makes our conference even tougher with a greater focus on the seven teams here in the east,” he explained.�� “Having a Western Division was okay but to really just pay attention to what we have in our region is better for the program and the conference.”

The top four teams in the final standings will advance to the postseason CVC Tournament, which is hosted by Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., on April 10-11.

With the volleyball men sporting their largest roster size since also having 15 on the team six years ago in 2009, Porter is glad to have three assistant coaches this year, giving him extra eyes and feedback.

While Porter knows this season will see a lot of learning curves with more than half of the roster being freshmen, the Royals are excited.

“Practice is more competitive and we look more like a team,” he said.�� “Our most noticeable strength is being able to play multiple people during matches.�� We have guys that can play more than one position and that’s a good position to be in.”

After the season-opener tomorrow night in Yoder Arena, the Royals will have to forge their identity on the road, playing six straight away from home.

EMU 3, Coker 2
The first match was a back-and-forth thriller, with the men winning in five. They broke open a close game one when freshman (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale) landed five aces within six serves to build a 19-10 lead.�� Coker wouldn’t recover in a 25-17 decision.

The Cobras built a small lead in game two, and withstood a late EMU run for a 25-21 win.�� Eastern Mennonite broke off a 24-24 tie in game three for a 26-24 win, but gave up the final two to Coker in game four to lose 25-23.

The teams were locked up at 10-10 apiece in game five, but the Royals got back-to-back kills to turn momentum into a 15-12 clincher.

EMU hit .242 as a team and landed 10 service aces, headed by Dolan. EMU’s freshman setter lofted 50 assists in his first collegiate effort and had six aces.

(Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) had 21 kills, while (Montpelier, Va./Patrick Henry) had 19 kills.�� Brigham also had 11 digs. Libero (Creighton, Pa./Deer Lakes) also had 11 good passes. Garret Delph (Berryville, Va./.Leesburg Christian) contributed to six blocks, while (Columbus, Oh./Bishop Watterson) had five stuffs.

Coker 3, EMU 1
The Cobras regrouped by the time the two teams met again Saturday night. They led much of game one, but had to score the final four to steal a 25-23 decision.

EMU played from behind in game two, and forced a number of late ties, but fell 25-22. A big 9-3 run in the middle of the third game gave the Royals the legs for a 25-21 win. But Coker jumped to a 9-2 lead in game four and ran away with a 25-14 win.

Brigham had another double double, notching 13 kills with just three errors while adding 11 digs. Moore led all players with 16 kills. (Lancaster, Pa./J.P. McCaskey) added eight kills. Dolan had another 39 assists.

Guiciardi had a match high 12 digs. Storc was again a force at the net with six blocks.

The Royals are now 1-1 as they prepare for a Monday exhibition against a club team from Liberty University. Start time in Yoder Arena is 7 p.m. No stats will be kept for the exhibition, although there will be a live video webcast.