Central State wins first SIAC men’s volleyball championship

The Central State University men’s volleyball team won the inaugural Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship Thursday.

Central State beat Edward Waters University 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 25-19, 14-25, 15-11) in the final match in Rock Hill, S.C. This is Central State’s first SIAC title in any sport. It joined the conference in 2014.

The SIAC added volleyball this season. Morehouse, Fort Valley State, Benedict and Kentucky State also competed.

In the final match, Yaron Afek led Central State with 20 kills. Marcus Franck had 48 assists. Victor Scherer had 15 digs. Antonio Barraza had six blocks.

Central State was the No. 1 seed and also beat No. 2 seed Edward Waters in five sets Wednesday (25-18, 19-25, 25-23, 15-25, 15-11). Edward Waters would had to beat Central State twice Thursday to win the championship in the double-elimination tournament.

Central State beat No. 4 seed Benedict 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 25-16, 27-25) in the first round Tuesday.

Central State (14-13 overall) also won the regular-season title with a 9-1 record. Franck was named the SIAC Setter of the Year. Scherer won the Libero of the Year award. Franck, Scherer, Cameron Lee and D’Aaron McCraney earned all-conference first team honors. Antonio Barraza was named to the second team.

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