By the Seat of Their Pants

The men's volleyball team will compete in their own version of "March Madness" this weekend as postseason play takes center court in New England.

The EMU Royals' 16-7 men's volleyball squad gears up for the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association's (NECVA) tournament. The Royals board the bus at 4 p.m. today to begin the trek to tournament host Endicott College, near Boston, MA. The Royals' (seeded 8th) will meet their first opponent Baruch College (29-5, and the 9th seed) on Friday after which they hope to snatch a quarter-round upset victory from number 1 seed Stephens Tech. (24-10). If the Royals continue to advance, they will play matches on Saturday and Sunday as well. The winner of the 16-team tournament will advance to the National Final Four, which is being played in New Jersey.

EMU boasts the only NCAA Division III men's varsity volleyball team in Virginia. While other EMU sports compete in the ODAC against much closer schools, men's volleyball must look out-of-state for matches. Royal's volleyball is a member of NECVA, which unites teams from New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. NECVA is divided into four divisions, which are in turn divided into regions. EMU competes in the southern region of the Western Division.

The Royals suffered two disappointing losses at the Western Division playoffs in Rochester, NY last weekend. The team needed to receive one of the four at large berths that were handed out on Monday to reach the NECVA tournament this weekend. The team regards the experience as a reality-check after a very successful Spring Break and plans to learn from its mistakes. EMU men's volleyball plans to turn defeat into victory as they head into their "Big Dance."