The Charlotte men’s club volleyball team traveled to Wake Forest University to play in a four-game scrimmage on Saturday, Feb. 4. The 49ers entered three teams to play against two teams from Wake Forest.
Starting the day off, Charlotte’s No. 1 team played against the No. 1 Wake Forest team in a five-set match. Both teams continuously fought hard, alternating wins throughout each set.
Wake Forest took the first set 25-17, followed by a Charlotte comeback 25-12. The Demon Deacons took the third set with a score of 25-20 but fell in the fourth with another Charlotte win of 25-20.
This back-and-forth brawl pushed towards a final fifth set of first to 15 points.
Before the match, Charlotte’s senior libero Jaret Knight said he goes into every game with a specific volleyball ritual, wearing only one clothing brand.
“I typically stick with Nike or Adidas for my shoes, shorts and socks,” Knight said. “It’s a mental check for me.”
Charlotte won 15-13 in the final set off a game-winning kill by outside hitter Drew Allen.
The second matchup of the day consisted of Charlotte’s No. 2 team against Wake Forest’s No. 2 team in a best-of-three matchup.
At practice the week before the scrimmage, sophomore setter Ryan Pickett said he was looking forward to the first competitive scene of the semester.
“Playing in an actual game will help the team realize what everyone needs to work on and help us improve,” Pickett said.
Both teams saw an even battle as Wake Forest took the first set 27-25, followed by a win from Charlotte 25-18 in the second. The third set was highly contested and resulted in a Wake Forest win 15-12.
Charlotte’s No. 2 team followed their game by playing best-of-three sets against Wake Forest’s No. 1 team.
The 49ers fell short in both sets, with Wake Forest winning 25-16 in the first and 25-19 in the second.
To close the scrimmage, Charlotte’s No. 3 team played against Wake Forest’s No. 2 team in a best-of-five matchup.
Charlotte’s No. 3 team is a new addition for the 49ers. Junior defensive specialist Harrison Havmoeller was excited to see all the hard work pay off.
“We’ve been working really hard trying to figure out who’s going to play where,” Havmoeller said. “I think it’s good in any sport to get some competitive practice instead of just doing drills over and over.”
Despite being a new team, Charlotte shut out Wake Forest in all three sets. The 49ers won 25-18, 25-20 and 25-18.
Charlotte and Wake Forest finished the day with two wins each. The 49ers will await their next scrimmage matchup, followed by the No. 1 team competing at Nationals in April.