Phoenixville, PA – The wait is officially over as the University of Valley Forge Men's Volleyball, a two-year program in the making made their debut on Saturday, March 20^th, as they hosted conference foe, Cairn University. Valley Forge dropped their inaugural season opener 3-0 (25-8, 25-5, 25-12).
 
"It is an honor to be able to coach this group of young men in Valley Forge's first ever NCAA DIII Men's Volleyball match," head coach Kyle Mariano stated. "I'm really proud of them and the effort they showed. We fought hard against Cairn, a much more experienced team than us. We are a very young team, but we are just getting started, and are looking forward to a bright future."
 
Being an experienced program, the Highlanders dominated the first two matches, securing a demanding lead in both sets.
 
The Patriots started off hot in the third set, trading points with Cairn. However, trailing by only 1-point, the Highlanders found an offensive drive to close out the third set for 25-12 victory.
 
Mariano shared, "from a coach's standpoint, even though we lost the match, there were a lot of good things that I saw from our team that stood out. I saw guys do things in the game that they have worked so hard on in practice. I saw them support each other and get excited for one another after making a huge play on the court. They are hungry for the next opportunity."
 
As a unit, Cairn tallied 33 kills on 59 total attempts (.441), 15 service aces, and 28 digs.
 
Valley Forge collected 7 kills, 3 service aces, and 14 digs.
 
The Patriots will look to bounce back on Tuesday, March 23^rd as the travel to Aston, PA to face the Knights of Neumann University for a non-conference matchup.