SALEM, Va. - The Roanoke College men's volleyball team were overcome by the No. 6 Eastern Mennonite Royals in the ODAC semifinals on Thursday. 

Game Information  
No. 6 Eastern Mennonite 3, No. 2 Roanoke 2 
Records: Eastern Mennonite (13-18, 6-10), Roanoke (21-8, 14-2) 
Location: Salem, Va. (Cregger Center) 

How It Happened 

• It was back and forth to start, but RC began to pull ahead in the middle set. EMU, however, roared back off the serve to tie it at 24. The Maroons then locked it down to take the set 26-24. 

• Eastern Mennonite looked like they were going to start to pull ahead early in the second set, but Roanoke was able to keep them in arms reach. That was until the Royals went on a five-point run late and closed it out at 25-22. 

• EMU had all the momentum in the third set and while the Maroons started to claw back late in the set, they couldn't find enough to overcome the deficit. Eastern Mennonite took the third 25-14. 

• RC swung the tides back in their favor early thanks in part to a couple of big plays from Johnny Moran. The Maroons used a five-point and four-point run in the middle of the set to give themselves enough breathing room and take it 25-23. 

• Roanoke started the fifth set strong, but the Royals quickly caught fire. RC was able to bring it to within one point at 14-13 but EMU finished off the set. 

Notes and Notables 

• Jackson Rutkowski topped the squad in kills with 18. He also picked up three service aces in the match. 

• Michael Cummins, Cade Kinne, and Pierce Faulcon also hit double digit kills with 12, 11, and 10 respectively. 

• CJ Kingston posted his third 20+ dig game of the year as he tallied 22 on the night. 

• Johnny Moran set a new career high in digs with 17. He also surpassed 30+ assists for the second time this season with 31. 

• Teagan Cole was the next closest RC player in assists with 18. 

• Faulcon and Colin Mendoza led in blocks with two each. 

Up Next 
This marks the end of the 2026 campaign for the Maroons. Keep up with all the latest news and team updates by following the squad on Instagram @roanokemvb.