BABSON PARK, Fla. (April 3, 2021) – In what was the Warriors' final regular season game of their 2021 campaign, the Webber International University men's volleyball team hosted Crooked Lake rival and nationally-recognized Warner University for its Senior Day inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center. In the end, the Warriors took down the Royals for the second time in program history and for the first time under the direction of Head Coach Carlos Jimenez, winning by a final score of 3-1 (25-20, 10-25, 25-22, 25-23).

"It was a great win for the guys today, and it took the Warner monkey off our backs," said Jimenez. "The whole team came together and was able to implement some of the adjustments needed to be able to get back up after the second set. Overall, it was a great finish to the regular season, and we look forward to the conference tournament."

It was Senior Day for No. 1 Orlando Fletcher, No. 2 Zachary Ayala, No. 5 Chris Ludwig, No. 8 Steven Bartlett, No. 12 Justin Beecher, No. 15 Daniel Hermida and No. 20 Tim Rouch Jr. Additionally, Kyle Robertson was recognized with the 2021 Webber Men's Volleyball Academic Excellence Award, an honor that will be officially named the Kyle Robertson Academic Excellence Award going forward.

The Warriors had four players reach double digits in digs and had three double-doubles on the day, two of which were by seniors.

Ludwig finished by tying his season-high in kills with 14 while adding seven digs and three blocks.

Hermida had 12 kills, matched his career-high in digs with 11, and had three aces and two blocks. It was his second double-double of the season and fourth of his two-year career as a Warrior.

Ayala finished with eight kills, a career-high 11 digs, and had two blocks.

Beecher had 19 assists, 10 digs, three kills, three service aces and three blocks. It was his second double-double of the season after also doing so in the first match of the year.

Bartlett finished with two digs and two assists.

Among the non-seniors in action was Peyten Young with 15 assists, 10 digs and a team-high four blocks as he recorded his third double-double as a freshman. Fellow-freshman Gunter Perea Quevedo added seven kills and was one of six Warriors with at least two blocks. Last but not least, freshman Daniel Suarez finished with four digs, and junior Luis Gustavo Silva added one dig and saw action as a server.

The Warriors got off to a good start in the first set, hitting .303 percent. Then in the final two sets, the defense worked to limit Warner to below .100 percent in both frames.

Down 15-14 in the first set, Webber went on a 5-0 run featuring kills by Hermida and Ludwig along with back-to-back aces by Hermida. Back-to-back kills by Ayala and Ludwig then made it 23-19 Warriors before a kill by Perea Quevedo and an assisted block by him and Beecher gave Webber the 1-0 set lead.

Down 14-13 in the third set, it was again a 5-0 run for Webber that put the Warriors out in front as back-to-back kills by Ayala made it 18-14. A kill by Hermida followed by an assisted block by Ludwig and Young then made it 20-16 before Warner got back to within one at 21-20. Then up only 23-22, Webber was able to pull it out and take a 2-1 set lead as a kill by Beecher was followed by an attack error from the Royals.

In the fourth set, the two teams were tied at 16-16 before back-to-back ball handling errors by Warner. However, the Warriors found themselves down 21-20 and in danger of being taken to a fifth set before a kill by Ayala followed by two more Royal attack errors put Webber up 23-21. A kill by Ludwig made it 24-22, and then lastly, an assisted block by two seniors, Beecher and Ayala, ended the day in fitting fashion.

Ludwig had seven kills in the first set to get Webber off and running, and the Hermida had half of his 12 kills in the fourth set alone.

With the big win on Senior Day complete, Webber will now enter the postseason with a record of 11-10 overall and 9-7 in the Mid-South Conference while Warner, which is currently receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, finished its regular season 12-4 both overall and in the conference. In addition to finishing above .500 both overall and in the conference, the Warriors also improved to 4-1 at home this season, and are now 2-5 all-time against the Royals.

The Mid-South Conference Championship Tournament will be played in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Thursday, April 8, through Saturday, April 10. The Conference Championship Tournament will consist of an 11-team single elimination bracket with a consolation bracket as well. After the first round and quarterfinal rounds on Thursday, the semifinals will take place on Friday evening, and the championship match will be played on Saturday at 3 p.m.