Cardinal Rule: VCU Falls to SVSU

Sunday April 17th marked the last day of Nationals, and the start of the final tournament to determine the best team in all the land. VCU would have the tough task of trying to take down the Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) Cardinals, a team ranked #5 in the nation, and former national champions in 2012.

The Cardinals came out strong and stayed that way for almost the entirety of the match. Using a combination of aggressive team throws and skillful catching, SVSU took away point after point from VCU. While down 2-0 in the first half, it looked like VCU would turn the tide in the third point while having a numbers advantage, however it was not meant to be. SVSU made a furious comeback with some more great catches and were able to take a third point right before halftime.

SVSU would go on to win the match 5-0, marking the end of VCU's time at Nationals in Bowling Green. VCU finished with a 1-2-1 record at Nationals, a significant improvement from other VCU teams in the past. Now, following the conclusion of the 2015-2016 season, both sides will look to regroup and recover for the next season.

VCU will be losing only one player to graduation during the transition period, lone senior and club president Adam Hallers. This bodes well for the future of the program, as young talent will be able to finally gain experience and emerge as future leaders of the program. The future is bright for the team. People will no longer look at VCU as an easy win or warm-up game, and next season could prove to be one of the best ever for VCU.

It is now one day after Nationals. Everything that has happened before is now irrelevant. Every team is now 0-0. Anything can happen.