Marauders Fall Just Short in SIAC Semifinal Battle with Edward Waters

Fort Valley, GA – April 15, 2025

In a thrilling semifinal showdown at the SIAC Men's Volleyball Championships, Central State University came heartbreakingly close to pulling off an upset but ultimately fell to Edward Waters University in four tightly contested sets (25-23, 19-25, 25-27, 25-27).

The Marauders (9-17, 7-5 SIAC) showed resilience and grit, taking the opening set with a strong .333 hitting percentage and stellar play from standout Jaedyn Harris. Harris led the way with a match-high 20 kills and added 4 aces and 4 blocks to his impressive performance.

After dropping the second set 19-25, Central State pushed EWU to the brink in the third and fourth sets, both of which went into extra points. The Marauders had several key opportunities to force a decisive fifth set but were ultimately edged out by a late surge from the Tigers (10-13, 8-2 SIAC).

Despite the loss, Central State held their own statistically. They racked up 40 kills to Edward Waters' 58 and put up a solid defensive effort with 10 team blocks. Setter Adam Sheppard dished out 31 assists and added 6 digs.

For EWU, Richard Hendricks and Rojey Hutchinson each tallied 22 kills, while setter Oneil Daley ran the offense efficiently with 49 assists.

The Marauders' will play one more match up tomorrow for 3rd place.