Former BYU men’s volleyball coach Tom Peterson can add another national championship to his illustrious coaching resume.
Peterson’s Southern Virginia team swept Springfield College 25-20, 25-23, 27-25 in the NCAA Division III men’s volleyball national championship Monday night.
That was not only Peterson’s first national championship team since he guided the Cougars to the 2004 Division I national title, it was also the Knights’ first national championship (the university became a full Division III member in 2016).
Peterson also led Penn State to the DI national title in 1994.
At Southern Virginia, which aligns itself with the values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 90% of the student body are members of the Church, according to the university.
The Knights started their volleyball program in 2017, and Peterson has been the program’s head coach since its inception.
His Southern Virginia teams have earned a spot in the NCAA tournament five straight seasons — and six overall — but had never advanced to the national championship until Monday night.
The Knights, which finished the season 35-1, avenged their only loss of the season by taking charge early, capturing the first set 25-20 before outlasting Springfield — a five-time Division III national champion — in both the second and third sets.
Christian Sheaffer, the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, paced the Southern Virginia attack with 13 kills.
Four Utahns — setter Bryce Stringam (Millard High), libero Mitchell Barney (Riverton High), outside hitter Keanu Calles (Orem High) and opposite Kimo Hughey (Skyridge High) — won a title as members of the Knights.
“I’m not sure you can describe it, you can only feel it,” Peterson said in a Southern Virginia press release. “I’m not sure I could imagine anything better than winning a championship with these guys.”