The sixth-ranked New York University men's volleyball team travels to Springfield, MA, tonight to take on its second straight top-five opponent on the road. The Violets came up just short in a five-set thriller against fifth-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology (24-26, 26-24, 20-25, 25-23, 15-10) on Saturday, March 3, but look for a better result tonight against second-ranked Springfield College. 
 
Although the plan for the Violets is still to win the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Championship and gain the automatic birth into the inaugural NCAA Division III National Championship, this match has major implications for a possible at-large bid.
 
Nine teams make the big dance: six of those spots are reserved for conference champions, while three at-large spots are available for independent teams and teams that do not win their conference tournament.
 
As it stands right now, there are two independent schools (Springfield and MIT) and three schools from the same conference (UC Santa Cruz, Juniata and Carthage) ranked ahead of NYU in the most recent AVCA Division III National Poll. A win tonight against the Pride in Blake Arena, where Springfield has not lost yet this season, would improve the Violets' at-large chances should they fail to capture the UVC crown.
 
The Violets will have their hands full tonight with the six-time National Champions, who currently boast an undefeated 10-0 record at home. However, this is not an unfamiliar task for NYU, as last season it traveled to Springfield and knocked off the then top-ranked Pride 3-2. Taylor Fauntleroy recorded a career-high 27 kills in that match, while four other current Violets posted double-digit marks, as well. Nick Capriccio had 14 kills, Pat Dodd had 10 kills, Connor Mortland tallied 53 assists and 11 digs, and Jay Hayes rounded out the club with 11 digs of his own. 
 
First serve is set for 7:00 pm tonight. Check back after the match for a complete box score and post-match summary.