MISHAWAKA — Talent and team chemistry.
Those two key ingredients have made the Bethel University men’s volleyball team one of the best NAIA squads in the country this season.
The Pilots, ranked No. 8 nationally, will look to make program history this coming weekend too.
Bethel will host both the semifinal round and the title tilt of the WHAC (Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference) tournament Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18 in Goodman Gym. The top-seeded Pilots earned a bye into Friday’s first semifinal match at 5 p.m. versus No. 4 seed Lawrence Tech thanks to winning the conference regular season crown for the first time at 17-1. The second semifinal Friday at 7:30 p.m. pits No. 2 seed Indiana Tech versus No. 3 seed Lourdes University.
The Pilots beat Lawrence Tech twice by 3-0 finals during the league regular season. Bethel beat Lourdes 3-2 in a pair of regular season matches and split with Indiana Tech, winning 3-2 in Fort Wayne and losing 3-0 in Goodman Gym.
The winner of the league tournament final, which is slated for 3 p.m. Saturday, advances to the seventh annual NAIA Nationals. The 12-team Nationals will be held April 28 to May 2 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Pilots roster features a deep group that includes players from all over the World, including Brazil, Hong Kong, Serbia, Germany and South Africa.
But it’s a team unity factor, according to a pair of Pilots from Las Vegas, that makes this squad special.
“The main thing is that we are one big family here,” said junior McGwire Eigenrauch after practice Monday night. “We hang out off the court and outside of school and we have each other’s backs.”
Eigenrauch, who hails from Las Vegas, is the team’s starting setter and has racked up 834 assists.
Junior Thomas Dunkley, a 6-2 outside hitter from Vegas, is the team’s top offensive option. Dunkley, who boasts an insane 42-inch vertical jump, has powered down a team-high 354 kills.
“This team is special because of our relationships,” Dunkley said following practice Monday night. “We get along well and we all support each other. I’m playing for my teammates and coaches here and that’s easy to do when you love them.”
The Pilots are 19-5 overall and 10-1 inside of their cozy and warm confines in Goodman Gym. They did drop a 3-0 final on April 11 to conference foe Indiana Tech in the regular-season finale. Bethel beat Tech 3-2 earlier in the season in Fort Wayne.
“It’s about the now for us,” Eigenrauch said. “The regular season and what we have done from January to now does not matter. I have 100 percent confidence in my team. I believe that my guys are the best team out there.”
Bethel coach Jose Viera Cerame also says the past is just that for his team.
“The regular season does not matter,” said Cerame after practice Monday night. “There are three seasons to me; the preseason, the regular season and now the postseason. Everyone is now 0-0.
“There’s always pressure and especially a target on us with our ranking and what we did in the conference in the regular season. But we love pressure here. It makes us more competitive.”
The Pilots finished 14-16 overall and lost 3-2 to Lawrence Tech in the semifinals of the conference tournament a year ago.
“I was pretty confident coming into the season and knew we would be very competitive,” Cerame said. “But I wasn’t expecting us to be a Top 10 ranked team. But this team works well together and they love each other.”
Both Eisenrauch and Dunkley agreed that there has been an adjustment period for each of them to the Midwest. Both were also completely in tune that they have no use for the snow here in Northern Indiana either.
“I try to bring consistency and discipline every day,” Eigenrauch said. “I knew we were going to be good as we returned almost everyone from last year.”
The Pilots roster also includes three players from Indiana in Carson Moore, a senior outside hitter from Penn High School, along with junior setter Jack Hughes from Noblesville and junior opposite Tim Borodkin from Goshen.
Dunkley embraces his role as the go-to guy in Bethel’s offense.
“We kind of have a young roster and I have a lot of experience starting every match last year,” Dunkley remarked. “I have good confidence on the court. When things are tight, I want to control the outcome. I try to bring support to all my teammates too. I’m confident in all of their abilities on the court.”
Cerame, who is just 26 years old, competed in the NAIA Nationals as a player for Campbellsville University in Kentucky. He then coached at Roosevelt University in Chicago before coming to Bethel, where he replaced his former college coach Eric Snyder in August of 2024 as Bethel’s head coach after previously serving as an assistant coach.
“That loss on Saturday to Tech should sting a little,” noted Cerame, who was an elite level gymnast growing up in Puerto Rico. “It should motivate every one here for the league tournament. There’s a lot at stake. To make the nationals for the first time would mean a lot to us.”
Santana Roybal-Benson, a 6-6 junior, is another big weapon for the Pilots. The middle blocker, who also hails from Vegas, has 157 kills.
Both Eigenrauch and Dunkley echo the feelings of their head coach for the program that just started in 2022.
“I’ve dreamed of the nationals and it would mean the world to me,” said Eigenrauch.
Dunkley is also ready to go get an invitation to the national tournament.
“I want it (nationals) bad,” emphasized Dunkley. “I think about it every day.”
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Bethel men’s volleyball team eyeing a spot in NAIA Nationals
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
