The volleyball team competed in the 2021 Burnt Hills Invitational on Saturday, September 25, hosted at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School in Albany. 
 
Canisius began the day beating Shaker in their first pool play match in two straight sets.  Next up was a scrappy Saratoga team. The varsity Crusaders were again solid, winning 2-0. The final pool play match saw Canisius knock off Bethlehem in two straight by the scores of 25-14 and 25-17. That win kept the team undefeated in pool play with a perfect 6-0 set record going in to the gold bracket playoffs.
 
In the quarter finals, Canisius defeated Niskayuna in two straight sets. Next up in the semi-finals was Colonie. Canisius was in control from the start and dispatched the Raiders 2-0 to earn a spot in the championship. The finals saw a matchup between the Crusaders and host Burnt Hills Spartans that didn't disappoint. After dropping a close first set 23-25, Canisius found their rhythm to win the next two sets, earning the tournament title.
 
Throughout the event, multiple team members stepped up with excellent play and contributions. Christian Morse and Henry Weimer excelled in the middle hitter position. Jacob Ackerman embraced a new role at libero and was excellent.  Connor Devans provided big points from the service line, and Daniel Welsh was able to lead the offense very effectively when needed from the setter position.
 
Congratulations also go out to All Tournament Team selections Vincent Conroy and Tommy Lynch.  Junior setter Matt Marusza was selected as the Tournament Most Valuable Player for his outstanding performance throughout the day!