Waynesburg University’s Esports squads are in playoff action this week. So far across all games, Waynesburg is 3-3 in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) playoffs and 1-3 in the Eastern Athletic Collegiate Conference (ECAC) playoffs. 

Waynesburg Valorant qualified for both conference playoff tournaments and were eliminated in both. In the ECAC, Waynesburg fell 2-1 to SUNY Empire in the quarterfinals.

“The SUNY Empire team was very strong and had several highly ranked players,” head coach Chris Davis said. “We were just simply outmatched in that game.” 

In the NECC, Waynesburg defeated the University of Montana 2-0 and advanced to the semifinals, where they lost to Robert Morris University 2-0 after multiple overtimes. 

“We beat Robert Morris earlier in the season; it was a very close match,” said Davis. “It just didn’t go our way this time, very unfortunate.”

The Waynesburg Marvel Rivals team was eliminated in NECC contention in the quarterfinal round, 3-0, by the Morningside Mustangs. 

Waynesburg, on the ECAC side, battles Russell Sage College tomorrow night for the NECC quarterfinals on the second floor of Buhl Hall at the Waynesburg Esports Arena. The winner advances to the semifinals.

“I think we stack up well against [Russell] Sage. We beat them earlier this year, 3-1,” Davis said. “We were so dominant in the first matchup against them, I don’t see why we can’t beat them again tomorrow.”

Waynesburg’s Super Smash Bros. team defeated Wilkes University 2-1 in the NECC quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they fell 2-1 to Siena University. In the ECAC, Husson University fell to Waynesburg 2-0 in the quarterfinals. 

The Waynesburg Yellow Jackets await their next opponent in the ECAC tournament. They did, however, receive a bid on the NECC conference to face Idaho University in a match for third place. 

“This is a huge grudge match for us. We were down to the final moments the last time we played Idaho and fell short,” Davis said. “We probably won’t make a lot of adjustments. We know this team pretty well; it’s going to be close.”

Waynesburg’s Overwatch team was eliminated in the ECAC quarterfinals, 3-0 to Southern Arkansas. 

“We were big underdogs in the ECAC. We went 5-2 in conference, which exceeded my expectations,” assistant coach Tim Nielsen said. “What the loss really told me is that this team does whatever it takes to win, regardless of whether our backs are against the wall. They showed a lot of fight tonight.”

Waynesburg Overwatch defeated Clark University in the NECC quarterfinals 3-0. They face St. Lawrence University on Thursday night at the Waynesburg Esports Arena. 

“St. Lawrence is a great team; we have a lot of respect for them,” Nielsen said. “They play fast and in your face, it’s not our nature to play slow either, I think we have a couple tricks up our sleeves for them.”