Another Friday Frenzy
Friday might just be the best day of the week.
Three Intriguing Matches
Penn State at Long Beach - A showdown between two powerhouses of the sport. The home team is a slight favorite, but I am most excited to see the duel between two of the best Liberos in the nation. This should be a fantastic match.
Belmont Abbey at Erskine - The top two teams in the Conference Carolinas are looking to make a statement. VBelo has this as a virtual toss-up (52/48) so I wouldn’t be surprised if this one goes 4 or 5!
Edward Waters at Benedict - Edward Waters will begin their conference championship defense tonight. There is a lot of talent on this team and I would keep an eye on them as they look towards earning the first SIAC bid for the National Tournament.
Let me know who you will be watching today.
Match Recaps
MIVA
Ohio State (85%) def. Lewis (15%)
3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-17)
Loyola Chicago (69%) def. Purdue Fort Wayne (31%)
3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-21)
MPSF
UCLA (87%) def. Southern California (13%)
3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-14)
NEC
Daemen (84%) def. D'Youville (16%)
3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-15)
Non-conference
UC Santa Barbara (50%) def. Concordia (50%)
3-2 (26-24, 17-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-11)
Match Projections
Big West
UC Irvine (81%) vs UC San Diego (19%)
ConfCarolinas
King (52%) vs Barton (48%)
Belmont Abbey (52%) vs Erskine (48%)
Emmanuel (12%) vs North Greenville (88%)
Lees-McRae (9%) vs Mount Olive (91%)
EIVA
George Mason (41%) vs Princeton (59%)
IVA
Maryville (52%) vs Tusculum (48%)
MIVA
Queens (14%) vs Ball State (86%)
Quincy (19%) vs McKendree (81%)
MPSF
Stanford (21%) vs Grand Canyon (79%)
SIAC
Edward Waters (85%) vs Benedict (15%)
Central State (40%) vs Fort Valley State (60%)
Kentucky State (64%) vs Morehouse (36%)
Kentucky State (64%) vs Morehouse (36%)
Non-conference
Harvard (25%) vs Daemen (75%)
Sacred Heart (2%) vs Hawai'i (98%)
Charleston (40%) vs CSU Northridge (60%)
Penn State (43%) vs Long Beach (57%)
Dominican (31%) vs Merrimack (69%)
St. Thomas Aquinas (54%) vs Monroe College (46%)
Fairleigh Dickinson (18%) vs NJIT (82%)
Lincoln Memorial (72%) vs Lindenwood (28%)
Since I'm coaching tonight, the result I'm most interested in is Daemen /Harvard and Merrimack/Dominican as these are for the NEC Brand. For fun, LBSU/PSU and can Belmont Abbey sustain this run with a freshman setter.