Drama in the Big West
Drama in the Big West
These last few days have provided soap-opera level drama in the Big West with a post-match kerfuffle and a potential major injury.
Sundays are usually a calm day in the Men’s Volleyball world. Today, not so much. Of the four matches played, there were 6 AVCA ranked teams and three of the matches went to five sets. I think we just got a glimpse of May volleyball this weekend.
I know I have talked about the Outrigger Invitational multiple times, but this tournament lived up to all the hype (and then some). In a span of four days, there were six matches. Four of those matches went all the way to a fifth set! The finale was decided 15-13 in the final frame. Hawaii was able to edge UC Irvine but just barely. In total, the Rainbow Warriors scored one more point than the Anteaters (105-104). This is drama!
There are a lot of storylines to come out of this tournament, here is the quick version:
Hawaii is really good - They just keep winning. Yesterday was the first time in over a month that Hawaii did not sweep their opponent. They have shown they can beat top opponents and they are not afraid to use their bench when needed. The big question mark now is the health of Spyros Chakas (Outrigger Most Outstanding Player) who had to be helped off the court late in set 5 Sunday night.
Grand Canyon has some questions to answer - Being the last undefeated team in the country is a feat. Losing two of three and winning the other with a reverse sweep is not what they had planned. Now they have to return to MPSF play and show what they have learned about themselves this weekend.
Hilir Henno (and UC Irvine) is dangerous - The Anteaters are in rare company after defeating GCU this weekend. Their game plan is not a giant mystery: feed Henno. And it works. He had 89 kills and 175 attacks in three matches. These numbers are baffling.
You can’t sleep on Lewis (or the MIVA) - After getting swept by Hawaii, Lewis regathered and showed that they could compete with the top teams in the country. They defeated UC Irvine and came within points of pulling off a second upset against Grand Canyon. This bodes very well for the strength of the MIVA.
Match Recaps
Outrigger Invitational
Grand Canyon (70%) def. Lewis (30%)
3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-17, 25-14, 15-11)
Hawai'i (78%) def. UC Irvine (22%)
3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 25-22, 17-25, 15-13)
Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge
UCLA (81%) def. Ohio State (19%)
3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-20)
Non-conference
Lincoln Memorial (72%) def. Mount Olive (28%)
3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 28-26, 22-25, 15-7)
Match Projections
Non-conference
Princeton (25%) vs Loyola Chicago (75%)
Clarke University (4%) vs Maryville (96%)
Edward Waters (60%) vs Thomas More (40%)
Tusculum (5%) vs Saint Francis (95%)