It's Time for MPSF Chaos

The hottest conference of 2024 gets underway with two matches and countless hopes for the postseason.

The Thomas More Saints win a thriller in 5 over Kentucky State. | Thomas More Athletics

The IVA is an often overlooked conference. In its third season, Maryville had a strong win over an underrated Missouri S&T squad. The Saints have a 4-match win streak and the best record in the IVA at 8-3. These Independent teams are incredibly impressive to me. The growth we see in these programs is directly connected to the overall growth of Men’s Volleyball. Personally, I am thrilled for the day when an IVA team makes it to the national tournament and makes a lot of noise on the national scene. I think we are a lot closer to that happening than we were a few years ago.

Today is a big day because the MPSF kicks off its conference schedule. To say that the MPSF had a great non-conference schedule is an understatement.

The MPSF has a winning record against every conference they have faced this year. This includes their 18-12 record against the Big West. I know this conference is hyped up a lot right now, but they appear to be living up to the hype. For conference play, I hope the hype train continues chugging along and we get amazing matches week in and week out.

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Match Recaps

IVA

Maryville (56%) def. Missouri S&T (44%)
3-1 (27-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-17)

Non-conference

Thomas More (84%) def. Kentucky State (16%)
3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-10)

St. Andrews (47%) def. Benedict (53%)
3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-17)

Truett-McConnell (81%) def. Morehouse (19%)
3-1 (20-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-22)

Emmanuel (71%) def. Fort Valley State (29%)
3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-22)

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Match Projections

MIVA

Loyola Chicago (53%) vs Lewis (47%)

MPSF

Southern California (62%) vs Concordia (38%)

Pepperdine (10%) vs UCLA (90%)

Non-conference

Hope International (5%) vs CSU Northridge (95%)

King (9%) vs Lincoln Memorial (91%)

St. John Fisher (31%) vs Roberts Wesleyan (69%)