One Match Monday
One Match Monday
The weekend was full of upsets and competitive matches all across the country. There is no time to rest as we have another match today.
There might only be one match today, but I'm sure the volleyball world will be abuzz. The latest AVCA Coaches Poll will come out today and there is sure to be some movement. I'm still waiting for more matches to be played before releasing the VBelo rankings for each team. I want to give each team the ability to move the needle on their rating by playing some matches. Except to see a ranking sometime in February, however.
In the meantime, we can see what the coaches and media think of the teams this season and let VBelo continue to run the numbers in the background. More important than polls and rankings, however, let's enjoy some spectacular volleyball!
Five Undefeateds Remaining
January has given us no shortage of drama in the volleyball world. Near the end of the first month, we are left with only five undefeated teams. These teams are not created equal, though. Let's take a look.
For Quincy & D'Youville, their early season success comes from having very easy schedules, compared to the rest of the league. Out of 58 teams, their schedules come in at 52nd and 57th, according to VBelo. If they continue to win with tougher competition, then things could get really interesting.
For the top three teams, there are some interesting numbers here. Stanford has had the toughest schedule, by quite a bit, but has not been able to create a large margin of victory. In terms of average point differential per set, at 3 points/set, they are the lowest on the chart.
Then you have Grand Canyon and Long Beach. Their schedule difficulty is about the same, right in the middle. Long Beach seems to have the advantage here, however. Not only are they creating a larger margin of victory than GCU, but they are keeping their opponents to an incredibly low hitting percentage. Strictly looking at these, it wouldn't be difficult to argue that Long Beach is having the best start of the season.
But what do you think? Which undefeated team is most impressive to you?
Match Recaps
Non-conference
Hawai'i (79%) def. Ball State (21%)
3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 25-19)
D'Youville (79%) def. St. Thomas Aquinas (21%)
3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-7)
Charleston (84%) def. Tusculum (16%)
3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-15)
Penn State (66%) def. Ohio State (34%)
3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 17-15)
Saint Francis (57%) def. Queens (43%)
3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-18)
Match Projections
Non-conference
Emmanuel (22%) vs Edward Waters (78%)