Sometimes Going to the Bench Backfires

Another wild day in Men's Volleyball. I'm not sure why we expect anything less at this point.

Feb 03, 2024

Over at the Harvard Invitational, many were surprised by Daemen defeating UCSB in 5. This was Daemen's second-ever win over a ranked opponent. The Gauchos rested most regular starters, including Geste Bianchi who leads the nation with 4.74 kills/set. Even with these roster changes, I don't think this match should have an asterisk. Daemen is a solid team and showed that they have what it takes to win yesterday.

The VBelo model had that match as exceptionally close at 49/51. VBelo thinks that Daemen is better than many fans (and coaches?) would give them credit for. The model also doesn't think that one win against a top team makes UCSB a top team. You put those together and you end up with a recipe for a surprise.

Load management is all the rage in sports these days, but is losing worth the rest? Would you have put some (or all) of your typical starters in if you were coaching a match like this? To add to the calculus of the decision, UCSB has no seniors on its roster, which means they are planning for the future, and not just 2024.

Three Intriguing Matches

Pepperdine at FDU - Some matches are about so much more than the teams and the score. The DezyStrong Foundation Game is exactly that. We get to remember the impact of Matthew "Dezy" DiStefano on and off the court. The match is good for the sport and even better for our world.
Daemen vs Grand Canyon - After surprising the UCSB backups, Daemen wants to knock off one of the four undefeated teams left. The Lopes are the heavy favorites, but this season has shown us that just about anything can happen. But will it happen here?
Merrimack at Dominican - Two newer teams to the Men's Volleyball scene, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth matching. Good things are happening at both of these programs so I would add it to my watch list. There is a lot of volleyball today so that is saying something.

Match Recaps

MIVA

Lewis (72%) def. McKendree (28%)
3-1 (25-18, 19-25, 25-21, 25-16)

Queens (59%) def. Quincy (41%)
3-2 (25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 15-8)

SIAC

Kentucky State (12%) def. Benedict (88%)
3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 29-31, 25-17, 15-12)

This was Kentucky State’s first ever win over conference foe Benedict.

Harvard Invitational

Daemen (49%) def. UC Santa Barbara (51%)
3-2 (25-20, 28-26, 22-25, 19-25, 16-14)

Daemen causing poll chaos.

Grand Canyon (84%) def. Harvard (16%)
3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-14)

Non-conference

Hawai'i (99%) def. Tusculum (1%)
3-0 (25-11, 25-16, 25-17)

Stanford (89%) def. CSU Northridge (11%)
3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-20, 25-14)

Long Beach (97%) def. King (3%)
3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-17)

UCLA (83%) def. UC Irvine (17%)
3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 28-26, 25-22)

UCLA defending home court.

Southern California (64%) def. UC San Diego (36%)
3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-21)

Lincoln Memorial (80%) def. Erskine (20%)
3-1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-14, 25-16)

Sacred Heart (88%) def. American International (12%)
3-0 (25-14, 25-9, 25-16)

Fairleigh Dickinson (73%) def. Dominican (27%)
3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-13)

Charleston (91%) def. Thomas More (9%)
3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-13)

NJIT (57%) def. Long Island (43%)
3-2 (27-25, 22-25, 22-25, 25-13, 15-7)

Penn State (77%) def. Ball State (23%)
3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-19)

Princeton (73%) def. Pepperdine (27%)
3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-23)

Maryville (81%) def. Olivet (19%)
3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-18)

Missouri S&T (84%) def. Saint Xavier (16%)
3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-9)

Purdue Fort Wayne (59%) def. Saint Francis (41%)
3-2 (25-23, 16-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13)

Edward Waters (87%) def. Talladega College (13%)
3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-22)

Match Projections

MIVA

Queens (65%) vs Quincy (35%)

Harvard Invitational

Daemen (23%) vs Grand Canyon (77%)

UC Santa Barbara (59%) vs Harvard (41%)

Non-conference

CSU Northridge (10%) vs Stanford (90%)

King (3%) vs Long Beach (97%)

Lincoln Memorial (89%) vs Emmanuel (11%)

Merrimack (64%) vs Dominican (36%)

Russell Sage (50%) vs St. Thomas Aquinas (50%)

Central State (9%) vs Charleston (91%)

Penn State (86%) vs Purdue Fort Wayne (14%)

Missouri S&T (22%) vs McKendree (78%)

Roberts Wesleyan (53%) vs Houghton (47%)

Pepperdine (75%) vs Fairleigh Dickinson (25%)

Benedict (61%) vs Truett-McConnell (39%)

Benedict (68%) vs Milligan (32%)

Kentucky State (35%) vs St. Andrews (65%)

Kentucky State (35%) vs Warren Wilson (65%)