Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

Saturdays are non-stop action in the volleyball world. Today is no different.

Harvard with the 5-set victory over Sacred Heart. | Harvard Athletics

Does it feel good when the model projects a close matchup? Yes, yes it does. The closest match yesterday, according to the VBelo model, was Harvard and Sacred Heart. That match ended up going all the way to 5 sets as Harvard pulled out the win. The Crimson were slightly favored at 53% for the match. Not every match that VBelo projects to be tightly contested pans out that way, but many do. Yesterday was an excellent example of it working out in the model's favor and I love to see it.

Here is a quick recap of yesterday's Three Intriguing Matches.

1. Pepperdine at Long Beach - The Beach swept the Waves.¹ About as close as VBelo projected, but not as interesting as it could have been.

2. Harvard at Scared Heart - Exactly what we hoped for: a 5-set thriller.

3. UC Irvine at BYU - Anteaters upset BYU in Provo. The rematch will be must-watch volleyball.

In the words of Meatloaf, "Two out of three ain't bad." So let's do it again!

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Three Intriguing Matches

1. UC Irvine at BYU - The rematch. These two teams know how important this match is. They both want it. Will the Courgars be tired? Will the Anteaters be able to win away twice? This is top-tier volleyball.

2. NJIT vs Queens - This neutral-court matchup could be a close one, according to VBelo. After the upset victory over Saint Francis yesterday in 5, will the Highlanders have enough in the tank?

3. George Mason at Loyola - These two teams both have the ability to upset top teams. Loyola has the edge for this match, but George Mason can put up a good fight.

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Match Recaps

Non-conference

Hawai'i (85%) def. Purdue Fort Wayne (15%)
3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-12)

Long Beach (86%) def. Pepperdine (14%)
3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-21)

UC Irvine (26%) def. BYU (74%)
3-1 (22-25, 27-25, 25-18, 25-20)

UCLA (94%) def. UC San Diego (6%)
3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-17)

Lincoln Memorial (94%) def. Emmanuel (6%)
3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-18)

Erskine (68%) def. Benedict (32%)
3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-18)

McKendree (55%) def. King (45%)
3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-17)

Merrimack (87%) def. American International (13%)
3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-15)

D'Youville (64%) def. Dominican (36%)
3-0 (28-26, 25-16, 25-21)

Fairleigh Dickinson (90%) def. St. Thomas Aquinas (10%)
3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-19)

Lewis (68%) def. George Mason (32%)
3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-20)

Harvard (53%) def. Sacred Heart (47%)
3-2 (25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 15-9)

NJIT (30%) def. Saint Francis (70%)
3-2 (26-24, 25-17, 25-27, 18-25, 15-11)

Morningside University (16%) def. Missouri S&T (84%)
3-2 (17-25, 25-22, 26-24, 12-25, 15-12)

Missouri S&T (81%) def. Viterbo University (19%)
3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-17)

Loyola Chicago (74%) def. Long Island (26%)
3-0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-20)

Roberts Wesleyan (62%) def. Houghton (38%)
3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-17)

Mount Olive (88%) def. Eastern Mennonite (12%)
3-1 (25-19, 25-18, 17-25, 25-16)

Redeemer (29%) def. Roberts Wesleyan (71%)
3-2 (25-22, 27-25, 23-25, 21-25, 15-12)

Mount Olive (85%) def. Virginia Wesleyan (15%)
3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-13, 25-23)

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Match Projections

Non-conference

Central State (15%) vs CSU Northridge (85%)

Concordia (4%) vs Long Beach (96%)

UC Irvine (37%) vs BYU (63%)

King (32%) vs Lindenwood (68%)

Charleston (29%) vs Lincoln Memorial (71%)

George Mason (34%) vs Loyola Chicago (66%)

NJIT (44%) vs Queens (56%)

McKendree (63%) vs Maryville (37%)

Missouri S&T (82%) vs Ottawa University-Kansas (18%)

Missouri S&T (75%) vs Park (25%)

Long Island (19%) vs Lewis (81%)

St. Andrews (9%) vs Mount Olive (91%)

Barton (74%) vs Eastern Mennonite (26%)

Randolph-Macon (11%) vs Mount Olive (89%)

Barton (68%) vs Virginia Wesleyan (32%)

1. Grammatically, it feels like waves should sweep the beach. But that has nothing to do with these teams.