On Thursdays, the VBelo Report has an extended edition that is more than just scores and projections. Yesterday was a really interesting examination of some of the growing pains men’s volleyball is facing, in case you missed it.
Jessup & the Growing Quagmire of MVB Conferences
A couple of weeks ago, I highlighted the new teams for the 2025 season. Thankfully, I have great readers who ask great questions, make quality observations, and point out the times where I make mistakes. One of those mistakes was omitting Jessup University from that list. But there is some nuance here.
Yesterday's Scores
Non-conference
Quincy (47%) def. King (53%)
3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-21)
#19 George Mason (73%) def. Queens (27%)
3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-19)
Catawba (76%) def. Benedict (24%)
3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-18)
Purdue Fort Wayne (68%) def. Long Island (32%)
3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 23-25, 31-29, 17-15)
#7 Ball State (98%) def. Lees-McRae (2%)
3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-12)
#3 UCLA (89%) def. #14 UC San Diego (11%)
3-1 (25-22, 25-14, 24-26, 31-29)
Today's Match Projections
Emmanuel Tri-Match
Barry (28%) vs Emmanuel (72%)
Barry (27%) vs Fort Valley State (73%)
Fort Valley State (52%) vs Emmanuel (48%)
Non-conference
Concordia (2%) vs #1 Long Beach (98%)
#5 BYU (36%) vs #2 UC Irvine (64%)
#3 UCLA (88%) vs #15 CSU Northridge (12%)
Maryville (11%) vs #7 Ball State (89%)
Missouri S&T (4%) vs #8 Loyola Chicago (96%)
#16 UC Santa Barbara (7%) vs #10 Grand Canyon (93%)
Mount Olive (23%) vs #13 Lewis (77%)
Vanguard (2%) vs #14 UC San Diego (98%)
Saint Francis (57%) vs #18 Princeton (43%)
King (5%) vs #19 George Mason (95%)
Edward Waters (21%) vs St. Thomas Aquinas (79%)
Marymount (17%) vs Barton (83%)
Queens (50%) vs NJIT (50%)
Roberts Wesleyan (18%) vs Fairleigh Dickinson (82%)
Dominican (4%) vs Daemen (96%)
Kansas Wesleyan (33%) vs Rockhurst (67%)
We just don't know yet who will rise from the 5-35 range to be a threat as teams are still figuring out lineups. So many injuries & illness early will yield to different lineups during conference play. But by that time the at large bids may only have a few candidates for those 2 spots. This is an important 2 -3 week stretch.