Number of the Day
3 - For the 3rd time in history, the Big West will be represented in both teams in the national championship. This is even more impressive since the Big West has only sponsored men’s volleyball since 2018. Monday’s championship will also end the long trend of teams winning back-to-back championships as Long Beach has been eliminated. It’s going to be a great match on Monday.
Yesterday’s Postseason Scores
NCAA Semifinals
#2 Hawai’i (35%) def. #3 Long Beach (65%)
3-1 (25-15, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22)
Tread Rosenthal suffered a lower body injury in Set 3, but that didn’t stop the AVCA Player of the Year Finalist and 1st Team All-American from doing everything he could for his team. He finished with 36 assists, 2 kills, 2 aces, 5 digs, and 5 blocks. Speaking of blocks, Hawaii out-blocked Long Beach 14-6 to earn a trip to the National Championship match.
UC Irvine (51%) def. #4 Ball State (49%)
3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 27-25, 25-19)
UC Irvine hit .362 for the match while keeping Ball State to only .234. The Anteaters were carried on the broad shoulders of Trevor Clark. The middle finished with 14 kills (tying a career high from last week) and a hitting percentage of .722!
NCAA Championship
Monday, May 11th
7 pm ET / 4 pm PT / 1 pm HT
ESPN 2
Tell your family. Tell your friends. Tell strangers on the street. The more viewers the better it is for the sport.