VBelo Scouting Report: April 07, 2023
VBelo Scouting Report: April 07, 2023
MIVA madness, SIAC streak broken, and a Big West showdown
Yet again, the MIVA is the spiciest, most drama-filled conference in the nation. I don’t have a metric to measure volleyball spiciness, but if you have ideas for it let me know. Quincy pulled off a solid upset against McKendree in 5 sets. But the big news was Ball State sweeping Loyola in Muncie. With just one match left to play for each MIVA team, the three-way tie chaos scenario is still a possibility.
Currently, Loyola has a 1 match lead on Ohio State and Ball State in the conference standings. If Ohio State defeats Loyola (at OSU) AND Ball State defeats Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday, then we will have a 3-way tie atop the MIVA. In the event of a 3-way tie, all three teams would have the same records against each other (2-2). If the MIVA follows normal convention, then the tie-break goes to sets won/lost between tied teams. Ball State would have the advantage and get first place, regardless of how many sets Loyola wins. Of course, this only holds true if Loyola loses to Ohio State. Even if Ohio State sweeps Loyola, the Ramblers will have lost fewer sets so they would get 2nd place. This is the chaos sports nerds live for!
Also, this victory was huge for Ball State’s RPI. The Cardinals move up to #8 from #10, switching places with Loyola. They are also on the heels of UC Irvine. This is the excitement we need!
Also worth noting is that Morehouse broke their streak and got their first set-win in program history. It all has to start somewhere and I can’t wait for a time when the Maroon Tigers are real contenders.
I don’t need to tell you today is a huge day in volleyball. Conference matches happening all over. The match with serious post season implications will be the late match in Hawaiʻi. UC Irvine will be looking to stay undefeated in the Big West. Grand Canyon will also be looking to keep their postseason hopes alive with a win against Stanford.
Match Recaps
IVA
Queens (49%) def. Limestone (51%)
3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-17)
MIVA
Ohio State (63%) def. Purdue Fort Wayne (37%)
3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-15)
Lewis (57%) def. Lindenwood (43%)
3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23)
Quincy (36%) def. McKendree (64%)
3-2 (27-25, 16-25, 26-24, 19-25, 15-13)
Ball State (55%) def. Loyola Chicago (45%)
3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 27-25)
MPSF
Concordia-Irvine (24%) def. Pepperdine (76%)
3-1 (18-25, 25-17, 25-17, 26-24)
UCLA (92%) def. Southern California (8%)
3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-22)
SIAC
Central State (61%) def. Fort Valley State (39%)
3-2 (20-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-23, 15-13)
Kentucky State (47%) def. Morehouse (53%)
3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 25-20)
Match Projections
Big West
UC Santa Barbara (55%) vs UC San Diego (45%)
Long Beach (84%) vs CSU Northridge (16%)
UC Irvine (15%) vs Hawai'i (85%)
EIVA
Princeton (37%) vs Charleston (63%)
Penn State (83%) vs George Mason (17%)
Harvard (36%) vs NJIT (64%)
MPSF
Grand Canyon (63%) vs Stanford (37%)
NEC
Long Island (74%) vs Fairleigh Dickinson (26%)
Merrimack (42%) vs D'Youville (58%)
St. Francis-Brooklyn (26%) vs Saint Francis (74%)
Sacred Heart (14%) vs Daemen (86%)
SIAC
Central State (87%) vs Morehouse (13%)
Non-conference
Lincoln Memorial (73%) vs Mount Olive (27%)
American International (23%) vs Endicott (77%)
Tusculum (60%) vs Barton (40%)
Tweet of the Day
