VBelo Scouting Report: April 21, 2022
VBelo Scouting Report: April 21, 2022
Cinderella has entered the finals
Purdue. Fort. Wayne. If you had Ball State vs Purdue Fort Wayne in the MIVA finals at the beginning of the year, I would call you a dirty liar. Yesterday was just another example of how wildly exciting the MIVA has been this year.
The only other upset that happened yesterday was Stanford taking down Grand Canyon in 4. I wouldn’t say I called it but this was in the Scouting Report said yesterday…
Will Rottman finished with 25 kills to lead the Cardinal to the MPSF semifinals. I know this has been said countless times this year, but last year, Stanford knew it would be the last season for their program. And now they have a post-season victory. This is why we love sports!
Not to be forgotten, today the first men’s volleyball SIAC conference tournament champion will be crowned. Even though this does not have any NCAA tournament implications, this is huge for growing the sport. Central State (the 1 seed) is one win away from claiming both the regular season and tournament title. Since it is a double elimination tournament, if they lose their first match, they will get a second chance at winning it all today. Seriously, more conferences should consider this. It is an awesome format.
Conference Tournament Projections
Conference Carolinas
Mount Olive jumped up from 28% to 39% with its win earlier this week. Obviously they will benefit from playing on their home court, but North Greenville is rested and ready for action.
EIVA
NJIT doubled their chances at winning the tournament yesterday and now sit in the best position to topple the giant that is Penn State. After a year hiatus, it is great to see both Ivy League schools in the semifinals.
MIVA
Ball State is the clear favorite, which is no surprise. Cinderella Purdue Fort Wayne will look to continue its improbable run by beating the 3 seed, 2 seed, and 1 seed.
MPSF
The toss-up match between USC and Pepperdine will have little affect on UCLA’s odds in VBelo since they are so closely matched. UCLA, playing at home, is a good bet to win it all, but there is still room for an upset along the way.
Match Recaps
EIVA Quarterfinals
NJIT (56%) def. George Mason (44%): 3-1
(34-32, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21)
Princeton (54%) def. Saint Francis (46%): 3-0
(25-21, 25-21, 25-23)
MIVA Semifinals
#7/5 Ball State (69%) def. #12 Lewis (31%): 3-0
(25-23, 25-17, 25-15)
#15 Purdue Fort Wayne (30%) def. #11/10 Loyola (70%): 3-0
(32-30, 25-23, 27-25)
MPSF Quarterfinals
#5/6 USC (77%) def. Concordia-Irvine (23%): 3-0
(25-19, 25-22, 25-19)
#8/8 Pepperdine (61%) def. BYU (39%): 3-2
(25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 21-25, 16-14)
#13 Stanford (34%) def. #10 Grand Canyon (66%): 3-1
(25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22)
SIAC
Benedict (71%) def. Morehouse (29%): 3-0
(25-15, 25-12, 25-11)
Fort Valley (65%) def. Kentucky State (35%): 3-0
(25-6, 25-9, 25-20)
Central State (51%) def. Edward Waters (49%): 3-2
(25-18, 19-25, 25-23, 15-25, 15-11)
Benedict (48%) def. Fort Valley (52%): 3-2
(20-25, 25-20, 28-26, 22-25, 15-11)
Match Projections
Rankings reflect the current weekly AVCA Coaches Poll and Off the Block Media Poll.
Big West Quarterfinals
#14 UC Irvine (37%) vs #9/9 UCSD (63%)
CSUN (15%) vs #6/7 UCSB (85%)
EIVA Semifinals
Harvard (41%) vs NJIT (59%)
Princeton (18%) at #2/2 Penn State (82%)
MPSF Semifinals
#13 Stanford (14%) at #1/1 UCLA (86%)
#8/8 Pepperdine (50%) vs #5/6 USC (50%)
For those who want those extra digits, USC is the slight favorite at 50.05%.
SIAC
Benedict (43%) vs Edward Waters (57%)
Central State vs Winner of Benedict/Edward Waters
If Central State loses this match, the teams will play again until a team has 2 total losses in the tournament.
