VBelo Scouting Report: February 08, 2023
Conference Carolinas double-header
The Charleston Golden Eagles stay golden. They are now 9-0 and are the only team in the country to not drop a single set. They handled Alderson Broaddus with relative ease and get a rest day today before a double-header tomorrow. According to VBelo, Charleston had a 0.33% (or about a 1 in 300) chance of being undefeated through these 9 matches. They have been the favorite in 7 of those matches but after this week, their schedule looks significantly tougher.
The SIAC had 5 matches today and they came out 1-4 against their NAIA opponents. The sole winner was Benedict who improved to 3-0 on the season. Ras Jesse Delancy (Benedict) had one of the best hitting performances in recent memory and easily the most impressive stat line of the year. His 35 kills in only 4 sets is incredibly impressive, but it is even more impressive when you add in that he only had 2 hitting errors! The SIAC is still building the foundation for a strong conference, but it is players like Delancy that give me hope that the SIAC is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the next few years.
Today we have an early February treat. We don’t get 1, but 2 conference matchups down in the Carolinas. To make it even better, we don’t have to wait for the busy weekend to enjoy these matches. Belmont Abbey and Erskine would both like to start conference play with a win as they work towards .500 records. North Greenville will be looking to start their conference championship defense against the team with the most games played so far this season, King (13). VBelo likes NGU for this matchup, but King is an interesting team this year as they have had a grueling schedule to start the season with some of the best team in the country.
In the non-conference matchups, #6 Pepperdine and #7 UC Irvine should be an exciting match. Pepperdine is undefeated at home this season and UCI is 1-2 in away matches, so it is not that surprising that VBelo has the Waves as the 3-1 favorites over the Anteaters. Also, Purdue Fort Wayne, who only has 1 loss on the season, is always worth giving a watch. Jon Diedrich is one of the most electric players to watch right now and the Mastodons are playing great volleyball.
Match Recaps
Non-conference
Sacred Heart (57%) def. American International (43%)
3-1 (19-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-20)
Nick Galasso (SHU) finished just shy of a double-double (9 kills, 9 digs) to go along with his 2 blocks.
Charleston (73%) def. Alderson Broaddus (27%)
3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-16)
Veit Bils (UC) had a season high 6 blocks to go along with a perfect 4 for 4 hitting and 3 digs. A middle with 3 digs in 3 sets!
Life (63%) def. Morehouse (37%)
3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-13)
Thomas More (38%) def. Central State (62%)
3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-20)
Victor Scherer (Central) had 24 digs in the loss, his third match this season reaching the 20 dig mark.
Benedict (69%) def. Truett-McConnell (31%)
3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 24-26, 25-18)
Ras Jesse Delancy (Benedict) with an unreal stat line. 35 kills, 2 errors, .673 pct!!! Wow. Just, wow.
Reinhardt (41%) def. Fort Valley State (59%)
3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 25-13)
Campbellsville (68%) def. Kentucky State (32%)
3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-14)
Match Projections
ConfCarolinas
Belmont Abbey (35%) vs Erskine (65%)
North Greenville (57%) vs King (43%)
Non-conference
UC Irvine (28%) vs Pepperdine (72%)
CSU Northridge (22%) vs Princeton (78%)
Purdue Fort Wayne (66%) vs Maryville (34%)
Merrimack (33%) vs Harvard (67%)
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