VBelo Scouting Report: February 17, 2023
VBelo Scouting Report: February 17, 2023
MIVA: Must-watch, Intense Volleyball Action
The MIVA: so hot right now. Tied at the top of the conference are Ohio State and Loyola-Chicago at 3-0. With all of the attention on the MPSF and Big West, it can be easy to forget that the MIVA is a powerhouse of a conference. There are 5 MIVA teams in the VBelo Top 15 right now. Yesterday, Ohio State won a thriller that featured 42 total lead changes. On Saturday, one of these MIVA unbeatens will fall as they will face each other in Chicago.
Today is a Friday and you know what that means: All. The. Matches. We have 19 lined up for today all over the country. Charleston will look to keep their perfect season alive against EIVA foe Harvard. In a battle of top 10 teams, Pepperdine and Stanford will face off. UCLA and BYU have a great MPSF matchup and Long Beach will look to bounce back against visitors NJIT. 3 of the 4 undefeated teams will be playing today (Hawai’i, Grand Canyon, and Charleston). VBelo gives it a 31% chance that all three teams stay undefeated. Let me know what you think in some of the polls below.
Now is a great time to point out something really cool about the VBelo model. Last night Hawai’i had a 97% chance of beating Concordia. They won, but they did drop a set. Since Hawai’i was such a strong favorite and only won 3-1, they gained 2.7 VBelo points. Concordia may have lost, but because they did win 1 set against such a strong team, they actually increased by 2.3 VBelo points. Tonight Hawai’i “only” has a 95% chance of winning because of how the model adjusted to last night’s outcome. Winning matches is the biggest factor in the model, but how you win also matters.
Match Recaps
ConfCarolinas
Belmont Abbey (34%) def. King (66%)
3-1 (25-19, 26-24, 15-25, 25-23)
Matthew Staskunas (BAC) led all players with 15 kills in this upset win for the home team.
MIVA
Ohio State (41%) def. Purdue Fort Wayne (59%)
3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 34-32, 25-19)
Jacob Pasteur (OSU) with a big time double-double (19 kills & 10 digs) in this conference matchup.
Loyola Chicago (55%) def. Ball State (45%)
3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-22)
Kaleb Jenness (BSU) and his 21 kills weren’t enough to hold off Loyola and their .337 hitting percentage.
Non-conference
Hawai'i (97%) def. Concordia-Irvine (3%)
3-1 (25-14, 22-25, 25-15, 25-23)
Brett Sheward (UH), normally the starting Libero, had a career high 55 assists as the Setter.
Fort Valley State (27%) def. Lees-McRae (73%)
3-1 (25-23, 25-13, 15-25, 25-23)
This was Fort Valley’s first win in program history against a team not in the NAIA or SIAC. This is what growing the game looks like!
CSU Northridge (72%) def. Benedictine (28%)
3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-23)
Kyle Hobus (CSUN) with his 11 kills has reached double-digit kills in 12 of CSUN’s 14 matches this season.
Match Projections
ConfCarolinas
Erskine (70%) vs Barton (30%)
Emmanuel (39%) vs Mount Olive (61%)
EIVA
Harvard (43%) vs Charleston (57%)
Princeton (15%) vs Penn State (85%)
MIVA
Lindenwood (24%) vs Lewis (76%)
Quincy (15%) vs McKendree (85%)
MPSF
Pepperdine (52%) vs Stanford (48%)
BYU (21%) vs UCLA (79%)
Grand Canyon (58%) vs Southern California (42%)
NEC
Fairleigh Dickinson (27%) vs Long Island (73%)
Daemen (72%) vs Merrimack (28%)
D'Youville (41%) vs Sacred Heart (59%)
Non-conference
NJIT (20%) vs Long Beach (80%)
Central State (52%) vs Adrian (48%)
Concordia-Irvine (5%) vs Hawai'i (95%)
Fort Valley State (32%) vs Belmont Abbey (68%)
Thomas More (57%) vs Kentucky State (43%)
Carolina (54%) vs Alderson Broaddus (46%)
Carolina (54%) vs Alderson Broaddus (46%)
This isn’t a typo. They are playing a double-header. The second match will have slightly different projections once the first match is finished.
