Let’s start with the big news: NEW TEAM ALERT! Talladega College announced that they will be sponsoring Men’s Volleyball starting next season and joining the SIAC. Let’s give a big welcome to the Tornadoes out of Talladega, Alabama!1 When schools decide to sponsor Men’s Volleyball, we all win.
Going into yesterday, VBelo had Grand Canyon and Pepperdine as a coin toss and it sure felt like that. The match not only went to #CincoSets but the final set went into overtime! The Lopes were out-hit in the final 3 sets, but still were able to pull off the win in the fifth set. Jaylen Jasper did all that he could (and maybe more?) with his 30 kills, a season high. I had a chance to watch part of this match and my big takeaway was that Rico Wardlow is probably the most impactful transfer of the year. His offensive threat (12 kills on 18 errorless swings) frees up the pins to unleash endless kills. This GCU team looks scary good and they just keep finding ways to win.
With Benedict’s loss yesterday, there are now only 3 unbeaten teams left: Charleston, Grand Canyon, & Hawai’i. For those wondering, there are now 5 one-loss teams: Benedict, Daemen, Edward Waters, Penn State, & UCLA.
Today’s slate of matches is small as we prepare for the deluge that is Friday. In the first SIAC match of the year, we get a repeat of the conference tournament finals. Edward Waters has been off for 2 weeks while Central State has continued to squeeze in a ton of matches (the most in the SIAC). The non-conference matchup between Queens and Belmont Abbey is intriguing. BAC has a three-match losing streak against Queens, but they have been looking hot recently. VBelo has this as a close one and I would have to agree. If anything, Belmont Abbey might be a little underestimated by the model right now, but this match will give us more data (which is always a great thing).
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Match Recaps
MIVA
Purdue Fort Wayne (50%) def. McKendree (50%) 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 23-25, 25-20)
The Mastodons and the Bearcats combined for 45 blocks in 4 sets!
Loyola Chicago (55%) def. Lewis (45%) 3-1 (27-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-22)
Parker Van Buren (ULC) continues to shine for the Ramblers with his 24 kills. He came into tonight 11th in the country in kills per set at 4.05.
