Yesterday we got some really incredible matches. VBelo gave both Long Island and Lindenwood less than 40% chance of getting the win. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t win, it just means that 2 out of 3 times their opponents would be the victors. But yesterday, they both played against the odds to get those hard won victories. Lindenwood snapped a two match losing streak against a very good NJIT (RV) and now every MIVA team who has played a match has at least 1 victory.1 The MIVA looks to be an exciting place again this season!
As if that wasn’t enough, Central State and Erskine went the distance last night and the defending SIAC champs came away with the road win in five. Central State was led by Brazilian freshman Henrique Doederlein Do Amaral with 19 kills and 5 blocks. This was the first win with Head Coach Anitra Brockman and the first win for a SIAC team this year. Interestingly, Central State is the only SIAC team to have played so far and they are already 3 matches into the season!
It’s no secret, today is a day that has been on many volleyball fans’ calendars. We will get our first glimpse of the two-time defending champs, Hawai’i against MIVA favorites Ball State. Expect some high powered offenses and some incredibly high level volleyball. I will be courtside covering the match so stay tuned for some highlights. For those wondering, today the weather in Muncie, IN (Ball State) is a high of 48 and 100% chance of rain. Honolulu has a high of 78 and currently a 0% change of rain.2
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Long Island (33%) def. Queens (67%) 3-1 (20-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-16)
Luca Holanda (LIU) finished with 40 assists and helped lead his team to a .324 hitting percentage on the way to their second straight victory to start the season.
Springfield (46%) def. St. Francis-Brooklyn (54%) 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-21)
Lewis (64%) def. King (36%) 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-15)
Christian Prayer (Lewis) had a fantastic night with 12 kills (.304 hitting pct) and 4 aces in the 3-set sweep.
