Let’s start with what wasn’t surprising: UCSB and USC going to five. VBelo had this match as a toss up (52/48) and that is how it looked. USC evened the series against UCSB this season and added another win for the MPSF against the Big West this year. Even though the Trojans were out-hit (.170-.221) and the Gauchos scored more total points (104-106), USC was able to come away with the win in five. Most expected a great match and that is what we got!
Let’s talk about some surprises now! First off, Long Island has looked strong to start the season and going to George Mason and getting the win is huge for this sophomore program. Even though VBelo had this as a close match (46/54), this is still a huge win for the Sharks. Then there is Charleston beating Lincoln Memorial and Quincy defeating Limestone. VBelo gave the winners 21% and 20%, respectively, to win their matches and they both pulled it off. We have seen how good LMU can be so I would say this is a huge win for Charleston as they prepare for conference play against the powerhouse that is Penn State. Quincy is trying to create a strong foundation and beating a good independent team is a great launching point for their season. So far, these two matches are 2 of the 3 biggest “upsets” according to VBelo.1 Interestingly LMU is involved in 3 of the 4 biggest “upsets”, as both the winning team and the losing team.
Do you smell that? That is the smell of 22 matches in one day. Actually, if you can smell that, I am so sorry. There are far too many games to highlight each one (a great problem to have), but I do want to draw your attention down to Texas. Although there are no D-I teams in Texas, First Point is doing amazing things to grow the game by bringing volleyball to volleyball deserts. The 2nd Annual First Point Collegiate Challenge has an unbelievable amount of talent this year: Lewis, Penn State, Pepperdine, and Stanford. Combined, their record is 15-2! These are going to be great matches full of great players (and maybe even a sneak peak of some national tournament matchups). Buckle up, because this weekend could be a wild ride.
Quincy made the necessary adjustments and got the #cincosets victory in their first match of the season. In Set 2, the Hawks had a 100% sideout percentage!
King (83%) def. Quincy (17%) 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 27-25, 25-22)
Double double-double for King! Jackson Carroll (15 kills, 11 digs) and Warren Davis (15 kills, 12 digs).
