VBelo Scouting Report: January 22, 2023

140 matches into the season

Jan 22, 2023

After the 20 matches yesterday, there have been a total of 140 matches this season. For a little comparison, on this same day last year there were only 105 matches. In case you needed any proof that the world of collegiate men’s volleyball is growing, now you have some numbers. Yesterday, some really great teams stepped onto the court and showed that they are powerhouses. With 2 very good wins this weekend, Penn State is now just behind Hawai’i in terms of VBelo. The Nittany Lions have a tough schedule these next two weeks while the Rainbow Warriors will face unranked opponents. I wouldn’t be surprised if Penn State is able to take the top spot from Hawai’i if they are still undefeated in 2 weeks.

Special shout out to first-year program Merrimack on their 1st victory! When new teams win, we all win. Keep up the great work. Also worth mentioning, Long Island is really starting to look good this season. They took a set off of #11 Loyola and scored at least 20 points in all 4 sets. They have already climbed into the second spot in the NEC, in terms of VBelo, and have their eyes set on more. Big things are happening in the NEC!

Today we have only 2 matches (which is a welcome breather this weekend). Both first-year programs will be playing away matches. If you are looking for a great way to support the sport, might I recommend tuning into the live stream for either of these matches. The fine people over at Off The Block post links to live stats and streaming, if you want an easy place to find them.

Match Recaps

Non-conference

Charleston (33%) def. King (67%)
3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-16)

UC Irvine (68%) def. Concordia-Irvine (32%)
3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-7)

Ohio State (77%) def. Missouri S&T (23%)
3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-16)

Erskine (67%) def. Fort Valley State (33%)
3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22)

Pepperdine (55%) def. Lewis (45%)
3-1 (25-21, 29-31, 25-18, 25-20)

Bryce Dvorak (Pepperdine) continues to do it all on the court. The setter finished with 52 assists, 2 kills, 6 digs, and 3 aces.

Loyola Chicago (62%) def. Long Island (38%)
3-1 (24-26, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20)

Nicodemus Meyer (Loyola) had a career high 7 blocks, but more importantly, the 6’10” middle blocker had an assist and a dig.

UCLA (85%) def. UC San Diego (15%)
3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-18)

UCLA is very good. That’s the analysis.

Lees-McRae (33%) def. Limestone (67%)
3-2 (25-19, 23-25, 28-26, 24-26, 15-8)

NJIT (72%) def. St. Francis-Brooklyn (28%)
3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 27-25, 25-20)

Patrick Rogers (SFBK) had a spectacular first career match. He had 20 kills, 4 aces, and 6 digs in the loss.

Long Beach (74%) def. George Mason (26%)
3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-16)

Mason Briggs (LBSU) is part magnet and part vacuum cleaner. This was his third straight match with at least 12 digs. All of those matches were only 3 sets long.

BYU (73%) def. Fairleigh Dickinson (27%)
3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-15)

Purdue Fort Wayne (64%) def. Harvard (36%)
3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-19)