VBelo Scouting Report: January 23, 2023
VBelo Scouting Report: January 23, 2023
But why is all the volleyball gone?
After two tough away matches to start the season, Central State has compiled a very nice 3-match win streak. Compared to other SIAC teams, they got an early start. Of the 11 matches that SIAC teams have played so far, 5 of them are from Central State and the Marauders have the only wins for the conference so far. To add to their strength, they have a well-rounded attack with 4 players currently averaging at least 2.5 kills per set. For a comparison, Hawai’i, UCLA, Penn State, and Long Beach all have less than 4 players at the 2.5 mark. Yesterday’s win is just further proof that Central State has their eyes on repeating as conference champs.
The other match yesterday was a 5-set battle between Queens (who has the second highest VBelo in the IVA behind only Lincoln Memorial) and first-year NEC program Merrimack. With only 5 matches in program history, VBelo knows very little about the overall strength of this team, but this is a huge win for them and will reflect very well in the rankings. The match got a little chippy at the end, but Head Coach Ray Lewis seems to have this brand new team in tip-top shape. In a poetic gesture from the volley gods, Merrimack and Central State will play each other in one week’s time. That should be a great match to watch!
Today is the first day since the season started on January 4th where there is not volleyball. If you are tired of drinking from the fire hose that is Men’s Volleyball matches, then this is your chance to take a deep breath. If you can’t wait for more, there will be matches tomorrow. In the mean time, I was able to fix the interactive schedule so it should be showing all the matches now. Feel free to play around with the filters to find matches you are interested in.
Match Recaps
Non-conference
Central State (72%) def. Missouri S&T (28%)
3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 27-25)
Nate Meyer (MST) added 2 more aces to his incredible freshman serving campaign. He now has 16 aces in 18 sets played.
Merrimack (22%) def. Queens (78%)
3-2 (25-22, 16-25, 20-25, 31-29, 15-13)
Jack Brinkman (Queens) had 7 aces in the match, a new career high. On the other side of the net, Miles Dewhirst had a match-high 18 kills in this huge win for Merrimack.
