VBelo Scouting Report: March 06, 2023

Sunday double cinco action

Mar 06, 2023

Only two matches yesterday but they did not disappoint (unless your favorite team lost, of course). Ball State pulled out a win over UC San Diego in 5 sets. The Cardinals had a big advantage in hitting (.378-.272) and an even bigger advantage in blocks (16-2). Senior Ryan Ka (UCSD) did everything in his power to keep the Tritons in the match. His career-high 31 kills surely were enough, but the production for the other Triton arms was just not there. Only one other Triton had double digit kills (Sam Warren - 11). Meanwhile, Ball State was able to dominate the net and rely on their strong outsides to get the win.

In the other match, Penn State outlasted UC Irvine in another 5 set match! If this was the national championship match, volleyball fans would be rejoicing at the level of competition. After this incredible display of volleyball, it’s not unreasonable to picture these two teams meeting again in May. The Anteaters were led by Sani and Henno, each with over 20 kills. Henno also had 9 aces and that is not a typo. Penn State spread their attack around a bit more with 7 players having 5 or more kills. Penn State was also able to control the net, out-blocking UCI 24-10.

This can’t be said enough. It is the first week of March and we are getting post-season level volleyball. Buckle up, because we still have 2 months to go!

Today we have just three matches. They all feature NAIA opponents. It should be noted though that none of the 3 NAIA teams are ranked in their top 15 coaches’ poll. Also, the D-I/II teams playing today are all ranked in the bottom 20, in terms of VBelo. These matches could give some good experience and momentum for these programs. Since VBelo doesn’t know much about NAIA teams, you should definitely take all of today’s predictions with a larger grain of salt than usual.