I’m going to keep it nice and short today.1 Yesterday went pretty much as expected. The biggest surprise was how dominant Grand Canyon looked. The sets were close, but GCU could not be stopped. They hit a blistering .511% for the match! Jackson Hickman racked up 17 kills in just 3 sets. Part of the reason there were so many kills is because the ball was constantly in play. The two teams combined for 2 aces and 4 blocks but 50 digs. That gave both teams plenty of opportunities to get those kills…and they did.
Today the Outrigger Invitational kicks off in Hawai’i with an absolutely stacked lineup. Everyone is talking about the top three (Hawai’i, UCLA, & Penn State), but let’s not forget Purdue Fort Wayne. They may not be getting the hype of the other teams, but they can hold their own with any team. It will be an uphill battle for them, but you cannot count out the Mastodons. UCLA and Penn State will get a rematch from earlier in the season and VBelo has this as a toss up. Looking at the numbers Penn State has the slightest of edges but really this could go either way. Both teams have talent all over the court and it is just going to come down to who plays better today. The chances of seeing this same matchup a third time in the national tournament is high. Both of these programs want redemption after the way their 2022 seasons ended. I don’t know who is going to win, but I do know that high level volleyball is about to be played. And for that, I am thankful.
Match Recaps
NEC
Long Island (69%) def. D'Youville (31%) 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20)
Gio Collazo (LIU) led the Sharks with 14 kills and posted a strong .545% hitting percentage.
Non-conference
Lewis (63%) def. Queens (37%) 3-0 (31-29, 25-21, 25-15)
Antonio Rodriguez-Elias (LU) had a great night from the service line with 5 aces.
Grand Canyon (57%) def. Ball State (43%) 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 25-19)
Nicholas Slight (GCU) ran the offense with 45 assists in 3 sets. That’s 15 assists per set!
