VBelo Scouting Report: March 15, 2023
The Ides of March
Yesterday, VBelo had North Greenville as the favorite (71%) at home against an NJIT team that has struggled this season. When the dust settled, NJIT was able to power through and get the win in a reverse sweep. These are the types of matches I love. Non-conference matches that help us compare two teams that don’t play all that often. This was only the second all-time meeting between these programs. NJIT may have defied the VBelo odds, but that just means that they are improving in the model and NGU may be reverting to the mean a little more.
Speaking of exciting non-conference matches, today my eyes will be on the Daemen/Concordia matchup. VBelo really likes Daemen. They are the favorite (81%) even though they are the away team. This will be the first ever meeting of these two programs. The Wildcats are on a 10 match win streak and are 1 of only 4 one-loss teams in the country. In spite of this, they are not getting any attention on the national coaches’ poll. Concordia has given some of the top teams in the country some issues so this match will be an interesting one.
Match Recaps
ConfCarolinas
Erskine (50%) def. Emmanuel (50%)
3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-21)
Jon Fuller (EC) was a force at the net with 9 total blocks.
King (69%) def. Belmont Abbey (31%)
3-2 (23-25, 33-31, 25-17, 18-25, 15-11)
Warren Davis (KU) had an incredible night in the 5 set win. He finished with 25 kills and 13 digs.
NEC
Long Island (68%) def. St. Francis-Brooklyn (32%)
3-1 (25-27, 25-20, 25-22, 25-20)
Patrick Rogers (SFBK) with a great double-double (18 kills & 10 digs) in the loss.
SIAC
Fort Valley State (71%) def. Morehouse (29%)
3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-15)
The Fort Valley State Wildcats combined for 15 aces in the sweep, including 5 from Isaiah Fedd.
Non-conference
UC Santa Barbara (67%) def. Harvard (33%)
3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-18)
Owen Birg (UCSB) continues his breakout season by adding 15 kills with a .500 hitting percentage.
NJIT (29%) def. North Greenville (71%)
3-2 (20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-23, 15-13)
Josh Gregg (NJIT) did it all for the Highlanders. 17 kills, 14 digs, and 5 aces.
Match Projections
MIVA
Ohio State (28%) vs Ball State (72%)
Non-conference
Daemen (81%) vs Concordia-Irvine (19%)
Missouri Baptist (29%) vs Missouri S&T (71%)
Harvard (22%) vs Pepperdine (78%)
Edward Waters (34%) vs Limestone (66%)
Princeton (26%) vs Grand Canyon (74%)
Rogers plays for the losing team
No problem