VBelo Scouting Report: March 17, 2023
VBelo Scouting Report: March 17, 2023
Big West drama is heating up
Big West conference play is really just getting started. Yesterday we got a great glimpse of the drama we have to look forward to for the next month. UCSD, who graduated almost their entire starting rotation last season, was able to beat #12 CSUN in straight sets. VBelo only gave them a 33% chance of winning, but that is all they needed. In the other Big West match, #6 UC Irvine survived a big upset by unranked UCSB. VBelo had this as a tossup, which surprised me. It turns out that that projection looks pretty accurate in hindsight. The Anteaters are incredible from the service line and I don’t think anyone wants to be on the receiving end. If this is what the Big West looks like this year, I don’t hate it.
We have a bunch of great matches today all over the country. The two remaining one-loss teams will both see the court tonight: Hawai’i and Grand Canyon. They both are favorites and playing at home so it won’t be too surprising if they both stay at one loss. With such great matches this weekend, I hope you are able to make it to a match or at least live stream one.
Match Recaps
Big West
UC Irvine (48%) def. UC Santa Barbara (52%)
3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-11, 15-11)
Francesco Sani (UCI) led the way in the reverse sweep with 21 kills, 11 digs, and 6 aces.
UC San Diego (33%) def. CSU Northridge (67%)
3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-20)
Ryan Ka (UCSD) came up one dig shy of the double-double (13 kills & 9 digs) in the upset win.
NEC
Long Island (57%) def. St. Francis-Brooklyn (43%)
3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 25-14, 23-25, 15-12)
Luca Holanda (LIU) led the Sharks’ with a double-double (41 assists & 10 digs).
Non-conference
Loyola Chicago (77%) def. Charleston (23%)
3-1 (25-14, 16-25, 25-21, 25-16)
Parker Van Buren (LUC) had yet another great match with 18 kills (.455%) and 9 digs.
Belmont Abbey (66%) def. Fairleigh Dickinson (34%)
3-2 (25-22, 18-25, 31-29, 21-25, 15-8)
Jamal Ellis Carballo (FDU) had a very impressive double-double (21 kills & 16 digs) in the tough 5-set loss.
Saint Francis (42%) def. NJIT (58%)
3-1 (28-30, 25-20, 25-14, 25-15)
Brandon Dunz (SFU) was errorless with his 6 kills and added 7 blocks in the win.
Match Projections
Big West
UC Santa Barbara (34%) vs UC Irvine (66%)
Long Beach (27%) vs Hawai'i (73%)
ConfCarolinas
Mount Olive (31%) vs Erskine (69%)
Barton (22%) vs Emmanuel (78%)
MPSF
UCLA (81%) vs Stanford (19%)
SIAC
Edward Waters (49%) vs Benedict (51%)
Non-conference
Charleston (38%) vs Purdue Fort Wayne (62%)
Daemen (40%) vs Pepperdine (60%)
NJIT (42%) vs Queens (58%)
Fairleigh Dickinson (23%) vs George Mason (77%)
Princeton (25%) vs Grand Canyon (75%)
Fort Valley State (38%) vs Tusculum (62%)
American International (23%) vs Merrimack (77%)
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