VBelo Scouting Report: March 23, 2023
VBelo Scouting Report: March 23, 2023
Thursdays are for the MIVA
We had two great underdog wins yesterday and both went to 5 sets. Belmont Abbey defeated Limestone to tie up the all-time series record at 11-11. Limestone had been on a 4-match win streak against Belmont Abbey, including 3 sweeps. This was the first win at Limestone for the Crusaders since 2020. BAC was led by Matteo Miselli and his match-high 22 kills. Over in Cambridge, MA, Sacred Heart pulled off the upset over Harvard. Coming into this match, Harvard had won their last 9 against Sacred Heart, going back all the way to 2017. This was Sacred Heart’s first win at Harvard since 2011! It will be interesting to see if these matches are one-offs or if they are hints of growing parity. My bet is on parity, but time will tell.
With their loss yesterday, Morehouse continues their unenviable streak. They are currently 0-14 this season, which makes them the only team to remain winless so far. Last season they finished 0-19, so they are in the midst of a 33 match losing streak. To make matters worse, all of those losses have been sweeps which means they are on a 99 set losing streak. A common theme for this team seems to be serve receive. In their 14 matches, they have been aced 188 times. This is an average of over 13 reception errors per match. If they can tighten up the serve receive game, they stand a real chance of snapping this streak.
Today we have some great MIVA action. While we only have 2 matches, both are MIVA conference matchups. If we have learned anything this year, it is that the MIVA is the wild (mid)west and it seems like just about anyone could win. After suffering their first MIVA loss, Loyola will return home and face a tough Lewis squad. We also have McKendree and Purdue Fort Wayne going head-to-head. Both of these teams are in the bottom half of the MIVA rankings but don’t let that fool you. They are tough and no one wants to face them. Just ask Loyola.
Match Recaps
Non-conference
Life (80%) def. Morehouse (20%)
3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-18)
Rivier (62%) def. American International (38%)
3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 26-24, 25-15)
Belmont Abbey (33%) def. Limestone (67%)
3-2 (29-27, 15-25, 28-26, 20-25, 15-13)
Sacred Heart (29%) def. Harvard (71%)
3-2 (25-12, 18-25, 18-25, 25-22, 15-8)
Tusculum (57%) def. Lees-McRae (43%)
3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23)
Match Projections
MIVA
Lewis (31%) vs Loyola Chicago (69%)
McKendree (29%) vs Purdue Fort Wayne (71%)
