Welcome to the Conference Era
24 matches. 7 conferences. 1 amazing Friday.
This weekend will be our first taste of the 2024 Conference Era. Seven of the nine conferences will be battling it out. The two holdouts this weekend are the Big West and SIAC. Down in the SIAC, they have already started conference play with Kentucky State beating Benedict early this month. That just leaves the Big West.
The MIVA is not only the largest conference, but they have played the most conference matches so far. Here is a quick look at where things stand coming into today.
Three Intriguing Matches
Grand Canyon at BYU - The only undefeated left, Grand Canyon, will face a very tough BYU side in an even tougher environment, Smith Fieldhouse. There is approximately a 100% chance1 that this match is action-packed. It doesn’t hurt that VBelo has this as a toss-up at 45/55.
Roberts Wesleyan at St. Thomas Aquinas - We finally have the very first Men’s Volleyball ECC match! I am thrilled we have another conference entering the fray. Even better, the first matchup is the closest of the day at 48/52!
UC Irvine at Stanford - Both of these programs have been overshadowed by powerhouses in their respective conferences. But make no doubt, they are dangerous any day of the week. If Will Rottman is back, watching him along with Hilir Henno will be something to behold.
Match Recaps
MIVA
Ball State (64%) def. Purdue Fort Wayne (36%)
3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-23)
McKendree (58%) def. Queens (42%)
3-1 (26-28, 25-22, 25-19, 33-31)
Non-conference
UC San Diego (82%) def. Central State (18%)
3-0 (25-9, 25-14, 25-21)
UC Santa Barbara (92%) def. California Lutheran (8%)
3-1 (22-25, 29-27, 26-24, 25-19)
Dominican (64%) def. Bard (36%)
3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-16)
Match Projections
ConfCarolinas
Barton (27%) vs Belmont Abbey (73%)
King (57%) vs Emmanuel (43%)
Lees-McRae (15%) vs Erskine (85%)
Mount Olive (32%) vs North Greenville (68%)
ECC
Roberts Wesleyan (52%) vs St. Thomas Aquinas (48%)
EIVA
Charleston (55%) vs Harvard (45%)
George Mason (45%) vs NJIT (55%)
Penn State (76%) vs Princeton (24%)
IVA
Tusculum (39%) vs Thomas More (61%)
MIVA
Lindenwood (24%) vs Lewis (76%)
Queens (35%) vs McKendree (65%)
Quincy (5%) vs Ohio State (95%)
MPSF
Grand Canyon (45%) vs BYU (55%)
Concordia (20%) vs Southern California (80%)
NEC
Daemen (66%) vs Sacred Heart (34%)
D'Youville (48%) vs Merrimack (52%)
Saint Francis (55%) vs Long Island (45%)
Non-conference
UC Irvine (43%) vs Stanford (57%)
Talladega College (23%) vs Fort Valley State (77%)
Edward Waters (39%) vs UC San Diego (61%)
Cumberland (19%) vs Missouri S&T (81%)
Morehouse (23%) vs Talladega College (77%)
Central State (1%) vs Long Beach (99%)
Roosevelt University (12%) vs Maryville (88%)
This is not based on any model, just my brain. And my brain is very fallible.
Today will be a fun day. The preseason is over for many and there will be carnage. Which road team will breakthrough?
How are match projections calculated?