Men's College Roundup for Feb. 23

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 23, 2024) – This week, the roundup welcomes back a familiar name to the top-5 in DI/II. UC Irvine jumps two spots from its previous ranking to take the No. 5 position away from Stanford. In DIII, it’s the third straight week that the list has remained stagnant, meaning it’s still Wentworth leading the pack over Stevens, Southern Virginia, Springfield and Cal Lutheran. The college roundup showcases some of the key matches of the week while also highlighting athletes who are part of the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program.

(rankings source: AVCA.org)

NCAA Division I/II

No. 1 Long Beach State

Long Beach State is 12-1 and received 14 votes in this week’s AVCA poll to remain No. 1. The Beach is coming off 3-0 wins vs. Central State and Edward Walters in its two most recent matches.

Match leaders vs. Edward Walters:

• Kills: Sebastiano Sani (10)
• Blocks: Noah Robin (4)

Next up: LBSU faces Lewis on Friday night and then will get ready for a home match vs. Penn State on March 1.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players

Mason Briggs, who had three digs and two assists vs. Edward Walters, was on the 2023 NORCECA Pan Am Cup Final Six team that won gold. He was also part of the 2022 U.S. Men’s National Team and was on the roster for the FIVB World Championship, where the team finished sixth. Mason was named Big West Player of the Week. He is No. 10 in the nation in digs per set (2.27).

Clarke Godbold was a member of the 2023 Collegiate National Team. He was also twice named to the U.S. Men’s U21 National Training Team and competed at the FIVB U19 World Championship in 2019. Clarke is No. 8 in the country in hitting percentage (.395), No. 8 in the nation for kills per set (3.90) and No. 3 in the nation in blocks per set (1.37).

Sebastian Rodriguez had four kills, one ace and two digs vs. Edward Walters. Sebastian was a member of the 2023 Beach U23 National Team and the 2023 Beach Collegiate National Team.

Ben Braun had two kills, two aces and four blocks vs. Edward Walters. Ben was a member of the 2023 Beach Collegiate National Team.

Dane Hillis had two kills, one ace, one assist and one block vs. Edward Walters. Dane was a member of the 2023 U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup and the 2022 U21 National Team that won gold at the Pan Am Cup.

Sebastiano Sani had 10 kills, three aces and two blocks vs. Edward Walters. Sani was on the 2023 U19 National Team that placed fourth at the 2023 U19 World Championships and took gold at the NORCECA U19 Pan Am Cup.

Chris Connelly had two digs vs. Edward Walters. Chris was on the U21 National Team in 2023 and 2022 and the U19 National Team in 2021 and 2020.

Island Doty had 21 assists, one kill, one ace, one block and two digs vs. Edward Walters. Island was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that competed at the FIVB World Championships.

Aiden Knipe was a member of the 2019 Boys Youth National Training Team, as well as the 2018 Boys Youth National Team that earned silver at the NORCECA Continental Championship.

No. 2 Grand Canyon

GCU is 11-0 and received eight first-place votes from the coaches in this week’s poll, but for now remain No. 2. The Lopes didn’t drop a set across two matches on the road against No. 6 BYU last weekend to maintain their perfect record.

Match leaders vs. BYU (Sat.):

• Kills: Camden Gianni (15)
• Blocks: Cameron Thorne (6) – No. 5 in the country in blocks per set (1.306)

Next up: The Lopers continues ranked play against MPSF opponents this weekend when they welcome No. 10 USC to the desert for two matches Feb. 23-24.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Grand Canyon players

Camden Gianni, who had 15 kills, one ace, four blocks and six digs vs. BYU (Sat.), was on the 2023 NORCECA Pan Am Cup Final Six team that won gold and the 2023 NORCECA Pan Am Cup team that placed fifth. He is No. 3 in the country in aces per set (.667)

Jackson Hickman, who had eight kills, one block and two digs vs. BYU (Sat.), was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Rico Wardlow, who had four kills, one assist, one dig and three blocks vs. BYU (Sat.), was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Nicholas Slight had 38 assists, two digs and one block vs. BYU (Sat.). Nicholas was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team. He is No. 6 in the country in assists per set (10.31).

No. 3 Hawaii

Hawaii is 11-1 and will wrap up a two-match series with first-time opponent Missouri S&T on Friday night after taking the first match on Thursday 3-0.

Match leaders vs. Missouri S&T (Thurs.):

• Kills: Alakai Todd (15) – No. 3 in the country in hitting percentage (.421)
• Blocks: Kurt Nusterer (5)

Next up: After Friday night, Hawaii is off until March 1 when they take on Sacred Heart at home.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Hawaii Players

Tread Rosenthal had 19 assists, four blocks, two kills and two digs vs. Missouri S&T (Thurs.). Tread was a member of the 2023 U19 National Team that placed fourth at the U19 World Championships and won gold at the NORCECA U19 Pan Am Cup. He was named MVP and Best Setter at the 2023 Pan Am Cup. It was his second year in a row claiming the Best Setter title after he competed with the U19 team in 2022 that also took home gold at the Pan Am Cup. Tread is No. 10 in the country in assists per set (10.03).

Chaz Galloway had seven kills, two digs and two blocks vs. Missouri S&T (Thurs.). Chaz was a member of the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Kai Rodriguez was on the 2023 Beach U19 National Team and won gold at the 2023 Caribbean Beach Championship with Jackson Herbert.

No. 4 UCLA

UCLA is sitting at 11-3 after picking up another win at Pepperdine since last we checked in. The Bruins won both matches vs. Pepperdine without dropping a set.

Match leaders vs. Pepperdine:

• Kills: Zach Rama (12)
• Blocks: Sean McQuiggan (5)

Next up: UCLA is ready for two matches with No. 8 BYU in Utah on Feb. 23-24. After that, the team returns to Southern California for a rivalry matchup with USC on Feb. 29 and March 2.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCLA players:

Andrew Rowan had 35 assists, four digs, two aces, one kill and one block vs. Pepperdine. He was a member of the 2023 NORCECA Pan Am Cup Final Six team that won gold and the 2023 NORCECA Pan American Cup team that placed fifth. He was also on the 2022 U21 National Team that won gold at the Pan American Cup. Andrew is No. 4 in the country in assists per set (10.55).

Ethan Champlin had one assist and one dig vs. Pepperdine. He was on the 2023 NORCECA Pan Am Cup Final Six team that won gold and the 2023 NORCECA Pan American Cup team that placed fifth. Ethan was also a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team that took home bronze at the Pan American Cup Final Six.

Micah Wong Diallo was a member of the Men’s U21 National Team that took home silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup.

Alex Knight was a member of the 2021 Men’s U21 National Training Team and the 2020 Men’s Junior National Training Team.

Merrick McHenry had six kills, two digs and three blocks vs. Pepperdine. Merrick was a member of the 2023 NORCECA Pan American Cup team that placed fifth. He was also on the 2022 NORCECA Pan Am Cup and Pan Am Cup Final Six teams that both earned bronze medals. He is No. 9 in the country in blocks per set (1.122)

Zach Rama, who had 12 kills, two aces, two blocks and two digs, was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took home silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup.

No. 5 UC Irvine

UC Irvine rejoins the top-5 after back-to-back 3-1 wins on the road vs. last week’s No. 5 team, Stanford, last weekend.

Match leaders vs. Stanford (Sat.):

• Kills: Hilir Henno (28) – AVCA Player of the Week, No. 2 in the country in kills per set (4.43), No. 6 in the country in hitting percentage (.402)
• Digs: Cole Power (13)

Next up: UCI has a home and away set of matches vs. Concordia this weekend before another home and away slate vs. UC San Diego.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/UCI players

Cole Power, who had four assists and four digs vs. Saint Francis, was a member of the 2023 Collegiate National Team. He was also a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team that took bronze at the Pan Am Cup.

Akhil Tangutur had four kills and two digs in the loss to George Mason. Akhil was on the 2022 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team as well as the 2019 Boys Youth National Training Team and the 2018 Boys Youth National Team that took silver at the NORCECA Continental Championship.

NCAA Division III

No. 1 Wentworth

Wentworth sits atop the rankings yet again with a 14-0 record after most recently defeating Nichols 3-1 and Elms 3-0, both on the road.

Match leaders vs. Elms:

• Kills: Ryan Roller (12)
• Digs: Jeremy Macek (8)

Next up: Wentworth continues its road trip Friday night against Rivier and Tuesday night vs. Emerson.

No. 2 Stevens

The Ducks improved to 17-1 with a 3-0 win vs. New Paltz on Tuesday. Their only loss is still to No. 1 Wentworth on Jan. 20.

Match leaders vs. New Paltz:

• Kills: Percy Bickford (9)
• Digs: Phu-Quy Ho (8)

Next up: Stevens will see No. 4 Springfield on the road this Saturday in a matchup between two top-5 teams before traveling to Pennsylvania for the Misericordia Tri-Match with Misericordia and Marymount on March 2.

No. 3 Southern Virginia

Southern Virginia is undefeated at 11-0 to begin the season. The Knights most recently took a 3-0 victory over Randolph-Macon on Feb. 16.

Match leaders vs. Randolph-Macon:

• Kills: Christian Sheaffer (19)
• Blocks: Kristo Bianchin (7)

Next up: The Knights will hit the road to face Messiah on Friday night, Bethany on Saturday, and Nazareth on Thursday.

No. 4 Springfield

The Pride are proving they belong in the No. 4 slot in the roundup as the team now sits at 13-1. The one loss came in the opening match to CUI 3-0 in Irvine on Jan. 12. Springfield most recently defeated Lasell in five sets on Wednesday.

Match leaders vs. Lasell:

• Kills: Sam Levinson (19)
• Digs: Ricardo Ortiz (18)

Next up: Springfield will face its toughest test yet on Saturday when they host No. 2 Stevens.

No. 5 Cal Lutheran

Head Coach Kevin Judd earned his 100th career win in a 3-1 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering as the Kingsmen improved to a 15-5 overall record. Cal Lutheran has made it four straight wins since the 3-1 loss to UCSB.

Match leaders vs. MSOE

• Kills: Jordan Cooper (14)
• Blocks: Borys Horiuk (4)

Next up: Cal Lutheran can return to the comforts of home for all but one more match the rest of the way this season. CLU will next face Aurora, Rivier, and Baldwin Wallace in the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational March 6-7.

NTDP PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

• Trent Moser – BYU

Trent was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup and the 2022 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the Pan Am Cup.

2/10 vs. LIU (W 3-0) 3 kills, 2 assists

•  Kupono Browne – BYU

Kupono was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team

2/17 vs. GCU (L 0-3)  11 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace

• Nyherowo Omene – Princeton

Nyherowo was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup and the 2022 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the Pan Am Cup.

2/7 vs. Penn State (L 0-3) 6 kills, 5 blocks, 1 dig, 1 ace

• Ryan Merk – Penn State

Ryan was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup.

2/17 @ Princeton (W 3-0) 1 assist, 5 digs

•  Toby Ezeonu – Penn State

Toby was a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team that earned bronze in the Pan American Cup. He is No. 1 in the country in hitting percentage (.542). Toby was named EIVA Offensive Player of the Week this week .

2/17 @ Princeton (W 3-0) 5 kills, 5 aces, 2 blocks

• Wesley Smith – USC

Wesley was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team. He was also on the 2022 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the Pan Am Cup where he was named Best Blocker.

2/16 vs. CUI (W 3-2) 12 kills, 4 blocks, 2 digs

• Caleb Blanchette – USC

Caleb was a member of the 2022 and 2023 U19 Beach National Team. He was also on the 2022 Boys U19 Pan Am Cup team that won gold.

2/16 vs. CUI (W 3-2) 55 assists, 13 digs, 1 ace, 1 kill, 2 blocks

• Kyle Paulson – USC

Kyle was a member of the 2023 U23 Beach National Team. He competed at the NORCECA U23 Tour where he placed fourth with Sebastian Rodriguez (LBSU). Kyle was also a member of the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team. Kyle is No. 8 in the nation in blocks per set (1.154).

2/16 vs. CUI (W 3-2) 8 kills, 8 blocks, 4 digs, 1 assist, 1 ace

• Dillon Klein – USC

Dillon was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team.

2/16 vs. CUI (W 3-2) 18 kills, 3 blocks, 4 digs

• Jacob Pasteur – Ohio State

Jacob was a member of the 2023 NORCECA Pan Am Cup team that finished fifth. He was also on the 2022 Pan Am Cup team that finished third and was on the 2022 week one VNL roster. Pasteur was selected as the 2024 MIVA Preseason Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season. He is No. 5 in the country in aces per set (.630).

2/20 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (W 3-2) 17 kills, 2 aces, 4 blocks, 2 assists

• Shane Wetzel  – Ohio State

Shane was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup. He was also on the 2022 U21 National Team that won gold.

2/20 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (W 3-2) 2 kills, 1 dig

• Parker Van Buren – Loyola Chicago

Parker was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team and he was a member of the 2023 NORCECA Pan Am Cup team that finished fifth. He was also on the 2022 Pan Am Cup Final Six team that earned bronze.

2/14 vs. Ball State (L 2-3) 13 kills, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 2 digs