Men's College Roundup for April 5

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 5, 2023) – In this latest edition of the college roundup, UC Irvine has taken control of the final spot in the Division I/II rankings, dropping Grand Canyon out of the top five. In Division III, Stevens maintains the top position with the remaining four teams still unchanged for this week. 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 Hawaii

Won two matches 3-0 at UC Santa Barbara last weekend to push the team’s overall record to 22-2

Match Leaders vs. UCSB (Sat.):

Kills: Dimitrios Mouchlias (14) – No. 10 in the country in kills per set (3.87)
Digs: Spyros Chakas (8)

Next Up: Hawaii returns home for the rest of the season and will continue competition with two matches vs. No. 5 UC Irvine on Friday and Saturday

No. 2 UCLA

23-2 record on the year with most recent victories in two matches on the road vs. Grand Canyon

Match leaders vs. GCU (Sat.):

Kills: David Ido (13)
Digs: Troy Gooch (8)

Next up: will meet rival USC for home and away matches on Thursday and Saturday night

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCLA players

Andrew Rowan had 38 assists, two digs and one ace vs. GCU (Sat.). He was part of the 2022 U21 National Team that won gold at the Pan American Cup. Andrew was named MVP, Best Setter and Best Server on the U21 Team.

Ethan Champlin had 10 kills, three digs, and two assists vs. GCU (Sat.). Ethan was a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team that took home bronze at the Pan American Cup Final Six and the 2021 Men’s National Team that also earned bronze at the Pan American Cup.

Merrick McHenry had five kills, two blocks, one ace vs. GCU (Sat.). Merrick was on the 2022 Men’s National Team that took home bronze at the Pan American Cup and the Pan American Cup Final Six. He was also a member of the 2021 Men’s National Team that earned bronze at the Pan American Cup. He is No. 1 in the country in hitting percentage (.507).

Alex Knight had 10 kills, four digs and three assists vs. GCU (Sat.). Alex was a member of the 2021 Men’s U21 National training team and the 2020 Men’s Junior National Training Team.

No. 3 Penn State

20-3 record on the season after beating Harvard 3-0 in two matches last weekend

Match leaders vs. HU (Sat.):

Kills: Michael Kowal (9)
Digs: Cal Fisher (8)

Next up: Will travel to face George Mason for two matches beginning on Friday night

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/PSU Players

Toby Ezeonu, who had five kills, four aces, and three blocks vs. HU (Sat.), was a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team that earned bronze in the Pan American Cup. He is No. 2 in the country in hitting percentage (.498).

Brett Wildman, who had nine kills, two blocks and two aces vs. HU (Sat.), was a member of the 2022 U.S. Men’s National Team, winning bronze at the Pan Am Cup and the Pan Am Cup Final Six.

Cole Bogner, who had 30 assists, six digs and one kill vs. HU (Sat.), was a member of the 2021 Men’s Collegiate National Team. He is currently No. 6 in the country in assists per set (10.21).

No. 4 Long Beach State

16-3 on the season after most recently defeating UC San Diego 3-0 in two matches last weekend.

Match Leaders vs. UCSD (Sat.):

Kills: Sotiris Siapanis (8) – No. 7 in the country in aces per set (.515)
Digs: Spencer Olivier (8)

Next up: Will see CSUN for home and away matches this weekend beginning on Friday

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players

Mason Briggs, who had three digs vs. UCSD (Sat.), was 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. He is currently No. 5 in the country in digs per set (2.36).

Clarke Godbold had seven kills, three blocks, and one dig vs. UCSD (Sat.). He has twice been named to the U.S. Men’s U21 National Training Team and competed at the FIVB U19 World Championship in 2019. He is No. 6 in the country in blocks per set (1.167).

Shane Holdaway, who had seven blocks and six kills vs. UCSD (Sat.), was on the 2021 Men’s Collegiate National Team and the 2021 Men’s National Team that earned bronze at the Pan American Cup.

Aidan Knipe had 24 assists, five digs and two blocks vs UCSD (Sat.). Aidan 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. 5 UC Irvine

Francesco Sani of UC Irvine hits in a match vs. UCLA (UCI Athletics)

16-6 record after two 3-0 wins against CSUN last weekend

Match Leaders vs. CSUN (Sat.):

Kills: Francesco Sani (23) – No. 7 in the country in kills per set (3.98)
Digs: Cole Power (11)

Next up: UCI will go on the road to face No. 1 Hawaii for two matches beginning this weekend

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/UCI players

Francesco Sani, who had 23 kills and four digs vs. CSUN (Sat.), was a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team and won bronze at the Pan American Cup. He is the current AVCA Player of the Week.

Cole Gillis had six digs, five kills, and one block vs. CSUN (Sat.). Cole was a member of the 2022 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team and played with the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2021, earning bronze at the Pan American Cup.

NCAA Division III

No. 1 Stevens

28-2 record after a 3-0 win over No. 5 Messiah at the Mac Tri-Match #2 on Saturday

Match leaders vs. Messiah:

Kills: Koby Sherman (20)
Digs: Pu-Quy Ho (9)

Next up: Will face No. 2 Vassar on the road on Thursday night

No. 2 Vassar

19-1 on the season with a most recent victory vs. American International on Saturday

Match leaders vs AIC:

Kills: Vaughn Ramsey (14)
Digs: Casey McMenamin (6)

Next up: Will take on No. 1 Stevens at home on Thursday night

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Vassar Players

Vaughn Ramsey, who had 14 kills, two aces and three digs vs. AIC, was a member of the 2020 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team.

No. 3 Juniata

25-2 record on the season after most recently defeating Rutgers-Newark 3-0 on Saturday

Match leaders vs. RUN:

Kills: Kevin Duffy III (10) – No. 6 in the country in blocks per set (1.131) No. 7 in the country in hitting percentage (.444)
Digs: Reese Ganter (7)

Next up: Will host Elmira for a Saturday matinee match

No. 4 Springfield

22-3 record after bouncing back from a loss vs. No. 2 Vassar last weekend to defeat Nichols 3-0 on Tuesday.

Match leaders vs. Nichols:

Kills: Jarrett Anderson (12) – No. 1 in the country in aces per set (1.191) No. 9 in the country in hitting percentage (.430)
Digs: Dylan Mulvaney (7)

Next up: Will travel to face MIT on Saturday Night

No. 5 Messiah

22-3 on the season after a most recent victory over Eastern University on the road last weekend

Match leaders vs. EU:

Kills: Zac Barbato (15)
Blocks: Adam Casper (5)

Next up: At home to face Hood College in the final home and MAC match of the regular season

NTDP PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Kaleb Jenness – Ball State

Kaleb was a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team and won bronze at the Pan American Cup.

4/1 vs. Lewis (W 3-2): 18 kills, 8 digs, 3 blocks

Trent Moser – BYU

Trent was on the 2022 Men’s U21 National Team.

3/31 vs. USC (W 3-1): 2 kills, 2 digs, 1 ace

Heath Hughes – BYU

Heath was on the 2022 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team and played in the 2022 FISU Beach World University Championships.

3/31 vs. USC (W 3-1): 49 assists, 8 digs, 1 kill

Jacob Pasteur – Ohio State

Jacob was a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team and won bronze at the Pan American Cup. Jacob earned AVCA Player of the Week honors for the week of March 26.

4/1 vs. McKendree (W 3-1): 19 kills, 4 digs, 2 aces

Nyherowo Omene – Princeton

Nyherowo was on the 2022 Men’s National Team and won bronze at the Pan American Cup.

4/1 vs. George Mason (L 0-3): 8 kills, 4 blocks, 2 aces

Jaylen Jasper – Pepperdine

Jaylen is a three-time member of the U.S. Men’s Collegiate National Team and was on the 2018 Men’s Junior National Team. Jaylen earned AVCA Player of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 26. Currently No. 2 in the country in kills per set (5.03).

3/25 vs. BYU (L 2-3): 15 kills, 6 blocks, 5 dig