Men's College Roundup for Feb. 12, 2025

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 12, 2025) – There is no movement in the top five in the DI/II polls this week, but just outside the top five, Loyola Chicago moves up to No. 6 in the AVCA poll with a 10-0 record, ready to officially join the roundup should anyone falter. In Division III, Stevens moves back up a spot to No. 4 ahead of a meeting with No. 1 NYU. We also welcome Carthage to the top five as Juniata gets bounced down to No. 7.

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 proved it was no accident that they are viewed as the No. 1 team, as they handed No. 3 UCLA its second loss of the season on Feb. 7. Freshman phenom Moni Nikolov had seven aces to lead the Beach to a 3-1 win over the Bruins in their first meeting. This week’s matchup marks the 105th meeting in program history.

“What I was most impressed about was when we didn’t play the way we wanted to for a stretch or even the set, for a team that has not been together very long, they did a wonderful job in their reset, in their communication.” – Alan Knipe, LBSU Head Coach

Match leaders vs. UCLA:

• Kills: Skylar Varga (12)
• Digs: Moni Nikolov (11) – Big West Freshman of the Week, leads nation with 1.13 aces per set

Next up: Long Beach travels to Pauley Pavilion for the second meeting with UCLA Wed. Feb. 12. The Beach is back home Friday to take on Vanguard and will then be off until another home match vs. GCU on Feb, 21.
When and Watch: 7 p.m. PT Feb. 12 on ESPN+

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players

Sebastian Rodriguez was a member of the 2023 Beach U23 National Team and the 2023 Beach Collegiate National Team. He had two assists and three digs vs. UCLA (Feb. 7).

DiAeris McRaven was on the 2024 Men’s National Team that won gold at NORCECA Final 6 and silver at the 2024 NORCECA Pan Am Cup. He had three kills, two blocks and one dig vs. UCLA (Feb. 7).

Long Beach has nine more members with NTDP connections.

Kellen Larson was on the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the NORCECA Continental Championship and was on the Boys U19 National Teams in 2023 and 2022 that won gold medals at the U19 Pan Am Cup. Nato Dickinson was a member of the Beach Collegiate National Team in 2024 and 2023 and competed at the 2024 Beach World University Championship. Ford Harman was a member of the 2023 Beach U19 National Team. Island Doty was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team. Dane Hillis was a member of the 2023 U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup and played on the 2022 U21 National Team that won gold at the Pan Am Cup. Chris Connelly was on the U21 National Team in 2023 and 2022 and the U19 National Team in 2021 and 2020. Isaiah Preuitt was on the 2023 U19 National Team that took gold at the NORCECA U19 Pan Am Cup. Sebastiano 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. Ben Braun was on the 2024 Men’s National Team that won gold at NORCECA Final 6 and silver at the 2024 NORCECA Pan Am Cup. He was also a member of the 2024 Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Beach Collegiate National Team.

No. 2 UC Irvine

After picking up an eighth win vs. CUI on Feb. 8, No. 2 UCI has the program’s best start to the season since 2007 (9 nine straight wins) and looks to keep the momentum going in a home-and-away slate of matches with No. 5 USC this week. As a team, No. 2 UCI leads the nation in serving, averaging 2.63 aces per set.

Match leaders vs. CUI:

• Kills: Hilir Henno (18) – No. 2 in the nation in aces per set (.889), No. 4 in the nation in kills per set (4.19)
• Digs: Joe Karlous (10)

Next up: After the second meeting with USC on Feb. 14, UCI takes on No. 3 UCLA on Feb. 19 and Feb. 22.
When and Watch: 6 p.m. PT Feb. 12 vs. USC on ESPN+

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCI Players

Nolan Flexen was on 2024 Men’s National Team that won gold at NORCECA Final 6 and silver at the 2024 NORCECA Pan Am Cup. He had 17 kills, three blocks and two digs vs. CUI. He is No. 6 in the nation in kills per set (4.15).

No. 3 UCLA

It was a difficult road environment and a tough Long Beach team that handed UCLA its second loss of the season. The Bruins’ No. 1-ranked opponent packed the Walter Pyramid with a sold-out crowd, and despite tying at 1-1 after the second set, UCLA fell 3-1. For now the Bruins remain at No. 3 ahead of the second match vs. Long Beach on Wednesday night.

Match leaders vs. Long Beach (Feb. 7):

• Kills: Zach Rama (15)
• Digs: Cooper Robinson (6)

Next up: After the second meeting with Long Beach, it won’t get any easier for the Bruins. UCLA has two meetings with No. 2 UCI on deck for Feb. 19 (away) and Feb. 22 (home).
When and Watch: 6 p.m. PT Feb. 19. Streaming TBD

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCLA Players

Andrew Rowan was a member of the 2023 NORCECA Pan Am Cup Final Six team that won gold. He was also on the 2022 U21 National Team that won gold at the Pan American Cup. He had one ace, 33 assists, one kill, one block and two digs vs. Long Beach (Feb. 7).

Cooper Robinson was on the 2024 Men’s National Team that won gold at NORCECA Final 6 and silver at the 2024 NORCECA Pan Am Cup. He had 10 kills, two blocks and six digs vs. Long Beach (Feb. 7).

Zach Rama was on the 2024 Men’s National Team that won gold at NORCECA Final 6 and silver at the 2024 NORCECA Pan Am Cup. He was also on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took home silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup. He had 15 kills, two assists, one ace, one block and three digs vs. Long Beach (Feb. 7).

Cameron Thorne was a member of the 2024 Collegiate National Team. He had seven kills, one assist, two blocks and one dig vs. Long Beach (Feb. 7). He is tied for No. 8 in the nation in blocks per set (1.207).

UCLA has five more players on the roster with NTDP connections. Micah Wong Diallo was on the 2024 Men’s National Team that won gold at NORCECA Final 6. He was also a member of the 2024 Collegiate National Team and the Men’s U21 National Team that took home silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup. Sean McQuiggan was a member of the 2024 Collegiate National Team. Trent Taliaferro was on the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that took gold at the U21 NORCECA Continental Championship and the 2023 Boys U19 National Team that competed at the FIVB World Championship and took gold at the NORCECA U19 Pan Am Cup. Sean Kelly was on the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the NORCECA Continental Championship and was also a member of the Boys U19 National Team in 2023 and 2022 that both won gold at the Pan Am Cup. Kahale Clini was a member of the 2023 Boys U19 NORCECA Continental Championship Team.

No. 4 Hawaii

Hawaii remains at No. 4 but did suffer its first loss of the season, splitting with Stanford 3-2 and 1-3 last week. Prior to the loss, Hawaii had a 12-match win streak over the Cardinal, and Stanford hadn’t won in Hawaii since 2013.

Match leaders vs. Stanford (Feb. 7):

• Kills: Kristian Titriyski (21) – Career high, Big West Player of the Week
• Digs: ‘Elu Choy (8)

Next up: Hawaii travels to Charlotte for four matches from Feb. 20-22 vs. Belmont Abbey, Queens University of Charlotte, and Catawba.
When and Watch: All matches streaming on ESPN Honolulu or CBS Sports Hawai‘i

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Hawaii

Tread Rosenthal was a member of the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the NORCECA Continental Championship. He was also on the 2023 U19 National Team that placed fourth at the U19 World Championships and won gold at the NORCECA U19 Pan Am Cup. He had 46 assists, three blocks and eight digs vs. Stanford (Feb. 7). He is No. 7 in the nation in assists per set (10.55).

Finn Kearney was a member of the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the NORCECA Continental Championship and the Boys U19 National Team in 2023 and 2022. He had one kill, one assist, one ace and one dig vs. Stanford (Feb. 7).

No. 5 USC

The Trojans picked up another win on Feb. 8 vs. Dominican (3-0) and set a school record for hitting percentage (.691). It’s the first time the program has started the season 9-0 since 1991.

Match leaders vs. Dominican:

• Kills: Dillon Klein (9)
• Digs: Sterling Foley (6)

Next up: vs. No. 2 UCI Feb. 12 and Feb. 14
When and Watch: 6 p.m. PT on ESPN + (Feb. 12 ) and  7 p.m. PT on B1G+ (Feb. 14)

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/USC

Caleb Blanchette has been a member of the Beach U19 National Team since 2022. He was also on the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the 2024 NORCECA Championship and the 2022 Boys U19 Pan Am Cup team that won gold. He had 26 assists, two aces and two digs vs. Dominican. He is No. 4 in the nation in assists per set (10.75).

Sterling Foley was a member of the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the NORCECA Continental Championship. He was Named MVP and Best Spiker. He was also a member of the Boys U19 National Team in 2022 and 2023. He had two aces, six kills and six digs vs. Dominican.

Parker Tomkinson was a member of the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the NORCECA Continental Championship. He was also a member of the 2023 Boys U19 NORCECA Continental Championship Team. He had three kills vs. Dominican. He is No. 1 in the nation in hitting percentage (.589) and No. 4 in the nation in blocks per set (1.370).

Dillon Klein was a member of the 2024 Men’s Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team. He had nine kills and two digs vs. Dominican. He is No. 3 in the nation in kills per set (4.35) and No. 5 in the nation in hitting percentage (.478).

Markus Olsson was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team. He had five kills, four blocks and two digs vs. Dominican.

NCAA Division III

No. 1 NYU

NYU remains on top of the DIII rankings with 19 first-place votes. The Violets are 10-0 and haven’t played since our last edition of the roundup due to a weather postponement vs. Ramapo.

Match leaders vs. Nichols (Feb. 1):

• Kills: Lucas Osiecki (14)
• Blocks: Emerson Evans (9)

Next up: NYU has a top-five matchup vs. Stevens as its next test Feb. 12.
When and Watch: 7 p.m. ET on Hudl

No. 2 Southern Virginia

Southern Virginia began CVC play at Drew and Wilkes, followed by a match vs. Widener and came away still with a perfect record, still yet to lose a set this season through nine matches.

Match leaders vs. Widener:

• Kills: Christian Sheaffer (12)
• Aces: Isaac Carrillo (4)

Next up: Southern Virginia is back home vs. Stevenson on Feb. 14 before the EMU Royals Tournament beginning Feb. 21.
When and Watch:7p.m. ET Feb. 14 on YouTube

No. 3 Vassar

Vassar is up to 10 after sweeping Misericordia and Lasell. It’s the first time in Vassar’s program history that the Brewers have won the first 10 games of the season.

Match leaders vs. Lasell:

• Kills: Shawn Zheng (9)
• Blocks: Gavin Akoto (4)

Next up: Vassar hosts Baruch and Messiah at Kenyon Hall Feb. 15 and 16.
When and Watch: 2 p.m. and 4p.m. ET on BoxCast

No. 4 Stevens

The Ducks are back up to a No. 4 position in the rankings and on the roundup. Stevens is 8-1 after most recently defeating Hunter 3-0 on Feb. 4 before a top-five clash this week with No. 1 NYU.

Match leaders vs. Hunter:

• Kills: Joshua Levandoske (11)
• Blocks: Esteban Schmitt (5)

Next up: After taking on NYU, Stevens is home for a tri-match to face Hobart on Feb. 14 and then Wentworth and Drew Feb. 15 .
Where and when: 7 p.m. ET vs. Hobart and all weekend on DucksTV

No. 5. Carthage

The Firebirds crack the top five with an 8-2 record coming into this week. Carthage has played top-five opponents tough, sweeping then-No. 5 Juniata on Jan. 30 and going five sets with then No. 3 Stevens on Jan. 31. Carthage recently earned 3-1 wins over top-20 opponents Baldwin Wallace and Dominican to earn a spot in the top five. They followed it up with a 3-0 win over Concordia Wisconsin on Tuesday.

Match leaders vs. Concordia Wisconsin:

• Kills: Owen Otto (10)
• Blocks: Ryan Cholewinski (3)

Next up: Carthage will face Benedictine on Feb. 14 at home.
When and Watch: 7 p.m. CT on YouTube

NTDP PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

• • Ambrose Engling – Princeton
    Ambrose was a member of the 2024 Beach U19 National Team.
    2/7 vs. LIU (L 1-3): 2 kills, 2 digs

• • Roan Alviar – Princeton
    Roan was a member of the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that won gold at the U21 NORCECA Continental Championship and was also on the 2023 Boys U19 National Team.
    2/7 vs. LIU (L 1-3): 11 digs, 1 assist

• • Ryan Merk – Penn State
    Ryan was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup.
    2/8 @ Harvard (W 3-0): 3 digs

• • Gaige Gabriel – Penn State
    Gaige was on the 2023 Boys U19 National Team that won gold at the 2023 NORCECA U19 Pan Am Cup
    2/8 @ Harvard (W 3-0): 5 kills, 2 aces, 2 blocks, 2 digs

• • Owen Rose – Penn State
    Owen was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup. He is No. 10 in the nation in blocks per set (1.185).
    2/8 @ Harvard (W 3-0): 3 kills, 8 blocks, 1 dig

• • Luke Benson
    Luke was a member of the 2024 Collegiate National Team.
    2/7 vs. UCSB (W 3-0): 7 kills, 1 ace, 7 blocks, 7 digs

• • 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.
    2/10 @ Purdue Fort Wayne (W 3-0) : 13 kills, 4 aces, 5 digs

• • Kyle Teune – Ohio State
    Kyle was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that earned silver at the 2023 Pan Am Cup and the 2022 Pan Am Cup team that took home gold
    2/10 @ Purdue Fort Wayne (W 3-0) : 6 kills, 2 blocks, 1 dig

• • Patrick Rogers – Ball State
    Patrick was on the 2024 Men’s U21 National Team that took gold at the U21 NORCECA Continental Championship
    2/6 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (W 3-2): 19 kills, 3 blocks, 5 digs

• • Parker Van Buren – Loyola Chicago – AVCA Player of the Week, MIVA Offensive Player of the Week
    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. He is No. 9 in the nation in hitting percentage (.429), No. 5 in the nation in aces per set (.632) and No. 7 in the nation in kills per set (4.13).
    2/8 @ Ohio State (W 3-1): 20 kills, 1 ace, 7 digs

• • Nicodemus Meyer – Loyola Chicago
    Nicodemus was a member of the 2024 Men’s Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team.
    2/8 @ Ohio State (W 3-1): 5 kills, 5 blocks, 1 dig

• • Theo Snoey – Stanford – MPSF Offensive Player of the Week
    Theo was  a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team.
    2/7 @ Hawaii (W 3-1): 23 kills, 2 aces, 6 digs

• • Trent Moser – GCU
    Trent was on the 2024 Men’s Collegiate National Team, 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. He is No. 10 in the nation in hitting percentage (.416).
    1/31 vs. Belmont Abbey:  3 kills, 2 digs, 3 blocks