Men's College Roundup for Feb. 9

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 9, 2024) – The roundup stays relatively calm at the top end of the DI/II rankings this week. The top-five sees one shift as UCLA and Stanford trade places. The roundup does have the potential for more shuffling next week after the top-5 matchup of No. 1 Long Beach State vs. No. 5 UCLA on Friday. In DIII, Springfield makes a big jump from No. 7 last week to No. 4 on the list this week. We lose St. John Fisher from the list as Cal Lutheran is bumped down one spot to round out the top-5. 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 maintains its hold on No. 1 in the rankings. The Beach is now 9-0 and most recently posted a pair of 3-0 wins vs. King last weekend. The sweep included a milestone for head coach Alan Knipe, who earned his 400^th career victory in his 21^st year leading the program.

Match leaders vs. King (Sat.):

• Kills: Sotiris Siapanis (10)
• Blocks: Lazar Bouchkov (7) – No. 1 in the country in blocks per set (1.89)

Next up: The much-anticipated matchup between LBSU and UCLA begins on Friday night and ends with the second match on Saturday night. This is the rematch from last season’s NCAA semifinal where UCLA defeated LBSU 3-0.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players

Mason Briggs, who had four digs vs. King (Sat.), 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.

Clarke Godbold had eight kills, one block and one dig vs. King (Fri.). Clarke 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. 2 in the country in hitting percentage (.503), No. 3 in the nation for kills per set (4.09) and No. 5 in the nation in blocks per set (1.409).

Sebastian Rodriguez was a member of the 2023 Beach U23 National Team and the 2023 Beach Collegiate National Team.

Ben Braun had one kill and four total bocks vs. King (Sat.). Ben was a member of the 2023 Beach Collegiate National Team.

Dane Hillis 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 eight kills, five digs and three total blocks vs. King (Sat.). Sebastiano 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 was on the U21 National Team in 2023 and 2022 and the U19 National Team in 2021 and 2020.

Island Doty had one assist and two digs vs. King (Sat.). Island was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that competed at the FIVB World Championships.

Aiden Knipe had 22 assists, three digs and one ace vs. King (Sat.). Aiden 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

It’s the two undefeated teams at No. 1 and No. 2 as the Lopes hold steady for another week in the No. 2 spot. GCU is now 9-0, most recently wrapping up a trip to the east coast by defeating Daemen 3-0.

Match leaders vs. Daemen:

• Kills: Camden Gianni/Jackson Hickman (9)
• Blocks: Cameron Thorne (6)

Next up: GCU has a chance to rest before the next scheduled match on Feb. 16 when they travel to face BYU.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Grand Canyon players

Camden Gianni, who had nine kills and four digs vs. Daemen, 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. 4 in the country in aces per set (.700)

Jackson Hickman, who had nine kills, two aces and four digs, was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team. He is No. 8 in the country in hitting percentage (.411).

Rico Wardlow, who had five kills, one ace and two digs vs. Daemen, was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Nicholas Slight who had 26 assists vs. Daemen, was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team. He is No. 7 in the country in assists per set (9.93).

No. 3 Hawaii

Hawaii topped No. 5 Stanford in four sets on Wednesday night to improve to 9-1 on the season. The win gives the Rainbow Warriors 10 straight victories against the Cardinal, but Stanford has a chance to break the streak when the two teams meet again on Friday Night.

Match leaders vs. Stanford:

• Kills: Alakai Todd (17) – No. 9 in the country in hitting percentage (.407).
• Digs: Elu Choy (10)

Next up: After the second meeting with Stanford, Hawaii will host Missouri S&T for two matches on Feb. 22-23.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Hawaii Players

Tread Rosenthal, who had 39 assists, two aces two kills, and five digs vs. Stanford, 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. 6 in the country in assists per set (9.94).

Chaz Galloway had seven kills and four digs vs. Stanford. 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 comes into this edition of the roundup at 8-2 and on solid footing ahead of its marquee matchup with LBSU this weekend. The Bruins notched a 3-1 win over UC Irvine on Feb. 2 and have been waiting for this weekend’s home and away matchup ever since.

Match leaders vs. UCI:

• Kills: Cooper Robinson (23) – AVCA Player of the Week, No. 7 in the country for hitting percentage (.416).
• Blocks: Merrick McHenry (8)

Next up: After this weekend’s matches with The Beach, UCLA will face Pepperdine at home on Valentine’s Day and then again away on Feb. 17.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCLA players:

Andrew Rowan had 50 assists, three kills and five digs vs. UCI. 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. 5 in the country in assists per set (9.97).

Ethan Champlin had four digs vs. UCI. 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, who had four kills, four digs and one ace vs. UCI, 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 eight blocks vs. UCI. 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.

Zach Rama had five kills, three aces and ten digs vs. UCI. Zach was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took home silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup.

No. 5 Stanford 

Stanford remains in the top-5 with a 7-2 record after the team fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with two losses in the last two matches to CSUN and No. 3 Hawaii. The Cardinal only drop one slot from last week and has a chance to get back on track with the rematch against Hawaii on Friday night.

Match leaders vs. Hawaii:

• Kills: Kevin Lamp (9)
• Digs: Luke Turner (6)

Next up: After taking on Hawaii on Friday, Stanford is back home to face UCI Feb 16-17.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Stanford players

Will Rottman was a member of the 2021 Men’s National Team that placed fifth at the NORCECA Continental Championship. He was also on the 2020 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Alex Rottman had three kills, four digs and one block vs. Hawaii. Alex was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that earned silver at the Pan Am Cup, as well as the U21 team that competed at the FIVB World Championships

Nathaniel Gates, who had six kills, one ace, five digs and two blocks vs. Hawaii, was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team. He was also on the 2021 Men’s U21 Bational Training Team and the 2020 Men’s Junior National Training Team.

Theo Snoey, who had  three kills, five digs and one block vs. Hawaii, was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that competed at the FIVB World Championships

NCAA Division III

No. 1 Wentworth

Wentworth is 8-0 after a win over Emmanuel in Boston on Tuesday. Wentworth remains the number one team in DIII after starting the season with a win over Stevens.

Match leaders vs. Emmanuel:

• Kills: Jacob Labouliere (16)
• Digs: Jacob Waga (9)

Next up: Wentworth will have a chance to keep the momentum going against Misericordia, Baldwin Wallace, and Hobart in the Statesman Volleyball Classic this weekend.

No. 2 Stevens

The Ducks are now 11-1 to start the season and had little trouble in the FrogJump invitational matches with Carthage, Mount Union, and Juniata, followed by a home match vs. Hunter. Stevens only lost one set over the course of the last four matches.

Match leaders vs. Hunter:

• Kills: Kevin Herbst (6)
• Bocks: Christopher Varseveld (3)

Next up: Stevens will take on New Jersey City University and New Paltz in the New Paltz Tri-Match on Feb. 10, followed by the Patrick Dorywalski Classic on Valentine’s Day vs. NYU.

No. 3 Southern Virginia

It’s still a perfect record to start the year for the Knights as they take the No. 3 spot in the roundup with an 8-0 record. Southern Virginia defeated both Averett and Virginia Wesleyan 3-0 on Feb. 3.

Match leaders vs. Virginia Wesleyan:

• Kills: Christian Sheaffer (20)
• Digs: Justin Madsen (9)

Next up: The Knights face Stevenson on the road on Friday, and then they will return home to face Eastern Mennonite on Valentine’s Day.

No. 4 Springfield

This week, we welcome Springfield to the roundup for the first time in 2024. The Pride are 8-1 and shoot up to No. 4 after being ranked No. 7 the previous week. The team is coming off a 3-0 win over NYU on Wednesday.

Match leaders vs. NYU:

• Kills: Evan Costley (11)
• Bocks: Chris Rouleau (6)

Next up: Springfield is at Endicott on Friday night and will then make the trip to New York to face New Paltz on Valentine’s Day.

No. 5 Cal Lutheran

Cal Lutheran is 11-3 after most recently splitting two matches on Feb. 3. CLU lost 2-3 to Arcadia and won 3-0 vs. Lancaster Bible.

Match leaders vs. Lancaster Bible:

• Kills: Michael Stahl (18)
• Digs: Taylor Marks (10)

Next up: Cal Lutheran faces UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 15.

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.

2/8 vs. LIU (W 3-0) 10 kills, 3 digs

•  Kupono Browne – BYU

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

2/8 vs. LIU (W 3-0) 7 kills, 4 aces, 2 blocks, 4 digs

• 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. He is No. 10 in the country in hitting percentage (.405).

2/2 vs. Pepperdine (W 3-0) 15 kills, 2 aces, 3 digs

• Ryan Merk – Penn State

Ryan was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup. Ryan was named EIVA Defensive Player of the Week this week. He is No. 9 in the country in digs per set (2.38).

2/3 @ Purdue Fort Wayne (L 2-3) 15 digs, 2 assists

•  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 (.529). Toby was named EIVA Defensive Player of the Week last week .

2/3 @ Purdue Fort Wayne (L 2-3) 9 kills, 2 aces

• 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.

2/7 @ UC Irvine (L 1-3) 6 kills, 8 total blocks, 1 dig

• 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.

2/7 @ UC Irvine (L 1-3) 1 kill, 1 ace, 49 assists, 5 digs

• 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 (1.150).

2/7 @ UC Irvine (L 1-3) 7 kills, 2 aces, 2 digs, 2 total blocks

• Dillon Klein – USC

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

2/7 @ UC Irvine (L 1-3) 14 kills, 14 digs, 4 total blocks

• Jacob Pasteur – Ohio State

Jacob Pasteur 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 kills per set (4.00) and No. 9 in the country in aces per set (.605).

2/7 @ Lewis (W 3-0) 17 kills, 4 aces, 3 digs, 2 total blocks