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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 12, 2024) – The first reshuffle of the top-five sees Hawaii and UC Irvine swap places after the Rainbow Warriors dropped the first match of the season. We have another week to go before all of Division III is in action, but we still check in on those rankings as well in week two with the season slowly ramping up. 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)
UCLA has opened the season 3-0 after a 3-1 win on Thursday night against Lewis. This weekend they will play on the road against No. 10 Loyola Chicago before they compete in the First Point Collegiate Challenge next weekend.
Match leaders vs. Lewis:
Next up: On the road to face No. 10 Loyola Chicago on Jan. 13, then No. 5 Ohio State in the First Point Collegiate Challenge Friday, Jan. 19.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCLA players:
Andrew Rowan had six aces, 30 assists and seven digs vs. Lewis. 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.
Ethan Champlin had 14 kills, five digs and two aces vs. Lewis. 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 had nine digs vs. Lewis. Alex was a member of the 2021 Men’s U21 National training team and the 2020 Men’s Junior National Training Team.
Merrick McHenry had two kills, three digs and one ace vs Lewis. 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, who had nine kills, one dig and six total blocks vs. Lewis, was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took home silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup.
The Beach won two exhibition matches with Alberta (Exh.) 4-0 and 3-0 at the end of December and have been waiting to play Long Island at home in the first match of the season on Friday night.
Next up: After hosting Long Island, the team will face Saint Francis (Pa.) this weekend, followed by a road match at Merrimack.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players
Mason Briggs 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 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.
Sebastian Rodriguez was a member of the 2023 Beach U23 National Team and the 2023 Beach Collegiate National Team.
Ben Braun 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 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.
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.
At 1-1, UC Irvine moves up one spot in the rankings and takes the No. 3 spot from Hawaii this week. The team opened the season with a loss to George Mason 2-3, then defeated Saint Francis 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Match leaders vs. Saint Francis:
Next up: UC Irvine will face Princeton at home on Saturday night.
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.
The Rainbow Warriors are 2-1 to begin the season. This drops them one spot in the rankings from last week. Hawaii lost its second meeting with No. 10 Loyola Chicago at home 2-3 but bounced back on Wednesday with a 3-0 win over Emmanuel.
Match leaders vs. Emmanuel:
Next up: Will face Emmanuel again on Friday night before two games on the road vs. Purdue Fort Wayne beginning on Thursday Jan. 25.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Hawaii Players
Tread Rosenthal, who had 23 assists, three kills, three aces and four blocks vs. Emmanuel, 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.
Chaz Galloway 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.
The Buckeyes are 3-0 and keep a hold of the No. 5 ranking to begin the year after most recently defeating Saint Francis 3-1 on Jan. 8.
Match leaders vs. Saint Francis:
Next up: Will host UC San Diego on Jan. 13.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Ohio State players
Shane Wetzel, who had 14 kills and six digs vs. Saint Francis, 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.
Jacob Pasteur, who had 23 kills, seven digs and three aces vs. Saint Francis, 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.
Ben Putnam was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team.
Kyle Teune 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.
The defending national champions are 1-0 to start the season with a 3-1 win over Sacred Heart on Jan 10.
Match leaders vs. Sacred Heart:
Next up: The Ducks will prepare for the Stevens Tri-Match with St. Joseph’s University Long Island and Kean University on Saturday Jan. 13.
The Cardinals still await their first official match of 2024 after finishing last season as runners-up to Stevens. North Central will have one more exhibition match with Saint Xavier before officially beginning the season on Jan. 18 with a road match vs. Dominican University (Ill.).
Vassar begins play on Jan. 12 vs. Adrian College at the Cal Lutheran Invitational. The Invitational will feature four teams in total, including two other top-20 teams joining Vassar in No. 12 Cal Lutheran and No. 14 Santa Cruz.
Messiah begins the 2024 season later this month when they host Drew University on Jan. 20. Last season, Messiah posted a 27-6 record during the regular season and fell to Stevens in the NCAA DIII semifinal 0-3.
Juniata concluded its exhibition match against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Jan. 6 and will officially begin the season at Stevenson this weekend on Jan. 13.
NTDP PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
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.
1/11 vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago (W 3-2) 8 kills, 1 ace, 3 blocks
Kupono was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team
1/11 vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago (W 3-2) 13 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks
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.
1/9 vs. Queens University of Charlotte (W 3-1): 6 kills, 1 dig, 3 blocks
Ryan was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup.
1/11 vs. Lees-McRae (W 3-0) 4 digs, 2 assists
Toby was a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team that earned bronze in the Pan American Cup
1/11 vs. Lees-McRae (W 3-0) 9 kills, 3 blocks
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.
1/11 vs. Harvard (W 3-1) 5 kills, 2 aces, 7 total blocks
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.
1/11 vs. Harvard (W 3-1) 20 assists, 3 digs, 1 block
Will 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.
1/8 vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago (W 3-2) 20 kills, 6 digs, 2 aces
The college roundup returns for the first time in the new year! As the season begins, we look at the first AVCA poll of 2024 and give you the early look at your projected front-runners this season. 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.
The Final Four are set in the NCAA DI/II Men’s Volleyball Tournament with semifinal matches set for Thursday and the championship round May 6 at 2 p.m. PDT. The Division III Tournament has been decided as the Stevens Ducks are your 2023 champions.
League championships are now in the rearview mirror across all divisions as the top teams in NCAA men’s volleyball now shift their full attention toward the tournament. The NCAA DI/II bracket has been announced, with all matches hosted by George Mason in Fairfax, Va. The Division III Championship is in the semifinal round and currently being hosted by Stevenson University in Owings Mills, Md.
Setter, 6-7
Outside Hitter, 6-3
Middle Blocker, 6-9
Middle Blocker, 6-7
Outside Hitter, 6-9
Libero, 6-0
Outside Hitter, 6-3
Outside Hitter, 6-8
Libero, 5-10
6-4
Setter (indoor), 6-8
Outside Hitter, 6-4
Opposite, 6-7
Outside Hitter, 6-5
Outside Hitter, 6-6
Opposite, 6-8
Middle Blocker, 6-8
Libero, 6-0
Middle Blocker, 6-10
Setter (indoor), 6-5
