Men's College Roundup for Jan. 19

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 19, 2024) – A big shakeup hits the DI/II and DIII rankings in the college roundup. Hawaii and Ohio State move up as UC Irvine is bounced to No. 6, and Grand Canyon makes its first appearance in the top-5. In DIII, two new schools crack the top-5, including Wentworth storming onto the scene to take a hold of the No. 2 spot. 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 UCLA

UCLA is 4-0 after a 3-0 win on Saturday vs. Loyola Chicago. They continue the season vs. No. 4 Ohio State in the First Point Collegiate Challenge on Friday.

Match leaders vs. Loyola Chicago:

• Kills: David Ido (12)
• Blocks: Guy Genis (5)

Next up: After taking on the Buckeyes, UCLA will face Penn State on Jan. 20.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCLA players:

Andrew Rowan had two kills, three digs and 32 assists vs. Loyola Chicago. 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 three aces, six digs and nine kills vs. Loyola Chicago. 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 one kill and six digs vs. Loyola Chicago. 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 four blocks, three aces and three digs. 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 was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took home silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup.

No. 2 Long Beach State

Long Beach State is 3-0 after most recently traveling to the east coast to defeat Merrimack 3-0 on Wednesday.

• Kills: Nathan Harlan (8)
• Digs: Mason Briggs (6)

Next up: The Beach will travel to New Jersey to compete at the NJIT Tournament where they face George Mason on Jan. 19 and NJIT on Jan. 20.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players

Mason Briggs, who had six digs and one assist, 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, who had three kills, two aces and one dig vs. Merrimack, 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 three kills, two digs and 20 assists vs. Merrimack. 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. 3 Hawaii

The Rainbow Warriors took only one week off from the top-3. Hawaii moves back up with a 3-1 record and a most recent win vs. Emmanuel on Jan. 12.

Match leaders vs. Emmanuel:

• Kills: Spyros Chakas (10)
• Digs: ‘Elu Choy (5)

Next up: Hawaii has a week off before the team’s next matches vs. Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 25 and 26.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Hawaii Players

Tread Rosenthal, who had 28 assists, two kills and three 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.

No. 4 Ohio State

The Buckeyes are 4-0 and move up to No. 4 in the rankings after a 3-2 win over UC San Diego on Jan. 13. Ohio State has perhaps the highlight matchup of the week when they clash with No. 1 UCLA on Friday night in the First Point Collegiate Challenge.

Match leaders vs. UC San Diego:

• Kills: Jacob Pasteur (20)
• Digs: Thomas Poole (17)

Next up: After Friday’s match with UCLA, Ohio State will face USC to conclude the First Point Collegiate Challenge on Jan 20.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Ohio State players

Shane Wetzel, who had 19 kills, three aces and five digs vs. UC San Diego, 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 20 kills, 10 digs and one ace vs. UC San Diego, 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, who had eight kills, one ace and six digs vs. UC San Diego, 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.

No. 5 Grand Canyon

GCU is 5-0 and makes its first appearance in the top-5 this season. The Lopes opened the season with a 3-0 win over CSUN and continued in the first two weeks of January to defeat UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Lindenwood. GCU is coming off a 3-0 win in the team’s second match vs. Lindenwood  on Jan. 14.

Match leaders vs.:

• Kills: Camden Gianni (10)
• Digs: Jackson Hickman (5)

Next up: Grand Canyon will take on UC San Diego on Friday night in La Jolla. They will then take a week off before their next game on the road against Merrimack on Jan. 31.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Grand Canyon players

Camden Gianni, who had 10 kills, two aces and three digs vs. Lindenwood, 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.

Jackson Hickman, who had seven kills, five digs and one block vs. Lindenwood, was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Rico Wardlow, who had five kills and one dig vs. Lindenwood, was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Nicholas Slight, who had 34 assists, one kill and three digs vs. Lindenwood, was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team

NCAA Division III

No. 1 Stevens

The defending national champions are 3-0 to start the season with the team’s most recent win coming on Jan. 13 when they defeated Kean 3-0.

Match leaders vs. Kean:

• Kills: Koby Sherman (6)
• Bocks: Tyler Hoke (4)

Next up: The Ducks will travel to Cambridge, Mass., for the MIT Tri-Match. They will next face No. 2 Wentworth and then MIT on Jan. 20 in the MIT Tri-Match.

No. 2 Wentworth

Wentworth makes its inaugural appearance on the roundup in a big way. The No. 2 ranking is the highest AVCA poll ranking in program history. Wentworth opens the season with a tri-match against MIT and No. 1 Stevens on Jan. 20.

No. 3 North Central (IL)

The Cardinals have started the season 0-1 after falling to Dominican University (Ill.) 0-3 in the first match of the season on Thursday.

Match leaders vs. Dominican University:

• Kills: Jared Moser (12)
• Digs: Caelan Kloth (7)

North Central will have a chance to right the ship this weekend when the team hosts Adrian College on Jan. 20.

No. 4 Southern Virginia

Southern Virginia is the second team to make its first appearance in the roundup this week. The Knights were ranked No. 4 in the latest AVCA coaches poll after beginning the season 2-0. The wins came via two 3-0 matches against Eastern and Lancaster Bible.

Match leaders vs. Lancaster Bible:

• Kills: Christian Sheaffer (8)
• Bocks: Kristo Bianchin (4)

Next up: The Knights have three matches this weekend, all in Salem, Va. The team will play Wittenburg on Friday and then will have matches with Lees-McRae and Roanoke on Jan. 20.

No. 5 Juniata

Juniata is 1-0 after a 3-0 win vs. Stevenson in the first match of the season.

Match leaders vs. Stevenson:

• Kills: Tyler Goldsborough (12)
• Bocks: Chris Mellor (4)

Next up: Juniata competes in the St. John Fisher Tournament this weekend, with a match against the Cardinals on Friday followed by meetings with Lasell and Misericordia on Jan. 20.

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.

1/13 vs. Lewis (L 2-3) 14 kills, 1 ace, 3 blocks

•  Kupono Browne – BYU

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

1/13 vs. Lewis (L 2-3) 2 kills, 1 ace, 2 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.

1/16 vs. UC San Diego: 12 kills, 3 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.

1/13 vs. King University (W 3-0) 8 digs, 1 assist

•  Toby Ezeonu – Penn State

Toby was a member of the 2022 Men’s National Team that earned bronze in the Pan American Cup.

1/13 vs. King University (W 3-0) 11 kills, 1 block

• 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.

1/13 vs. Lincoln Memorial (W 3-1) 7 kills, 2 blocks, 3 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.

1/13 vs. Lincoln Memorial (W 3-1) 48 assists, 10 digs

• Dillon Klein – USC

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

1/13 vs. Lincoln Memorial (W 3-1) 24 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks

• Will Rottman – Stanford

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.

1/13 vs. UC Santa Barbara (W 3-1)  16 kills, 4 digs, 3 blocks