Men's College Roundup for March 1

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 1, 2024) – Welcome to March and the first roundup of the new month where we fittingly also have a new No. 1. The 13-0 GCU Lopes are atop the rankings, unseating Long Beach State who held the title since the beginning of February. DIII has a shift as well at the bottom of the list. Loras flip-flops with Cal Lutheran, bumping them out of the top-5 to start the month. 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 Grand Canyon

Thirteen is a lucky number for the new No. 1. GCU is undefeated at13-0 and received 13 first-place votes compared to LBSU’s 10 in this week’s poll to take the top spot. This is the first time that the Lopes have ever been named No. 1 in an AVCA poll in the program’s 11-year DI history. As of the beginning of this week, GCU had won 39 of a possible 43 sets this season. The Lopes most recent victories were a 3-1 and a 3-0 win vs. No. 10 USC Feb. 23-24.

Match leaders vs. USC. (Sat.):

• Kills: Camden Gianni/Jackson Hickman (12)
• Blocks: Cameron Thorne (4) – No. 3 in the country in blocks per set (1.326)

Next up: GCU faces a test at home in No. 8 Stanford for two matches Mar. 1 and Mar. 3.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Grand Canyon players

Camden Gianni, who had 12 kills, one ace, three blocks and six digs vs. USC (Sat.), 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. 2 in the country in aces per set (.651)

Jackson Hickman, who had 12 kills, one ace and two digs vs. USC (Sat.), was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Rico Wardlow, who had nine kills, three aces and two blocks vs. USC (Sat.), was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Nicholas Slight had 44 assists, seven digs, one ace, one block and one kill vs. USC (Sat.). Nicholas was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team. He is No. 2 in the country in assists per set (10.72).

No. 2 Long Beach State

Long Beach State is still as good as they’ve been all season with only one loss and a 13-1 overall record. The Beach tallied its 13th win of the season at home vs. Lewis in a 3-1 match on Feb. 23.

Match leaders vs. Lewis:

• Kills: Clarke Godbold (16)
• Blocks: Simon Torwie (6)

Next up: LBSU faces No. 9 Penn State at home on Friday.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players

Mason Briggs, who had 15 digs vs. Lewis, 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. Mason is No. 8 in the nation in digs per set (2.40).

Clarke Godbold, who had 16 kills, five aces, seven digs and one block vs. Lewis, 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. 9 in the nation for kills per set (3.91) and No. 4 in the nation in blocks per set (1.24).

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.

Island Doty was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that competed at the FIVB World Championships.

Aiden Knipe had 44 assists, two blocks and two digs. 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. 3 Hawaii

Hawaii is 12-1 after hosting first-time opponent Missouri S&T on Feb. 22-23. The Rainbow Warriors won both matches 3-0 and have not lost a set since the Feb. 7 win over Stanford 3-1.

Match leaders vs. Missouri S&T (Fri.):

• Kills: Chaz Galloway (9)
• Digs: Keoni Thiim (5)

Next up: Hawaii plays Sacred Heart for two matches on Friday and Monday ahead of the Outrigger Invitational beginning Mar. 7.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Hawaii Players

Tread Rosenthal had 24 assists, three aces, one block and two digs vs. Missouri S&T (Fri). Tread 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 was named Big West Freshman of the Week for the fourth time this season. He is No. 8 in the country in assists per set (10.10) and No. 9 in aces per set (.538).

Chaz Galloway had nine kills, two aces and two digs vs. Missouri S&T (Fri.). 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 split a few tough matches on the road with No. 6 BYU, going five in both and coming out the other side with a 12-4 overall record. The Bruins lost the lost the first match 3-2 on Friday but won the Saturday match 3-2. The team returned from Utah for a rivalry matchup with USC beginning on Feb. 29, where they won the first match 3-0.

Match leaders vs. USC (Thurs.):

• Kills: Ethan Champlin (10)
• Digs: Matthew Aziz (10)

Next up: UCLA will face USC again at home on Saturday.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCLA players:

Andrew Rowan has 26 assists, one kill, two aces, two blocks and one dig vs. USC. 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. 4 in the country in assists per set (10.49).

Ethan Champlin had 10 kills, two blocks and four digs vs. USC (Thurs.). 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. Ethan was named offtheblockblog.com‘s National Outside Attacker of the Week for his performance vs. BYU.

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 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 aces, three blocks and two digs vs. USC (Thurs). 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 one kill and one dig vs. USC (Thurs.), was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took home silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup.

No. 5 UC Irvine

UC Irvine hangs on to its top-5 spot for another week. The Anteaters are on a four-match winning streak and now have a 10-4 record after notching two wins vs. Concordia.

Match leaders vs. CUI (Sat.):

• Kills: Hilir Henno (12) – No. 2 in the country in kills per set (4.38), No. 7 in the country in hitting percentage (.405)
• Digs: Akhil Tangutur (8)

Next up: UCI has a home and away set of matches vs. UC San Diego on Mar. 1 and Mar. 3.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/UCI players

Cole Power, who had two assists and six digs vs. CUI (Sat.), 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 eight digs, three kills, one ace and one assist. 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.

NCAA Division III

No. 1 Wentworth

Wentworth is now 16-0 after most recently taking care of Emerson in three sets. Wentworth received 23 votes in this week’s poll to maintain its top spot.

Match leaders vs. Emerson:

• Kills: Sam Etter (9)
• Digs: Mason Andrade (7)

Next up: Wentworth is off until Mar. 8 when they take on Marymount (Va.) in the Cal-Lu-fornia Classic.

No. 2 Stevens

The Ducks were tested with a top-5 matchup vs. No. 4 Springfield, but came through with a 3-1 victory over the Pride which also extends the team’s winning streak to 15 games.

Match leaders vs. Springfield:

• Kills: Koby Sherman (24)
• Digs: Jesse Knuckles (8)

Next up: Stevens will travel to Pennsylvania for the Misericordia Tri-Match with Misericordia and Marymount on March 2.

No. 3 Southern Virginia

It’s now 15 wins for Southern Virginia, and the team still hasn’t lost a set so far this season after most recently defeating Nazareth 3-0 in Rochester, N.Y.

Match leaders vs. Nazareth:

• Kills: Christian Sheaffer (22)
• Digs: Justin Madsen (8)

Next up: The Knights stay in Rochester to face Hobart, No. 9 Vassar, and No. 7 St. John Fisher before the weekend is over.

No. 4 Springfield

The Pride took a tough 3-1 home loss to No. 2 Stevens this past week, but rebounded with a 3-2 win over Nichols on Feb. 28.

Match leaders vs. Nichols:

• Kills: Sam Levinson (16)
• Digs: Ricardo Ortiz (12)

Next up: Springfield will travel to see Nichols again on Sunday before taking on New Paltz back at home on Mar. 6.

No. 5 Loras

We welcome new No. 5 Loras to the roundup for the first time. The Duhawks boast a 13-0 record and defeated then No. 3 Cal Lutheran on Jan. 28 3-0. Loras recently defeated Indiana Wesleyan 3-0 on Feb. 28.

Match leaders vs. IWU:

• Kills: Corey Mayotte (11)
• Blocks: Sean Wenzel (6)

Next up: Loras will take on Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Marian this weekend before heading to Chicago to face North Park on Mar. 6.

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.

2/24 vs. UCLA (L 2-3) 1 kill, 1 block, 1 dig

•  Kupono Browne – BYU

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

2/24 vs. UCLA (L 2-3) 8 kills, 2 assists, 5 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.

2/24 @ Harvard (L 1-3) 19 kills, 4 blocks, 1 dig

• Ryan Merk – Penn State

Ryan was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup.

2/24 vs. NJIT (W 3-0) 4 assists, 3 digs

• Owen Rose – Penn State

Owen was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup.

2/24 vs. NJIT (W 3-0) 4 kills, 1 ace, 3 digs

•  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 (.556).

2/24 vs. NJIT (W 3-0) 7 kills, 7 blocks, 1 assist, 1 dig

• 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. Wesley is No. 10 in the nation in blocks per set (1.081)

2/29 vs. UCLA (L 0-3) 3 kills, 2 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.

2/29 vs. UCLA (L 0-3) 1 kill, 12 assists, 2 blocks, 2 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. 9 in the nation in blocks per set (1.136).

2/29 vs. UCLA (L 0-3) 2 kills, 1 ace, 2 blocks

• Dillon Klein – USC

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

2/29 vs. UCLA (L 0-3) 4 kills, 2 blocks, 1 dig

• Jacob Pasteur – Ohio State

Jacob 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. 4 in the country in aces per set (.627).

2/29 vs. Lewis (W 3-0) 11 kills, 7 aces, 3 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.

2/29 vs. Lewis (W 3-0) 18 kills, 4 aces, 6 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

2/29 vs. Lewis (W 3-0) 6 kills, 4 blocks, 1 dig, 2 assists

• Parker Van Buren – Loyola Chicago

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. Parker is No. 7 in the nation in kills per set (4.0).

2/29 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (W 3-0) 8 kills, 2 aces, 3 blocks, 5 digs