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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 15, 2024) – Major changes hit the college roundup as we finish off the second full week of March. Down goes former No. 1 GCU, who had its undefeated streak snapped with two ranked losses in the Outrigger Invitational. No. 5 UC Irvine defeated GCU in five sets, and former No. 3 Hawaii did it in three. This result moves the Rainbow Warriors up to the No. 1 slot in this week’s rankings. No change for UCI, who now looks up at No. 4 GCU. No. 1 Hawaii will play No. 2 Long Beach State this weekend for two matches that highlight the mid-March matchups.
In DIII, we have the roundup’s first tie. It was too close to call this week for the AVCA when comparing Stevens (22-1) and Southern Virginia (20-0), so the two schools share the No. 2 spot. This means we welcome back Cal Lutheran to the top-5 in the final spot as Springfield is bumped 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)
Hawaii went 3-0 at the Outrigger invitational with wins over Lewis, then No. 1 GCU and No. 5 UC Irvine. This moved Hawaii to 17-1 on the season. The tournament success was thanks in large part to outside hitter Spyros Chakas, who averaged 4.18 kills per set, 1.64 digs per set, and had a career best .737 hitting percentage vs. Lewis. Spyros was named this week’s AVCA Player of the Week for DI/II and was also named Most Outstanding Player at the tourney. However, it came at a cost as Hawaii Head Coach Charlie Wade confirmed after the match that Spyros will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Hawaii went five sets with Irvine in the final match of the tournament on Sunday.
Match leaders vs. UCI:
Next up: Hawaii continues top-ranked play with two matches on the road against No. 2 Long Beach State on Friday and Saturday.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Hawaii Players
Tread Rosenthal had 41 assists, four kills, seven blocks and four digs vs. UCI. 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. He is No. 9 in the country in assists per set (9.89) and No. 7 in aces per set (.536).
Chaz Galloway had two kills, two blocks and one dig vs. UCI. 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.
Long Beach State earned eight first-place votes but remains No. 2 this week. The Beach is 16-1 after defeating UC Santa Barbara on March 8 (3-1) and March 9 (3-2). The Saturday match was the first of the season for Long Beach that went five sets, and it featured 17 lead changes over three hours.
Match leaders vs. UCSB (Sat.):
Next up: Long Beach will take on No. 1 Hawaii this weekend.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players
Mason Briggs, who had 17 digs and four assists vs. UCSB (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. Mason is No. 7 in the nation in digs per set (2.52).
Clarke Godbold, wo had 10 kills, three blocks and one dig vs. UCSB (Sat.), 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.
Island Doty was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that competed at the FIVB World Championships.
Aiden Knipe had 52 assists, 11 digs and four blocks vs. UCSB (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.
UCLA defeated Penn State 3-2 and Ohio State 3-0 last weekend in the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge. The team hit .429 in straight sets vs. the No. 8 Buckeyes. No. 3 UCLA is now 16-4 on the year.
Match leaders vs. OSU:
Next up: UCLA is off until March 29 when they face No. 6 Stanford at home for two matches that weekend.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCLA players:
Andrew Rowan 21 assists, one kill, one dig and two blocks vs. Ohio State. 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 (10.23).
Ethan Champlin had 10 kills, two aces and four digs vs. Ohio State. He was named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week after his performance over the weekend. Ethan 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 bronze at the Pan American Cup Final Six.
Micah Wong Diallo was a member of the Men’s U21 National Team that took 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 one kill, two aces, three blocks and two digs vs. OSU. 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 silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup.
It’s a three-slot drop for GCU after the program’s undefeated streak and first-ever run at the top of the AVCA polls came to an end. The Lopes are still in the top-five after dropping two matches in the Outrigger Invitational to No. 5 UC Irvine (3-2) and then No. 3 Hawaii (3-0). They did rebound with a 3-2 win over Lewis to finish off the tournament.
Match leaders vs. Lewis:
Next up: GCU will face NJIT this weekend for two matches at home.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Grand Canyon players
Camden Gianni, who had eight kills and one ace vs. Lewis, 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 (.627).
Jackson Hickman, who had 13 kills, one ace, four blocks and six digs vs. Lewis, was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.
Rico Wardlow, who had 10 kills, three blocks and four digs vs. Lewis, was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.
Nicholas Slight had 49 assists, one kill, five blocks and 10 digs vs. Lewis. Nicholas was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team. He is No. 2 in the country in assists per set (10.60). Slight earned MPSF Offensive Player of the Week the week of March 4 for his performance in two wins over No. 6 Stanford.
UC Irvine went 1-2 over the course of the weekend at the Outrigger Invitational, with that one win being the big one over GCU. UCI put a stop to the two-match skid with a victory over UCSB on Wednesday 3-0.
Match leaders vs. UCSB (Wed.):
Next up: UCI travels to face UCSB again on Friday night.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/UCI players
Cole Power, who had two assists and five digs vs. UCSB (Wed.), 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 three kills, three blokcs and five digs vs. UCSB (Wed.). 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.
Wentworth is now a perfect 20-0 on the season after recent road wins over UC Santa Cruz (3-0) and Regis (3-0). Jacob LaBouliere earned his second AVCA Player of the Week honors for his performances in matches from March 4-10 where he averaged just under 12 kills per match.
Match leaders vs. Regis:
Next up: Wentworth will return home to face NYU this Sunday and Emmanuel next Thursday.
The Ducks went 2-0 in the Stevens Tri-Match, defeating Stevenson 3-1 and Lasell 3-0. The wins keep Stevens’ 19 game winning streak intact and improves the program to 12-1 all-time vs. Stevens and 5-0 all-time vs. Lasell.
Match leaders vs. Lasell:
Next up: Stevens is back in action on Friday on the road vs. Arcadia, followed by a match on March 16 vs. Widener.
Southern Virginia is 20-0 on the year and splits the No. 2 vote this week with Stevens. The Knights took a one-match break from CVC conference play the rest of the season to host Lancaster Bible in a 3-0 win.
Match leaders vs. LBC:
Next up: The Knights return to conference play with a home match vs. Juniata on March 22.
The Duhawks are now 18-0 after most recently defeating Augustana (Ill.) 3-0 on March 13.
Match leaders vs. AC:
Next up: Loras is off until March 20 when they will face Illinois Wesleyan at home.
The Kingsmen went 5-1 during the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational, giving the team a 20-5 record entering the home stretch of games. The team’s only loss was 3-1 to No. 1 Wentworth, and they finished off the tournament with a 3-0 win over Marymount.
Match leaders vs. Marymount:
Next up: Cal Lutheran has two more matches left and will next play at UC Santa Cruz on April 6.
NTDP PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
Kupono was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team.
3/9 vs. Stanford (L 3-0) 4 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks, 2 assists
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.
3/11 @ Loyola Chicago (L 3-1) 14 kills, 1 ace, 2 blocks, 4 assists, 5 digs
Ryan was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup.
3/8 vs. UCLA (L 3-2) 6 digs, 2 assists
Owen was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup.
3/8 vs. UCLA (L 2-3) 6 kills, 2 blocks, 1 dig
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 (.502).
3/8 vs. UCLA (L 3-2) 6 kills, 2 aces, 1 block, 3 digs
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.
3/14 @ Pepperdine (L 3-1) 44 assists, 13 digs, 1 block
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. 7 in the nation in blocks per set (1.103).
3/14 @ Pepperdine (L 3-1) 6 kills, 4 blocks, 2 digs
Dillon was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team.
3/14 @ Pepperdine (L 301) 19 kills, 2 blocks, 3 digs, 1 ace
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. 2 in the country in aces per set (.654).
3/14 vs. Ball State (L 3-1) 11 kills, 8 digs, 3 assists, 3 blocks
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.
3/14 vs. Ball State (L 3-1) 22 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks
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
3/14 vs. Ball State (L 3-1) 10 kills, 1 ace, 7 digs
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).
3/14 vs. Quincy (W 3-1) 18 kills, 1 assist, 1 ace 1 block, 1 dig
No change to the roundup this week as the top-5 stays the same across both divisions. Grand Canyon is on top for another week in DI/II, earning 21 AVCA votes to remain No. 1. In DIII, Wentworth earned 20 votes to stay ahead of Stevens and Southern Virginia.
Once again, this week’s college roundup sees no movement in the top five for both the DI/II division and the DIII division as Hawaii and Stevens remain on top of their respective rankings.
This week, the roundup welcomes back a familiar name to the top-5 in DI/II. UC Irvine jumps two spots from their previous ranking to take the No. 5 position away from Stanford. In DIII, it’s the third straight week that the list has remained stagnant, meaning it’s still Wentworth leading the pack over Stevens, Southern Virginia, Springfield, and Cal Lutheran. 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.
For the first time in 2024, the roundup sees no changes from the previous week. Despite suffering its first loss of the season, Long Beach State earns 17 votes by AVCA to stay at No. 1 ahead of undefeated Grand Canyon. Meanwhile in DIII, Wentworth has secured 12 wins to start the year and holds a firm grip on the top 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.
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, 6-5
6-8
