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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Mar.15, 2024) – Long Beach State is back on top in this week’s college roundup. The Beach retakes the top place after unseating No. 1 Hawaii with a 3-2 win last Saturday at Walter Pyramid. Long Beach received 23 first-place votes in the latest AVCA poll.
The voting coaches have made a decision regarding last week’s tie, but aside from that, the list remains the same in DIII. Southern Virginia receives the nod over Stevens, so it is officially the Knights No. 2 and Stevens No. 3.
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)
After almost a month away from the top spot in the roundup, Long Beach State is back for the first time since Feb. 23. It’s seven straight wins for The Beach after 3-0 and 3-2 wins over previous No. 1 Hawaii last weekend. LBSU is 17-1 and has not lost in conference.
Match leaders vs. Hawaii (Sat.):
Next up: Long Beach has a bye week until next Friday when they will host UC San Diego at home.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players
Mason Briggs, who had seven digs and three assists vs. Hawaii (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. 6 in the nation in digs per set (2.46).
Clarke Godbold, who had three kills and one block vs. Hawaii (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 39 assists, four blocks and 11 digs in the second matchup with Hawaii. 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.
It’s been a tough stretch for the Rainbow Warriors as they dealt with injuries toward the end of March and have now had a 16-match winning streak snapped by Long Beach. They’re still No. 2 in the poll.
Match leaders vs. LBSU (Sat.):
Next up: Hawaii continues Big West play with a two-match series vs. CSUN beginning on Friday.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Hawaii Players
Tread Rosenthal had 57 assists, 15 digs, three kills and two blocks vs. LBSU (Sat.). 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 tied for No. 8 in the country in assists per set (10.00) and No. 10 in aces per set (.484).
Chaz Galloway had four kills and four digs vs. LBSU (Sat.). 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.
UCLA is sitting at No. 3 in the rankings with a 16-4 record and six matches left in the regular season. The Bruins defeated Ohio State 3-0 last weekend in their most recent match during the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge before taking a hiatus from matches this week. The team hit .429 in straight sets vs. the No. 8 Buckeyes.
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 had 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 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 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 home silver at the 2023 U21 Pan American Cup.
Lost in the shuffle at the top end of this week’s ranking was the shuffle further down the list. UC Irvine moves up to No. 4 from No. 5, swapping with former No.1 GCU from a few weeks ago. UCI bounced back from two losses to end the Outrigger Invitational to win home and away matches with UCSB both by 3-0 scores. It begins a final slate for UCI that will be all Big West matches to end the season.
Match leaders vs. UCSB (Fri.):
Next up: UCI has a home and away set of matches with CSUN this weekend.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/UCI players
Cole Power, who had eight digs, one kill and one assist vs. UCSB (Fri.), 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 two kills, four assists, nine digs and two blocks vs. UCSB (Fri.). 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.
GCU has taken a hit in the eyes of the AVCA ever since dropping two matches to then-No. 5 UC Irvine and No. 3 Hawaii in the Outrigger Invitational. Since those losses, GCU has put up four wins in a row and now sits at 19-2 heading into the weekend. The Lopes most recently defeated Concordia 3-0 on Thursday.
Match leaders vs. CUI (Thurs.):
Next up: As the schedule presents the rest of the way for most teams, GCU will battle its way through all MPSF matches to end the season. The Lopes finish with CUI on the road on Friday and will next play two matches with UCLA next weekend.
USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Grand Canyon players
Camden Gianni, who had 15 kills, one ace, two blocks and three digs vs. CUI (Thurs.) 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. 3 in the country in aces per set (.652)
Jackson Hickman, who had seven kills, seven digs, four aces and four assists vs. CUI (Thurs.) was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.
Rico Wardlow, who had 10 kills, one block, one ace and two digs vs. CUI (Thurs.) was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.
Nicholas Slight had 38 assists, one kill, one block and nine digs vs. CUI (Thurs.). Nicholas was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team. He is No. 2 in the country in assists per set (10.56).
Wentworth is 22-0 entering the weekend after earning a 3-0 win over Emmanuel on Thursday night.
Match leaders vs. Emmanuel:
Next up: Wentworth hosts an exhibition match with Dominican (N.Y.) on Friday in preparation for a tri-match in-conference later this weekend.
Southern Virginia is the official steward of the No. 2 position this week in the roundup and in the AVCA rankings after the poll saw fit to bump them ahead of Stevens following last week’s tie. The Knights are back in action this weekend but haven’t played a match since March 9 against Lancaster Bible.
Match leaders vs. LBC:
Next up: The Knights return to conference play with a home match vs. Juniata on March 22, followed by a home match on March 23 vs. Elizabethtown.
Despite the drop in ranking to No. 3, Stevens is 25-1 and hasn’t lost since Jan. 20 to current No. 1 Wentworth. Stevens was last in action on Wednesday when they defeated Messiah 3-0.
Match leaders vs. Messiah:
Next up: Stevens hits the court on Saturday to face Eastern at home. It will then be a week off before the team hosts the Stevens Invitational next weekend.
The Duhawks are 19-0 with the team’s most recent win coming over Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday.
Match leaders vs. IWU:
Next up: Loras has North Park next up on the list on March 23. Loras was victorious in their last meeting 3-1 on March 6.
CLU 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 back on March 9
Match leaders vs. Marymount:
Next up: Cal Lutheran has been off since beating Marymount. They have two more matches left, and will next play at UC Santa Cruz on Apr. 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.
3/15 @ FDU (W 3-2) 16 kills, 1 ace, 2 assists, 11 digs
Henry was a member of the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.
3/15 @ FDU (W 3-2) 50 assists, 2 kills, 13 digs, 4 blocks
Ryan was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup.
3/17 vs. Saint Francis (W 3-2) 10 digs, 3 assists
Owen was on the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team that took silver at the Pan Am Cup.
3/17 vs. Saint Francis (W 3-2) 5 kills, 4 blocks, 1 dig, 1 assist
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 (.491).
3/17 vs. Saint Francis (W 3-2) 7 kills, 1 assist, 3 aces, 3 blocks, 2 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 3-1) 19 kills, 2 blocks, 3 digs, 1 ace
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.
3/21 @ Ball State (W 3-0) 13 kills, 1 ace, 7 digs, 4 blocks
Ben was a member of the 2023 Men’s U21 National Team.
3/21 @ Ball State (W 3-0) 8 kills, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 5 digs
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
3/21 @ Ball State (W 3-0) 11 kills, 1 assist, 1 ace, 3 blocks
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. 6 in the nation in kills per set (4.0).
3/21 @ Quincy (W 3-0) 11 kills, 1 ace, 1 block, 1 dig
Nicodemus was a member of the 2023 U21 National Team.
3/21 @ Quincy (W 3-0) 4 kills, 1 assist, 1 dig
Major changes hit the men's volleyball 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. This result moves the Rainbow Warriors up to the No. 1 slot in this week’s rankings.
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.
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
Middle Blocker, 6-10
