Men's College Roundup for March 8

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Mar. 8 , 2024) – There was no change to the roundup earlier in the week as the top five stayed the same across both divisions. Grand Canyon was 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. With Grand Canyon dropping its first match of the season March 7, expect a shakeup next week. 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

GCU followed up its first-ever No. 1 ranking a week ago by defeating No. 8 Stanford 3-0 in two matches at home on March 1 and March 3. But in the first match of Hawaii’s Outrigger Invitational, No. 5 UC Irvine handed GCU its first loss of the season, 3-2 (25-21, 19-25, 24-26, 29-27, 15-6). The team’s overall record is 15-1 as of Friday morning. Before Thursday’s match, GCU had defeated three top-10 opponents in a row dating back to the Feb. 16 meeting with BYU. The Lopes dropped only one set during that stretch (Feb. 23 in a 3-1 win over No. 10  USC).

Match leaders vs. UC Irvine:

• Kills: Jackson Hickman (23)
• Digs: Jackson Hickman (15)

Next up: GCU’s path won’t get any easier. They face No. 3 Hawaii on Friday night and No. 14 Lewis to round out the weekend on Sunday.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/Grand Canyon players

Camden Gianni, who had 12 kills, four aces and six blocks vs. UC Irvine, 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 (.653)

Jackson Hickman, who had 23 kills, 15 digs and three blocks vs. UC Irvine, was on the 2023 Men’s Beach Collegiate National Team and the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Rico Wardlow, who had nine kills, one ace and two blocks vs. UC Irvine, was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team.

Nicholas Slight had 58 assists, 10 digs and one block vs. UC Irvine. Nicholas was on the 2023 Men’s Collegiate National Team. He is No. 3 in the country in assists per set (10.69).

No. 2 Long Beach State

Long Beach State went into the week at 14-1, holding on to the No. 2 spot in the AVCA rankings after being unseated from the top spot a week ago. The Beach has only the one loss to UCLA from Feb. 9 on its schedule and most recently defeated No. 9 Penn State 3-1 at home last Friday.

Match leaders vs. PSU:

• Kills: Sotiris Siapanis (17)
• Blocks: Simon Torwie (9) – Big West Defensive Player of the Week, No. 5 in the country in blocks per set (1.25)

Next up: LBSU will see UC Santa Barbara for home and away matches this weekend.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/LBSU Players

Mason Briggs, who had 11 digs and two assists vs. Penn State, 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 (2.42).

Clarke Godbold, who had 12 kills, one ace, one block and four digs vs. Penn State, 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 (3.82) and No. 4 in the nation in blocks per set (1.13).

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 38 assists, five blocks and seven 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’s lone loss on the year is still the second match vs. Loyola Chicago on Jan. 5. The Rainbow Warriors are 15-1 after defeating Lewis 3-0 Thursday night in the Outrigger Invitational. Prior to that, Hawaii most recently swept Sacred Heart at home last weekend.

Match leaders vs. Lewis:

• Kills: Spyros Chakas (15)
• Aces: Tread Rosenthal (3)

Next up: Two top-five matchups await Hawaii this weekend. No. 1 GCU is Friday night’s opponent, followed by No. 5 UC Irvine on Sunday.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/Hawaii Players

Tread Rosenthal had 29 assists, four aces, one kill, four digs and two blocks vs. Sacred Heart (Sun.), and 28 assists, three aces and three digs vs. Lewis. 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. 8 in the country in assists per set (9.96) and No. 6 in aces per set (.578).

Chaz Galloway had three kills and one block vs. Lewis. 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 defeated USC 3-1 for the eighth straight time over the weekend to get back on track after splitting two matches with No. 6 BYU on Feb. 23-24.

Match leaders vs. USC:

• Kills: Zach Rama (16)
• Digs: Matthew Aziz (9)

Next up: UCLA will face Penn State for the second time this season on Friday, followed by Ohio State on Sunday with both matches part of the Pac12/Big Ten Challenge. UCLA beat Penn State 3-0 in the first meeting on Jan. 20.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Program/UCLA players:

Andrew Rowan 48 assists, one kill and four digs 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. 5 in the country in assists per set (10.50).

Ethan Champlin had seven kills, one ace, one block and three digs vs. USC. 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 was a member of the 2021 Men’s U21 National training team and the 2020 Men’s Junior National Training Team.

Merrick McHenry had seven kills, three aces, one block and one dig vs. USC. 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 16 kills, one ace, three blocks and five digs vs. USC, 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 is on a seven-match winning streak coming into the week after upsetting No. 1 Grand Canyon on March 7.

Match leaders vs. GCU:

• Kills: Hilir Henno (29) – No. 1 in the country in kills per set (4.46), No. 7 in the country in hitting percentage (.406)
• Digs: Cole Power (15)

Next up: UCI is part of the Outrigger invitational in Hawaii where they face Lewis Friday and No. 3 Hawaii on Sunday night.

USA Volleyball National Team Development Team Program/UCI players

Cole Power, who had 15 digs and four assists vs. GCU, 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 five kills, one ace, 10 digs and three blocks vs. GCU. 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 remains at 16-0 and has been off since taking care of Emerson in three sets back on Feb. 27.

Match leaders vs. Emerson:

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

Next up: Wentworth takes on Marymount (Va.) on Friday in the Cal-Lu-fornia Classic. Later that night, they will face No. 6 Cal Lutheran and then will play UC Santa Cruz on Saturday to round out the classic.

No. 2 Stevens

The Ducks are the first team to 20 wins in DIII. Stevens is currently sitting at 20-1 after going 2-0 in the Misericordia Tri-Match. Stevens beat Misericordia 3-0 and then went the full five with Marymount.

Match leaders vs. Marymount:

• Kills: Connor Feulner (10)
• Digs: Phu-Quy Ho (9)

Next up: Stevens has its own Tri-Match on deck when they host Stevenson and Lasell this Saturday.

No. 3 Southern Virginia

Southern Virginia is 19-0 on the season after impressive wins over ranked opponents No. 9 Vassar and No. 7 St. John Fisher. They also defeated Roanoke on the road in straight sets, meaning that in the team’s 19 wins, the Knights still haven’t dropped a set yet this season.

Match leaders vs. Roanoke:

• Kills: Jeremy Brown (10)
• Digs: Justin Madsen (11)

Next up: The Knights have a three-match home stretch that kicks off with Lancaster Bible on March 9.

No. 4 Springfield

After defeating New Paltz on the road 3-1 on Feb. 14, Springfield had tougher luck in the rematch. The Pride fell to New Paltz 3-2 on March 6, making the team .500 in its last four matches.

Match leaders vs. New Paltz:

• Kills: Chris Rouleau (11)
• Digs: Evan Costley (7)

Next up: Springfield will have time to regroup until March 23 when the team hosts Russell Sage and Hunter in the Springfield Tri-Match.

No. 5 Loras

The Duhawks are 16-0 after most recently defeating North Park 3-1 in a visit to Chicago.

Match leaders vs. NPU:

• Kills: Corey Mayotte (17)
• Digs: Brady Oberfoell (13)

Next up: Loras has one more road match vs. North Central on March 9 before returning home next week.

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 3-2) 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 3-2) 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.

3/1 vs. George Mason (W 3-0) 9 kills, 2 digs, 2 blocks, 1 ace

• Ryan Merk – Penn State

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

3/6 vs. @ USC (L 3-1) 5 digs, 2 assists

• Owen Rose – Penn State

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

3/6 vs. @ USC (L 3-1) 4 kills, 1 dig, 3 blocks

•  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).

3/6 vs. @ USC (L 3-1) 7 kills, 3 blocks, 4 aces, 3 digs

• 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)

3/6 vs. Penn State (W 3-1) 5 kills, 1 block

• 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.

3/6 vs. Penn State (W 3-1) 40 assists, 3 aces, 5 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).

3/6 vs. Penn State (W 3-1) 5 kills, 1 ace, 3 blocks, 3 digs

• Dillon Klein – USC

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

3/6 vs. Penn State (W 3-1) 13 kills, 1 ace, 2 blocks, 9 digs

• 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).

3/2 vs. Loyola Chicago (L 3-2) 19 kills, 6 aces, 8 digs, 1 block

• 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.

3/2 vs. Loyola Chicago (L 3-2) 24 kills, 1 ace, 9 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

3/2 vs. Loyola Chicago (L 3-2) 12 kills, 2 blocks, 6 digs

• 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. 8 in the nation in kills per set (3.92).

3/2 vs. Ohio State (W 3-2) 19 kills, 1 ace, 3 blocks, 3 digs