It’s safe to say this was one of the craziest weekends of D3VB we’ve had in a few years. General thoughts before we get more specific?
Lindsay: If I told you that 3 of the 4 teams in the Final Four last year all have lost already, would you believe me? On the other side, we saw a number of first year programs play (and win) for the first time ever. It wasn’t that long ago that Messiah was a new addition to Div III so maybe some of these new programs can make some noise in the tournament sooner rather than later.
Harvey: I want to know if Lasell is alive. 17 sets of volleyball within 24 hours is insane. I think Brendan Joyce played every point, someone please check on him. But in all seriousness, I think we are continuing to see the parity of our sport with tight matches, upsets, and new contenders galore.
Ramius: Honestly, I just want to say wow. In the years I’ve been covering D3VB, last week was one of the more epic ones from a fan standpoint. The rise of Cal Lutheran out on the West Coast, Wentworth’s five set win over Stevens, a beyond impressive performance from St. John Fisher; the narratives continue. 2024 is starting to look like one of the best D3VB seasons we’ve had in a long time, and that’s great for our sport.
There were two big tournaments this weekend that dominated the landscape’s attention, the UCSC Slug Slam and the SJF Invitational. Which one was more impactful across the landscape in your opinion.
Ramius: Depends on the context (kind of a cop out answer from me as I’m the one who posed the question!). Cal Lutherans dominance through the first two weeks of the season has made them an early favorite for an extended season in April, and honestly this is great news for our sport.
The East Coast largely dominated D3VB throughout it’s history, Carthage’s reign as NCAA Champion brought an era of Midwest ascension with the national rise of Dominican, NCC, Benedictine, etc. Cal Lutheran’s early season performances bring a new sense of regional balance and highlight the level of ball on the West Coast which we’ve long forgotten.
However the SJF invitational had some of the more interesting results of the weekend. I could only imagine how exhausted the players/teams were at the end of that tournament, because I was physically exhausted watching the matches. Long five set grindhouse style games of volleyball over the span of nine hours, which saw the likes of St. John Fisher and Misericordia coming away with huge underdog wins that make the April Committee math more intriguing.
Harvey: Slug Slam. Cal Lutheran officially has a stranglehold on Region IV and the chance to be a top dog when it comes to bracket time. Combining their early season results, with the Dominican upset of North Central, the Kingsmen can enjoy their January coronation.
Side Note: It was fantastic to see the Slug Slam return to UCSC’s on-campus facility, one of the most unique competition venues in the entire country.
Lindsay: Is there a wrong answer? Besides Cal Lu, I think SJF has made the biggest leap in the court of public opinion. SJF has been amazing in the middle, including new starter Ian Rauh. Go look at his numbers and come back. The UVC is always tough and it’s a long season, but they certainly look like a force early on.
Which Match result this past week raised your eyebrows the most?
Ramius: The two that come to mind most immediately, Dominicans upset over NCC and Misericordia’s five set victory over Juniata. Both teams were propelled by performances by their Opposites (Casey Goss and Jared Piontkowski), further confirming my bias that the Opposite Pin is the gold area of all volleyball positions. Goss showed flashes of his ability to produce last year, and consistent production from him will be key for the Stars as they look to compete for the NACC. Piontkowski, as a 6’10 Opposite who touches 11’11, is a nightmare matchup for every D3VB program in the country right now, especially if they’re trying to play small at Outside.
Harvey: Stevens Tech would have been about -250 to repeat as national champions, so to see them drop a match in January is quite the surprise to most. But my eyebrows stayed right where they belong, Wentworth is the real deal and gave Stevens quite the run in the NCAA Quarterfinal. Transfer Brandon Dunz is making a big impact early on, and Josh Milke looks even more comfortable in his second year starting. Impressive stuff from the Leopards early on.
Mentioned above, a Dominican sweep of North Central caught me off guard. Specifically, the non-competitive nature of the match and the setter split NCC ran with Tyler Donovan and Will Padgett. The NACC was wide-open last year, and Dominican got hot at the end, I’ll be interested to see how much of a player they are in the Midwest.
Lindsay: I think it was the combo of Juniata and Carthage both going 1-2 at the previously mentioned tournaments. Some new faces and/or injuries with the combo of playing tough teams had both squads in some unfamiliar territory early on. There’s too much talent for them to not expect a bounce back. I’m nowhere close to hitting the panic button, you shouldn’t be either..
What matches do you have on your radar this upcoming week? Who is on upset alert?
Ramius: I think the match I’m most interested in seeing is Aurora vs Carthage. The Firebirds have gone young with a couple freshmen mixed into their lineup, and Aurora has pieces in place which suggest to me they’re a team in a position to contend for the NACC championship this year. Firebirds are favored going in on paper, but I think this match is close to a 55/45 split so it’s worth watching.
Harvey: I’m most excited to see Benedictine and North Central square off on Saturday. This match is always a tightly contested one, but has the added benefit of honoring former Benedictine HC Christian Staple who tragically passed in the summer of 2022. On top of the load of emotions that accompany this match, it will be fun to see how the best of the CCIW and NACC stack up with each other.
Lindsay: I’m still sticking with the line of it’s too early for upsets. I can’t wait for Cal Lu vs North Central on Friday. I don’t think we saw NCCs best in their first match as Harvery mentioned. There’s so much action on Saturday I don’t know where to start. Baldwin Wallace vs SJF is an interesting matchup. BW was featured a good amount late last season and this will be the first big test for them in 2024. New Paltz is heading to Boston to take on Wentworth. NP has some action earlier in the week, but this should be a marquee matchup.
Who are your personal top 5?
Ramius: Cal Lutheran, Wentworth, Stevens, Southern Virginia, NYU
Harvey: Wentworth, Stevens, Southern Virginia, Cal Lutheran, St. John Fisher
Lindsay: Wentworth Cal Lu, Stevens, Southern Virginia, SJF