Who won the week of college volleyball?
Harvey: Chaos. With Wentworth, Loras, and Springfield all going down in upsets (add NCC if you really want to be generous) chaos was this week’s big winner.
Ramius: The underdogs, clearly. Eastern Nazarene over Springfield, Carthage over Loras, Lasell over Wentworth, North Park over NCC … the amount of money one could have made betting on these upsets would be enough for me to retire twice. I think it’s a good reminder for everyone how conference/regional rivalries can balance the odds in a matchup. Lasell and Wentworth have been battling it out for GNAC supremacy for years now, so it’s not like Lasell would look at this matchup and say “we can’t win”, they’ve done it before. Same goes for Carthage over Loras, as Carthage not too long ago was the hegemon of the CCIW, and only recently did that grip begin to loosen. Anything can happen in conference play.
Lindsay: Southern Virginia. They were the only ones that survived. Rutgers-Newark was up 2-1 on them, but Southern Virginia found a way to claw back. I guess nobody will ever know how because you couldn’t find a live stream of it. It would have added more intrigue to the week if all of the undefeated teams lost within 5 days of each other, but now they sit as the clear #1. I have been ranking them #1 for the last month just saying…
In a week of upsets, which result caught your eye the most?
Ramius: My eyes were on the CCIW, first because North Park took down North Central, but mainly because of Carthage’s 3-1 win over Loras. Carthage showed Loras doesn’t have as tight of a strangle hold on region 4 as previously thought, and the at-large implications of the result have sent me down a few rabbit holes I’ll discuss in my bracketology piece later this week.
Harvey: We’ve all collectively touched on the upsets. Stevens non-competitive sweep of Vassar threw for a loop. Coach Buehring typically has his ducks in V formation come April, and 2024 looks to be no different.
Lindsay: While it isn’t the most important, I think I was most surprised by Springfield getting reversed swept by Eastern Nazarene. Maybe Springfield isn’t the same team they were with Jarrett Anderson, but they still only had 2 losses coming into the week. Springfield has been winning in 5 all year, previously being 4-1 in those situations. Springfield is still the #1 pool B as far as I would guess but it was a bit shocking right? Great win for Eastern Naz. They’re not going to steal a pool B bid from Santa Cruz/Nichols, but could they spoil things for Nichols if they face off in their conference tourney?
What national contenders are you worried about at this point in the season, or who is elevating their play just in time for playoffs?
Harvey: St. John Fisher needs Jake Baker healthy and on the court to be a UVC and national contender. The development of his serve receive has been a major catalyst for Fisher and his offense at the pin has always been stellar. I’m not sure they are a top 4 team in the UVC without him.
Ramius: Of all the national contenders I think Stevens is the one I’d put my money on down the stretch. Southern Virginia might be undefeated right now, but Stevens lone loss to Wentworth in Boston is the only blemish on an INCREDIBLY impressive resume of wins. They took care of business against Vassar, and have played remarkably consistent ball all year while facing strong competition.
Lindsay: Carthage is hot! Markes is officially back hitting 13-0-22 vs Loras. Does Carthage have the national rookie of the year at the pin? I’m not going to tell you which pin, but I think they do. I’m guessing that Loras is still the one seed based on the website having Loras listed first in the conference standings. The CCIW has been interesting all year and it’s only getting more exciting.
What matches do you have on your radar this upcoming week? Who is on upset alert?
Harvey: Lots of big UVC matches this week, but give me Fisher @ NYU. UVC seeds 1-3 on the line and potential Pool C bids as well.
Some under the radar matches to keep an eye on with major conference playoff implications.
NJCU vs. St Joe’s (LI) – Tuesday
Messiah vs. Arcadia – Wednesday
Trine vs. Wittenberg – Friday
Baldwin Wallace vs. Mount Union – Saturday
Lindsay: MIT vs Springfield is my top watch this week. We’ve already talked about what both teams did last week, so nothing that happens this week would surprise me.
About as far away from that match as possible, Cal Lutheran goes to Santa Cruz. I’m making my official pick for Santa Cruz to pull off the upset behind my all-american pick Riley Norman. Too bad nobody asked me to vote sadly but I think the Slugs find a way to win the 3rd match-up of the season.
Ramius: I’m going to join my friend Lindsay in highlighting the west coast match here. UCSC vs Cal Lutheran is essentially a conference championship for UCSC right now (bid wise). Cal Lutheran has already locked up their bid to the NCAA tournament, so they’re playing with house money right now. UCSC is playing to extend their season; if they win, they’ve done everything they need to do to make it an actual discussion between them and Nichols for the 3rd Pool B bid. If they lose, they’re likely out of the tournament.
Who are your personal top 5?
Ramius: Stevens, Wentworth, Southern Virginia, Loras, Cal Lutheran
Harvey: Stevens, Southern Virginia, Wentworth, Cal Lutheran, Loras
Lindsay: Southern Virginia, Stevens, Wentworth, Cal Lu, Carthage