No snappy intro, if you’ve been here before you know what this is about. This article is a roundtable discussion amongst the FrogJump contributors (Harvey, Lindsay, and myself) about D3VB. We’re all given the same set of questions to answer, and each writer speaks from their own point of view, providing individual insight and opinions regarding the storylines of men’s D3VB.
Spring break is over, and we are officially in the end game of the season. General thoughts before we dive into more specific questions?
Ramius: At the beginning of the season I was asked on a podcast what teams I thought had the best chance to win a national championship. I said my shortlist was Southern Virginia, Carthage, NYU, Cal Lutheran, and Juniata. Southern Virginia, Carthage, and NYU I think are firmly in contention range, and Juniata and Cal Lutheran are potential dark horse teams I could see making the finals and shocking us all. Lot of consequential games to be played this March, it’s gut check time for the majority of DIII as April is only weeks away.
Harvey: I said it early in the season and I stand by it now- anyone from the 5-30 range is capable of beating someone on a given day. We’ve never seen this combination of depth and parity before. I think the top 5 has begun to separate itself a bit but the rest is up for grabs.
Lindsay: Everyone seems to get mad at various publications for putting some team too high or too low in any given ranking. Ramius has sent us the screenshots…Who are you going to angrily DM when NPI comes out? I am curious to see how differently the numbers value a team like Southern Virginia vs public perception. I think SVU is the best team in the country, but that doesn’t mean the computer will say the same.
Which result caught your eye the most last week?
Ramius: The UVC conference as a whole is something I always keep a close eye on. New Paltz notched an impressive weekend in Boston with wins over conference opponent MIT followed by a 5-set win over Wentworth, while Hobart sent shockwaves through the conference with an upset over the assumed contender Vassar. I’ve said this for years and I’ll say it again, any team who makes the UVC Tournament is capable of winning the conference. NYU might be the favorite at the moment, but there’s tons of consequential games on their schedule with upset potential.
Harvey: I can’t say I was surprised by the result of Hobart taking down Vassar but I was surprised with the avenue at which we arrived at that result. Zheng was in and out of the line-up throughout the match & despite Birnbaum playing against Elmira the night before we didn’t see Vassar use him for their showdown with the Statesmen.
Lindsay: How about Aurora with the 3 set win over Loras. They’ve been closely ranked the last few weeks and Josh McCllelan had another dominant performance, hitting .441 with 17 kills. Aurora looks like an NCAA tournament team to me out of the NACC. Loras has a tougher path in the CCIW with 1 loss already to Carthage and the rematch coming up in a little less than two weeks.
What games should we keep on our radar this week? Any potential upsets?
Harvey: Give me Baldwin Wallace vs. Wittenberg as the battle for Ohio has a good chance at deciding the MCVL title. BW is a little banged up and Wittenberg has a new leader at the helm. Excited to see how this one shakes out.
For potential upsets in the future, I am keeping my eye on Arcadia over MIT. It’s an upset around the margins but the Knights are playing well and MIT seems a combination of banged up and frustrated.
Lindsay: I’m on my Southern Virginia flow. They’re at Juniata on Friday and I cannot wait. There’s so much at stake. Hosting the CVC, hosting an NCAA tourney pod, NPI rankings, Christian Sheaffers national player of the year campaign. Does SVU lose a set or maybe 3?? SVU is 45-1 over the last 1.5 seasons. That’s amazing. Juniata hasn’t lost since Feb 7 against Messiah. Before that it was Jan 30th vs Carthage.
For an upset, give me a few teams I’ve already mentioned. Aurora over Carthage. I wouldn’t listen to my prediction even, but I do think Aurora has a shot. By the way Carthage hasn’t dropped a set in a month so it’s not like they’re having a rough time right now either.
Ramius: NYU has two games versus New Paltz and Stevens which have tons of upset potential. The New Paltz match is more important given conference implications, but a win over Stevens in the era of NPI will be great when NCAA Tournament seeding is being considered.
At this point in the year, which teams do you see making a final four run? Why?
Ramius: NYU, SVU, Springfield and either Carthage/Cal Lutheran. I’d be shocked if the midwest bracket didn’t have Carthage and Cal Lutheran in it together, at the moment I’d favor Carthage between the two but I’d never count Cal Lutheran out.
Harvey: NYU, SVU, Carthage, Juniata. So much of who makes the Final 4 depends on how the bracket shakes out and who matches up with who. Additionally, you have to factor in which teams make it to that point healthy, But at this moment, I think these are the 4 most talented teams.
Lindsay: NYU, SVU, Carthage, Springfield. Each of those teams could host and it’s probably easier to win at home then travel and win multiple games on the road. I think being the 1 seed is also such an advantage. Harvey outlined at the beginning that 5-30 is highly capable, so if you can potentially avoid someone from that group on Day 1, it’s helpful.
What player(s) do you see in the player of the year race? Newcomer of the year?
Harvey: National Rankings might not reflect it, but what Corey Mayotte is doing for Loras is unreal. Dude is getting set high balls 90% of the time and just going to work. He might not win Region IV Player of the Year, but he should be heavily considered. Todd Snyder has been really good for a Messiah team that is not getting nearly enough national love. He is currently hitting .417 on 2.48 Points/Set while ranking 4th in the MAC in Blocks/Set at .83
Lindsay: How many more times can I talk about Christian Sheaffer? For Newcomer of the year, the leader in assists per set is Evan Dziadkowiec. He’s not leading freshmen, he’s leading everyone. It’s rare to see a first year be #1 in anything so I think that gives him as good of a chance as anyone.
Ramius: I’ll agree with my colleagues above, Mayotte and Sheaffer are probably the top two contenders with Andrew Kim as the darkhorse third. Of the three, I think Mayotte would be my pick given what he’s doing for Loras (no shot against Sheaffer). I’ve remarked often to the Pond here about how this year’s crop of freshmen has been particularly impressive; even last night I sent a text to everyone saying how competition for this year’s National All-Freshman team is going to be fierce given what’s happening across the landscape.
Shawn Zeng (Vassar) and Nikko Tenedorio (New Paltz) are two from the UVC who have helped revitalize their programs following mass graduations. Nikko I think has a better argument given his role throughout six rotations,but I’d have to agree with Harvey on the impact Todd Snyder has had on Messiah and the landscape at large.