Three quarters of the NCAA Event area is ready, with six computerized bids earned Saturday throughout convention championships for the MPSF, SIAC, MIVA, Convention Carolinas, EIVA and Large West. Most notably, Grand Canyon upset UCLA within the MPSF and Lengthy Seashore State beat UC Irvine within the Large West,
However each the dropping groups ought to anticipate to listen to their names referred to as Sunday on NCAA.com at 4 p.m. Japanese when two at-large bids will probably be introduced to fill out the eight-team bracket. The NCAA’s Nationwide Collegiate Males’s Volleyball Championship begins with quarterfinals April 30 at Lengthy Seashore State, with the semifinals Could 2 and the ultimate Could 4.
MPSF: GCU will get first title
Second-seeded Grand Canyon pulled off the most important win, defeating nationwide champion and top-seeded UCLA, 25-16, 24-26, 25-17, 19-25, 15-10 to earn the MPSF’s computerized NCAA bid.
UCLA (23-5), which had gained 12 matches in a row, defeated Grand Canyon (25-4) of their two regular-season conferences. That is GCU’s first MPSF title. The Lopes obtained an at-large bid final 12 months.
“The issues that we’ve been saying in the previous couple of weeks is the significance of specializing in these little issues and ensuring that you’ve got one another’s backs and deflecting different groups’ huge factors and simply ensuring that we’re caring for all the things on our aspect of the online,” GCU coach Matt Werle mentioned.
GCU’s Camden Gianni led all gamers with 16 kills to go along with 5 digs, 4 whole blocks and 4 aces. Jarrett Anderson added 12 kills, 9 digs and two aces. The Antelopes out-served the Bruins, 10 aces to 5, and out-hit the Bruins .361-.288.
The Bruins helped the Antelopes’ trigger with 23 service errors – 10 greater than GCU – and 10 serve-receive errors to GCU’s 5.
Zach Rama led UCLA with 14 kills (.550), and Ethan Champlin and Cooper Robinson had 11 every. The Bruins now hope to land one of many two at-large bids.
Large West: Lengthy Seashore tops UCI
High-seeded Lengthy Seashore State (25-4) earned its third consecutive journey to the NCAA Event with a 25-23, 21-25, 25-16, 25-15 victory over second-seeded UC Irvine (19-10). Coach Alan Knipe’s workforce is within the event for the seventh time in eight years.
Clarke Godbold had 17 kills and a personal-best 5 aces for the Seashore. Sotiris Siapanis completed with 15 kills — hitting a whopping .500 – and 11 digs.
With UCLA’s loss within the MPSF ultimate, Lengthy Seashore, which entered the Large West Event because the No. 2 workforce within the AVCA ballot, is in line to earn the highest seed within the NCAA Event, which will probably be performed on its dwelling courtroom at The Pyramid. UCI is all however assured of becoming a member of UCLA as an at-large.
MIVA: Ohio State advances
Lindenwood pulled one upset within the semifinals, knocking off top-seeded Ball State. Ohio State made certain there wasn’t a second upset.
The Buckeyes (22-8) dropped the primary set 20-25 however then cruised within the ultimate three, 25-17, 25-18 and 25-16, to earn the automated bid.
Jacob Pasteur led with 18 kills (.394), and Shane Wetzel added 13 (.321). The Buckeyes outhit Lindenwood (16-12) .412-.248. Michael Wright dished out 45 assists.
It was the Buckeyes’ nineteenth convention championship and second below coach Kevin Burch.
Convention Carolinas: Belmont Abbey wins
High-seeded Belmont Abbey (21-4) held serve with a 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-17 victory over No. 2 seed North Greenville (14-9) for not solely its ninth win in a row, however the Crusaders’ first time again within the NCAA tourney since 2021.
Matthew Staskunas had 16 kills and two aces Belmont Abbey served seven aces and had 19 whole blocks, holding North Greenville to .179 hitting, although North Greenville really had eight extra kills.
The victory was No. 51 for coach Derek Sullivan, which ties him for first in program historical past.
EIVA: Penn State wins once more
Penn State (22-6) seems to be getting its act collectively on the proper time. After some ups and downs early within the season, the Nittany Lions have gained their previous 10 matches, together with Saturday’s 24-26, 25-20, 25-22, 25-16 victory over visiting George Mason (18-10).
EIVA participant of the 12 months — and event MVP — John Kerr had 19 kills and 12 digs to steer Penn State, and Toby Ezeonu had 16 kills on 24 swings with just one assault error for a .625 hitting share. He additionally served up three aces and had a solo block in what was his first EIVA ultimate. He missed final season’s EIVA title match with an damage and Penn State was eradicated within the semifinals the season earlier than.
Michal Kowal added 4 aces, and setter Michael Schwob, who had 47 assists, had a career-high 5 aces because the Nittany Lions had 12 aces to George Mason’s three.
It was the thirty fourth convention title for Penn State.
NEC: Daemen upsets SFU
The NEC doesn’t but have an computerized NCAA bid, and that’s too unhealthy for Daemen. The Wildcats upset top-seeded St. Francis (PA) 25-23, 25-21, 22-2, 25-20.
Daemen misplaced each of its matches to the Crimson Flash, each in 4 units, in the course of the common season. Zach Schneider led the Wildcats with 16 kills, and Maverick O’Neil had 13 kills and three blocks.
It’s the second 12 months in a row that St. Francis — which went 12-0 within the NEC this common season — misplaced within the convention ultimate.
SIAC, ECC
Fort Valley Stateearned the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Convention’s first NCAA males’s volleyball computerized bid Saturday when the Wildcats swept Central State 25-21, 25-17, 25-15.
In Saturday’s ECC semifinals, St. Thomas Aquinas beat American Worldwide in 4 units after which Dominican swept Roberts Wesleyan. STA performs Dominican for the title Sunday, however the fledgling league doesn’t have an computerized bid.