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It’s all about the rematch tonight in college men’s volleyball.
Hawai’i after almost upsetting No. 4 BYU on Friday will try for a second time to beat the Cougars, while in the Midwest IPFW looks to stay alive for a top four seed in the MIVA Tournament as it plays Grand Canyon.
Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches from around the nation to follow tonight.
1. No. 4 BYU (16-4, 12-3 MPSF) vs. Hawai’i (7-13, 4-11 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Honolulu
Follow live: Live stats, Pay-per-view online video, Radio feed, In-match Tweets
What to know: BYU and Hawai’i will conclude their two match conference series after the Cougars won the opener in five games and survived the Warriors rallying from a two-game deficit. BYU middle attacker Futi Tavana had a season-high 14 blocks in the victory, which extended the Cougars’ winning streak to five matches. In addition, Hawai’i outside attacker Steven Hunt had match-high 24 kills, while outside attacker Taylor Sander led BYU with 23 kills. With the victory, BYU clinched a berth in the MPSF Tournament and is a half-match behind UCLA and UC Irvine for first place in the conference. Hawai’i dropped into a tie for ninth place and is a half-match behind Cal State Northridge for the final spot in the MPSF Tournament.
2. No. 1 UC Irvine (17-3, 13-3 MPSF) vs. No. 10 Long Beach State (10-10, 5-8 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Long Beach, Calif.
Follow live: Gametracker, Radio feed, In-match Tweets
What to know: The top two serving teams in the MPSF will play each other in a pivotal conference match. UC Irvine leads the nation with a 1.79 aces per game average, while Long Beach State is second in the conference and eighth in the nation with a 1.32 aces per game average. In addition, UC Irvine outside attackers Carson Clark and Jeremy Dejno are two of the four players in the nation with at least 30 aces this season. The Anteaters are on an eight-match winning streak and moved to No. 1 in the national rankings following its five-game road victory against then-No. 1 UC Irvine last week. Long Beach State — without its starting setter Connor Olbright because of back injury — lost to last-place UC San Diego in five games on Thursday.
3. Grand Canyon (13-9, 4-1 MIVA) vs. IPFW (10-9, 2-3 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Follow live: Live stats
What to know: Grand Canyon will look to continue to shock the MIVA as it concludes its two-match road series against IPFW. The Antelopes swept the Mastodons in the series opener on Friday for Grand Canyon’s first road conference win since joining the MIVA in 2010. IPFW with the loss moved into fifth place and now faces a near must-win to remain in contention for a top four seed in the MIVA Tournament. For more on this match, check out this story in today’s issue of The News-Sentinel.
4. No. 6 Penn State (13-3, 6-0 EIVA) vs. St. Francis (9-10, 4-2 EIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Loretto, Pa.
Follow live: Live stats, Pay-per-view online video, In-match Tweets
What to know: Penn State following a brutal West Coast road trip will resume conference play with a road match against St. Francis. The Nittany Lions were on an 11-match winning streak before losing road matches to No. 3 USC and No. 8 Pepperdine last week. Despite the non-conference losses, Penn State remains in pursuit of a perfect EIVA season. The Nittany Lions have not to lost a set in their first six conference matches. Penn State in 2009 remains the only team in NCAA men’s volleyball history to go an entire conference season without losing a set. St. Francis will play its first match in 11 days after splitting a two-match Conference Carolinas road trip.
5. No. 6 Lewis (17-4, 4-1 MIVA) vs. Lindenwood (15-8)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Romeoville, Ill.
Follow live: Live stats
What to know: Lewis and Lindenwood will play a non-conference match that become a MIVA match as soon as next season. Lindenwood is in the process of transitioning from NAIA to Division II and could be admitted to the MIVA by 2013 or 2014. This will be the second time this season that Lewis and Lindenwood have played each other. The Flyers swept the Lions on the road in Feburary. Lewis has won 11 of last 12 matches and is undefeated home — losing four home sets the entire season.