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Five of the top 10 nationally ranked teams have already lost this week and there is a chance more could go down tonight.
No. 10 UC Irvine and No. 5 UC Santa Barbara highlights tonight’s matches with both teams looking to get a rebound victory. In addition, Grand Canyon will try to continue its best start to a season in program history as it plays host to George Mason in a non-conference match.
Check out the top five college men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight.
1. No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (4-1, 3-1 MPSF vs. No. 10 UC Irvine (4-4, 1-3 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Follow live: Live stats, In-match tweets
What to know: The Gauchos three days after suffering its first loss of the season will now continue conference play with a match against the defending NCAA champions. UC Santa Barbara playing a nationally televised match was held to a season-low .082 attack percentage as it lost in three games to No. 3 UCLA on Tuesday. Middle attacker Ryan Thompson also enters the weekend leading the Gauchos and among the MPSF leaders with a 1.43 blocks per game average. UC Irvine in its last match swept Cal Baptist to snap a three-match conference losing streak. The Anteaters in their first conference victory had a season-high .541 attack percentage against the Lancers. In addition, outside attacker Tamir Hershko was named the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Co-National Freshman of the Week after having a combined team-high 47 kills in two matches last week.
2. Grand Canyon (4-2, 0-0 MIVA) vs. George Mason (0-2, 0-0, EIVA)
Match vitals: 4 p.m. in Phoenix, Ariz.
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
What to know: Grand Canyon and George Mason will conclude their two-match non-conference series after the Antelopes rallied from a one-game deficit to defeat the Patriots in five games on Friday. All-MIVA outside attacker Ben Ponnet finished with a match-high 18 kills, while outside attacker Robbie Brannick had seven kills after coming off the bench in the fourth game, including six kills in the fourth game. Despite the loss, George Mason out-blocked Grand Canyon 20.5 to 11 in the non-conference match. In addition, middle attacker Hunter Stevens led all players with a career-high 12 blocks against the Antelopes. The five-game victory was also the first time in its program history that Grand Canyon defeated George Mason.
3. No. 8 Stanford (3-3, 0-3 MPSF) vs. Cal Baptist (2-4, 2-3 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Riverside, Calif.
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
What to know: Stanford will try to salvage one match from its four-match conference road trip as it travels to Cal Baptist. The Cardinal have lost the first three matches in its conference-opening road trip, including a four-game loss to No. 5 BYU on Friday. Outside attacker Steven Irvin in the loss to the Cougars had a team-high 15 kills. This was the fourth time in the last five matches that the All-American senior led the Cardinal in kills. Stanford has not started 0-4 in conference play since 2007 when it did not qualify for the postseason. Cal Baptist has won two of its last three MPSF matches, including a four-game victory against Pacific on Thursday. Outside attacker Jonathan Tuttle in the win finished with a match-high 14 kills and three aces.
4. No. 5 BYU (5-2, 5-0 MPSF) vs. Pacific (1-5, 0-3 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Provo, Utah
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
What to know: Outside attacker Taylor Sander is making his case for National Player of the Year and it’s still the first month of the season. BYU will play host to Pacific a day after Sander had a match-high 18 kills and five blocks in a four-game victory against No. 8 Stanford on Friday in front of a sold-out home crowd. The All-American senior has led the Cougars in kills in every match this season. In addition, Sander leads the MPSF and is second in the nation with 18 aces, including a career-high nine aces against UC San Diego last week. With a victory, BYU will also tie No. 3 UCLA for the longest winning streak in the nation at six matches. Pacific is on a five-match losing streak and lost in four games to Cal Baptist on Thursday. The Tigers have also not defeated the Cougars since 2005 and are winless in Provo, Utah, since their inaugural season in 1993.
5. Ohio State (3-3, 1-0 MIVA) vs. Lindenwood (1-1, 0-0 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in St. Charles, Mo.
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
What to know; Lindenwood outside attacker Tim Huizinga lightly tweeted on Friday night that the small Divisiion II school should try to top BYU’s single-match attendance record by having 6,000 people in attendance for its home opener against Ohio State. While 6,000 people is stretch, the Lions have a history of providing large crowds for their matches against the Buckeyes. Lindenwood set its single-match attendance record when it played host to Ohio State in its 2013 season opener. Ohio State enters on a three-match winning streak, including a road sweep against Quincy on Friday to open its conference season. Outside attacker Andrew Lutz is among the MIVA leaders with a 3.67 kills per game average and had a match-high 16 kills against Quincy on Friday. Lindenwood under new head coach Kris Dorn opens its conference season after defeating NJIT last weekend for its first win of the season.