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Check out the five things to take away from the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball matches this weekend.
MPSF sends statement — The 12 teams in the MPSF are a combined 27-3 in non-conference play so far this season, including going 12-4 versus the MIVA. The MIVA and the MPSF in recent seasons have consistently competed for the top spot in conference RPI rankings. However with this early-season success and a limited non-conference schedule, the MPSF is the early frontrunner to have the best conference RPI this season.
Patch, BYU dominant at home — All-American opposite Ben Patch in his first college match since returning from a two-year church mission had a match-high 21 kills as No. 1 BYU defeated No. 3 Loyola in four games on Friday. BYU without Patch in the lineup also defeated No. 14 George Mason in four games on Saturday to finish the AVCA Showcase undefeated.
Hawai’i wins home tournament — Freshman opposite Stijin van Tilburg led all players with 15 kills and added three blocks to help No. 7 Hawai’i sweep No. 8 Lewis for the 2016 Outrigger Invitational championship on Sunday. Hawai’i did not lose a game during its three-match home tournament and is now 3-0 for the program’s first time since 2003.
Loyola bounces back — The two-time defending NCAA champions Loyola defeated No. 2 UC Irvine in five games on Saturday to end its season-opening two-match losing streak. No. 3 Loyola in the victory had three players finish with double-digit kills, including opposite Ricky Gevis who had a match-high 15 kills on a .565 attack percentage.
UCLA gets big road win — No. 5 UCLA had a season-high 16.5 blocks and held No. 10 Penn State to less than a .200 attack percentage in a five-game road victory on Friday at the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge. In addition, UCLA middle attacker and Pennsylvania native Mitch Stahl had a team-high 12 kills and added seven blocks to help the Bruins go undefeated on their three-match East road trip.
Most intriguing box score from the weekend
Coker had a program-record 29 aces as it defeated Rust 25-1, 25-7, 25-5 in its season opener on Friday. The independent NCAA Division II team also out-hit Rust .656 to negative-.480.