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Check out all the postseason matches today involving NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball teams and how to follow them live.
MPSF TOURNAMENT FINALS
No. 1 seed BYU (25-3, 19-3 MPSF) vs. No. 2 seed UCLA (25-5, 17-5 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Provo, Utah
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, Radio feed, In-match tweets, TV (BYUtv)
Season series: BYU leads 2-0
Last MPSF Tournament title: BYU (2014); UCLA (2006)
What to know: No. 3/3 UCLA will get its shot at redemption in the MPSF Tournament finals. UCLA after getting swept in a home two-match series against No. 1/1 BYU earlier this month will now meet the Cougars again with the conference championship on the line. BYU leads the nation with a .364 attack percentage, including hitting more than .300 in both its regular season victories against UCLA. All-MPSF outside attacker Brendan Sander had double-digit kills and more than a .350 attack percentage in those two matches. Sander, one of four finalists for the 2016 Karch Kiraly Award, is among the nation’s leaders with a 3.15 kills per game average and a .378 attack percentage. BYU defeated No. 6/6 UC Santa Barbara in the MPSF Tournament semifinals to remain in contention for its third conference tournament championship in the last four years. All-American opposite Ben Patch finished with a season-high 32 kills while hitting .480 in the five-game postseason victory. This was the fifth match this season that the 2016 Bryan Ivie Award finalist had at least 20 kills. In addition, Patch leads the conference and is third in the nation with a 4.45 kills per game average. UCLA is on a four-match winning streak since losing the two home matches against BYU, including sweeping No. 4/5 Long Beach State in the conference tournament semifinals on Thursday. Setter Micah Ma’a in the postseason victory guided the Bruins’ 6-2 offense to a .314 attack percentage and had eight kills and zero attack errors. Ma’a also earlier this week was named a finalist for the 2016 Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Server of the Year. The Freshmen All-American is second in the nation with 57 aces. Along with Ma’a, middle attacker Mitch Stahl had seven kills and a .636 attack percentage against Long Beach State. Stahl has at least five kills while hitting .600 in the Bruins’ last three matches. Despite missing almost a month of the season with an injury, Stahl earlier this week was named a finalist for the Ryan Millar Award. This will be the first time that UCLA and BYU have played each other in the MPSF Tournament finals. The two teams have split their four previous conference tournament matches with the Cougars winning the most recent match in 2013. Both UCLA and BYU regardless of the outcome of the MPSF Tournament finals are projected to make the NCAA Tournament, according to the latest Off the Block bracketology.
MIVA TOURNAMENT FINALS
No. 1 seed Ohio State (27-2, 15-1 MIVA) vs. No. 4 seed Lewis (19-12, 10-6 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Columubs, Ohio
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
Season series: Ohio State leads 2-0
Last MIVA Tournament title: Ohio State (2011); Lewis (2012)
What to know: One more victory for No. 2/2 Ohio State would not only extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 20 matches, but would give the Buckeyes their first conference championship in five years. Ohio State as the conference regular season champions will play host to No. 13 Lewis in the MIVA Tournament finals. Outside attacker Nicholas Szerszen leads the Buckeyes and is in the nation’s top 10 with both a 4.29 kills per game average and a .400 attack percentage. Szerszen was named the 2016 MIVA Player of the Year and earlier this week was selected as a finalist for the Karch Kiraly Award. In addition, the sophomore had double-digit kills and a combined five aces in Ohio State’s two regular season victories against Lewis. The Flyers became the first No. 4 seed in almost a decade to reach the MIVA Tournament finals after it upset No. 10/9 Loyola in the conference semifinals on Wednesday. Freshmen All-American outside attacker Mitch Perinar had a match-high 20 kills while hitting .366 in the four-game victory against the defending-NCAA champion Ramblers. Perinar, the 2016 MIVA Freshman of the Year, is among the conference leaders with a 3.14 kills per game average and had a season-high 21 kills the last time Lewis played Ohio State. This will be the first postseason meeting between the two teams since Lewis on the road defeated Ohio State in the 2012 MIVA Tournament championship. That upset ended the Buckeyes’ streak of four consecutive MIVA Tournament championships. Ohio State in the latest Off the Block bracketology is projected to make the NCAA Tournament regardless if it wins this postseason match. The only way Lewis makes the NCAA Tournament is winning this championship match to earn the MIVA’s automatic bid, according to Off the Block’s latest bracketology.
EIVA TOURNAMENT FINALS
No. 2 seed George Mason (17-11, 10-4 EIVA) vs. No. 4 seed St. Francis (19-9, 9-5 EIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in University Park, Pennsylvania
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
Season series: Tied 1-1
Last EIVA Tournament title: George Mason (1988); St. Francis (never)
What to know: There will be a new EIVA champion — it’s only a question of whether it will be No. 15 St. Francis or George Mason. St. Francis will play George Mason in the EIVA Tournament finals two days after it upset the 17-time defending EIVA champions No. 9/10 Penn State in the semifinals. The Red Flash became the fourth team to upset the Nittany Lions in EIVA Tournament history and the first to accomplish the feat since Princeton in 1998. All-conference outside attacker Jeff Hogan had a match-high 22 kills in the upset to help St. Francis make the EIVA Tournament finals for the first time since 2007. Hogan also led St. Francis with 13 kills in its regular season victory against George Mason in February. Along with Hogan, all-conference middle attacker Mike Marshman leads the EIVA with a .416 attack percentage. Marshman had 11 kills while hitting .625 against the Nittany Lions for his second match in the last two weeks with double-digit kills and more than a .600 attack percentage. George Mason reached the EIVA Tournament finals for the second consecutive year as it swept Harvard in the semifinals on Thursday. The Patriots in the victory hit .423 — the fourth time in the second-half of the season they had more than .400 attack percentage. All-EIVA outside attacker Christian Malias is among the conference leaders with a 3.00 kills per game average and had 11 kills on a .714 attack percentage int he semifinals victory against Harvard. Malias also had nine kills and a team-high 10 digs as George Mason swept St. Francis last week to clinch a berth to the EIVA Tournament. Both George Mason and St. Francis to reach the NCAA Tournament will have to win the conference tournament and earn the EIVA’s automatic berth, according to the latest Off the Block bracketology.
CONFERENCE CAROLINAS TOURNAMENT FINALS
No. 1 seed Erskine (20-6, 15-3 CC) vs. No. 3 seed Barton (22-6, 14-4 CC)
Match vitals: 6:30 p.m. in Due West, South Carolina
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
Season series: Barton leads 2-0
Last CC Tournament title: Erskine (2014); Barton (never)
What to know: For as dominant as the Flying Fleet were during the Conference Carolinas regular season, Barton was the one team it could not beat. Barton after beating the conference regular season champions in both previous meetings this year will now play Erskine again in the Conference Carolinas Tournament finals. Erskine rallied from a one-game deficit to beat Belmont Abbey in the semifinals on Friday to reach the conference finals for the third consecutive year. Outside attacker Mike Michelau, the 2016 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, finished with a match-high 22 kills in the postseason victory. This was the ninth time this season that Michelau had at least 20 kills in a match, including a season-high 28 kills in a five-game road loss to Barton in March. Michelau also is second in the conference and among the national leaders with a 4.48 kills per game average. Barton beat the defending-conference champions Pfeiffer in the semifinals to advance the Conference Carolinas Tourament finals for the first time in its program history. Freshman outside attacker Aleksa Brkovic had a season-high 19 kills while adding 10 digs in the semifinal victory. In addition, Brkovic leads the nation with a 0.63 aces per game average. All-conference outside attacker Pierre Tang-Taye also had 18 kills against Pfeiffer and is in the conference’s top 10 with a 3.63 kills per game average. Barton was the only team to have multiple victories against Erskine this season and held the Flying Fleet to a conference-low .119 attack percentage in their last meeting. Both Erskine and Barton to reach the NCAA Tournament will have to win the conference tournament and earn an automatic berth, according to the latest Off the Block bracketology.