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The weekend can get hectic during the college men’s volleyball season. That’s why Off the Block is providing the top five things to take away from all the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball matches this weekend.
1. UCLA offense pounds UC Irvine — All-American setter Micah Ma’a guided the offense to a season-high .455 attack percentage as No. 2/2 UCLA defeated No. 4/4 UC Irvine in four games on Friday. Four Bruins finished the match with double-digit kills, including middle attacker Daenan Gyimah having 14 kills on a team-best .619 attack percentage. With this victory, UCLA has won four matches this season against top-five nationally ranked teams.
2. Penrose rises up for Penn State — Outside attacker Jalen Penrose stepped up with Preseason All-American opposite Calvin Mende sidelined and helped No. 9/9 Penn State win two non-conference home matches. Penrose finished with both a season-high six aces and 16 kills in a five-game victory against Ball State on Friday. The senior also had a match-high 15 kills on a .333 attack percentage as Penn State beat No. 15 Fort Wayne in four games on Friday.
3. Lewis wins marathon overtime — No. 8/8 Lewis swept No. 13 USC on Friday in a non-conference home match that featured a 42-40 victory in the opening game. The Flyers rallied from a 24-21 deficit to force the overtime and then in the overtime fought off six more game-points before winning the third longest overtime in program history during the rally scoring era. Outside attacker Ryan Coenen finished with a match-high 20 kills on a .621 attack percentage and had 10 of those kills in the opening game.
4. Long Beach State still unbeaten — All-American outside attacker TJ DeFalco had both a match-high 12 kills on a .500 attack percentage and 12 digs as No. 1/1 Long Beach State swept Concordia-Irvine on Friday to remain the only undefeated team in the nation. No. 15 Fort Wayne and Charleston also entered the weekend undefeated but each suffered its first loss of the season.
5. Three-way tie atop ConfCarolinas — Barton, King and Mount Olive each won two conference matches this weekend to remain in a tie for first place in the ConfCarolinas. The three teams in conference play are undefeated and have lost a combined three games.