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Check out all the matches to follow today featuring NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball teams and how to follow the matches live.
No. 4 UC Irvine (1-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. No. 7 Lewis (1-0, 0-0 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Romeoville, Illinois
Follow live: Live stats, In-match tweets, Live Video
What to know: A day after reverse sweeping No. 9 Loyola, No. 4 UC Irvine continues its season-opening roadtrip against another MIVA powerhouse No. 7 Lewis, which was ranked first in the 2019 preseason conference poll. UC Irvine holds a 4-1 series record against Lewis, with the Anteaters last sweeping the Flyers at the Smith Fieldhouse in 2018. The Eaters overwhelmed the Flyers offensively hitting .536 in the final game and .413 overall in the match. The match saw a balanced offensive effort from the Anteaters, as every starting pin-hitter finished with at least seven kills, with opposite Karl Apfelbach leading the way with 11. UC Irvine proved superior from the service line as it out-served Lewis with a 4-1 ace advantage. In terms of blocking both teams were much more evenly matched, with the Anteaters narrowly edging out the Flyers 7-6. The Anteaters, which return every starter from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, including All-Americans Scott Stadick, Aaron Koubi, Joel Schneidmiller and Apfelbach. Additionally, the Anteaters roster now also features the nation’s top high school recruit, opposite Jonny Bowles. The Flyers, which are coming off a 19-11 season, also return every member of last season’s starting roster, five of whom were named to the 2019 Preseason All-MIVA team. Lewis will look to junior outside hitter Ryan Coenen, a 2018 All-MIVA First Team and AVCA honorable mention selection, to carry the offensive load. Coenen led Lewis with 349 kills and averaged 4.05 kills per game against ranked teams. During last year’s meeting, Coenen had a match-high 15 kills on a team-best .423 hitting percentage against the Anteaters.
No. 8 Ohio State (1-0, 0-0 MIVA) vs. Penn State (0-0, 0-0 EIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio
Follow live: Live stats, In-Match tweets
What to know: No. 8 Ohio State hosts their first test of the season when Penn State comes to St. John Arena. Despite losing Maxime Hervoir and Nicolas Szerszen – 3-time MIVA Player of the Year, and 2016 AVCA Player of the Year – the Buckeyes seem determined to pick up where they left off. After a slow start in their match against Charleston yesterday, the Buckeyes rallied to sweep the match, led by opposite Jake Hanes’s 13 kills and .611 hitting percentage. Four different Buckeyes recorded seven or more kills while attacking .500 or better in the match, and they kept up the service pressure with 10 aces. Ohio State returns starters setter Sanil Thomas (2018 All-MIVA First Team), opposite Jake Hanes (2018 All-MIVA Second Team, 2018 NCAA All-Tournament Team), and middle attacker Blake Leeson (2018 All-MIVA Second Team). Picked to finish second in the EIVA, Penn State enters the season unranked, left out of the preseason poll by only two spots. For their first match of the season, they face a difficult road test at Ohio State –the sixth time in program history they have opened their season at St John Arena. The Nittany Lions return 2018 All-EIVA First Team performers Calvin Mende and Matthew McLaren, who led the team with 256 kills last season. Interesting to note: Penn State Mark Pavlik’s 558 career wins ranks second all-time in NCAA DI-II men’s volleyball history. Ohio State coach Pete Hanson ranks first with 702 wins.
Barton (0-0, 0-0 ConfCarolinas) vs. George Mason (1-0, 0-0 EIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Wilson, NOrth Carolina
Follow live: Live stats, Live Video
What to know: George Mason opened their season with a sweep over Queens on Friday night. The Patriots used a balanced attack to overwhelm the Royals, who hit -.240 on the night. George Mason, picked third in the preseason EIVA poll, lost a trio of key contributors from last year’s team – setter Brian Gomez (EIVA Player of the Year), outside attacker Christian Malias (Second-Team All-EIVA), and libero Johnny Gomez (finalist for Erik Shoji Award). Last year’s Patriots team finished top-15 nationally in kills per set (10th), assists per set (14th). and attack percentage (15th). This match will be the season opener for Barton, the consensus pick to the win the 2019 ConfCarolinas title. While George Mason lost a considerable portion of their team to graduation, the opposite is true for Barton. Returning for the Bulldogs are opposite Angelos Mandilaris (ConfCarolinas Offensive Player of the Year, 2018 Division II National Player of the Year finalist), outside attacker Aleksa Brkovic (First-Team All-ConfCarolinas), outside attacker Vasilis Mandilaris (Second-Team All-ConfCarolinas), and setter Oscar Fiorentino (Second-Team All-ConfCarolinas). Last year, Barton finished top-10 nationally in opponent attack percentage (4th), winning percentage (7th), and attack percentage (10th). Barton has won over 20 matches in each of the last three seasons, amassing a record of 66-21 during that span, What both teams have in common is that they are both hungry, having finished last season with a bitter taste in their respective mouths. George Mason, by virtue of winning the 2018 EIVA regular season title, earned the right to host the EIVA tournament. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they lost to Princeton in the tournament semi-finals. Due to ConfCarolinas tiebreakers, Barton finished second during the regular season to King. This would prove pivotal, as the Bulldogs lost at top-seeded King in the tournament finals. The two teams met in 2018 in Fairfax, Virginia, where the Patriots swept the Bulldogs. George Mason outhit Barton (.421 to .185) and were led by opposite Hayden Wagner’s 16 kills and three aces. It’s early in the season, but this match might go a long way to determining NCAA Tournament seeding.
No. 1 Long Beach State (2-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. Harvard (0-2, 0-0 EIVA)
Match vitals: 5:30 p.m. in Santa Barbara, California
Follow live: Live stats, In-match tweets
No. 2 UCLA (1-0, 0-0 MPSF) vs. UC San Diego (0-1, 0-0 Big West)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Los Angeles
Follow live: Live stats, Radio feed, In-match tweets, Live Video
No. 9 Loyola (0-1, 0-0 MIVA) vs. North Greenville (0-1, 0-0 ConfCarolinas)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Chicago
Follow live: Live stats, In-match tweets, Live Video (ESPN3)
No. 11 CSUN (2-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. No. 14 Grand Canyon (0-2, 0-0 MPSF)
Match vitals: 3 p.m. in Santa Barbara, California
Follow live: Live stats, In-Match tweets
No. 12 Concordia-Irvine (0-2, 0-0 MPSF) vs. No. 10 UC Santa Barbara (2-0, 0-0 Big West)
Match vitals: 8:00 p.m. in Santa Barbara, California
Follow live: Live stats
No. 13 Stanford (1-0, 0-0 MPSF) vs. UC Santa Cruz (0-0)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Stanford, California
Follow live: Live stats, In-match tweets
No. 14 Purdue Fort Wayne (1-0, 0-0 MIVA) vs. Princeton (0-3, 0-0 EIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Follow live: Live stats, Radio Feed, In-match tweets, Live Video
NJIT (0-1, 0-0 EIVA) vs. Ball State (1-0, 0-0 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Muncie, Indiana
Follow live: Live stats, In-Match tweets, Live Video
Exhibition Matches
No. 3 Hawai’i (0-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. British Columbia
Match Vitals: 7 p.m. in Manoa, Hawaii
Follow live: Live stats, In-match Tweets, Radio feed