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There are plenty of compelling matches this weekend across all levels of college men’s volleyball.
Off the Block announced Thursday the Molten/Off the Block National Matches of the Week. Check out the top college men’s volleyball matches this weekend in NCAA Division I-II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Molten/Off the Block NCAA Division I-II National Match of the Week
No. 1/1 Hawai’i (4-0, 0-0 Big West) vs. No. 3/2 UC Santa Barbara (4-0, 0-0 Big West)
Match vitals: 4 p.m. Thursday in Santa Barbara
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Hawai’i player to watch: Middle attacker Patrick Gasman has a nation-best 1.54 blocks per game average, including having six blocks in each of the Rainbow Warriors’ last three matches.
UC Santa Barbara player to watch: Middle attacker Keenan Sanders leads the nation with a .644 attack percentage and has committed a combined two errors in the first four matches of the season.
Quick breakdown: The top two offenses in the nation will meet to open the Big West season. The Rainbow Warriors lead the country with a .389 attack percentage and have hit more than .300 in all four of their matches so far this season. Opposite Rado Parapunov also has double-digit kills and more than a .375 attack percentage in every match. UC Santa Barbara is second in the country hitting .361. In addition, opposite Randy DeWeese leads the Big West and is among the national leaders with a 4.21 kills per game average, including having a combined 32 kills in a doubleheader sweep of UC Irvine on Sunday. This will be the opener of a three-match series between UC Santa Barbara and Hawai’i with the first two matches counting as conference matches and the finale being a non-conference match.
Molten/Off the Block NCAA Division III National Match of the Week
No. 1 Springfield (0-0) vs. No. 10 Endicott (0-0)
Match vitals: 1 p.m. Saturday in Springfield, Massachusetts
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Springfield player to watch: Opposite Jarrett Anderson finished last season in the nation’s top 20 with a 3.97 kills per game average and was named the 2020 AVCA Newcomer of the Year.
Endicott player to watch: Middle attacker Gabe Felicetti concluded the abbreviated 2020 season fourth in the nation with a .425 attack percentage and was fifth in the conference averaging 0.64 blocks per game.
Quick breakdown: Springfield two months after initially being slated to start its season will finally get to play its season opener. Both Springfield and Endicott will begin their seasons with a home-and-home weekend series starting on Saturday. The Pride return four All-Americans after ending last season at No. 1 in the national rankings and with a nation-best .364 attack percentage. Endicott concluded the 2020 season winning 11 of its final 12 matches and second in the nation hitting .340.
Molten/Off the Block NAIA National Match of the Week
No. 11 St. Xavier (14-1) vs. Siena Heights (6-4)
Match vitals: 2 p.m. Saturday in Adrian, Michigan
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St. Xavier player to watch Freshman opposite Shane Ooms leads St. Xavier and is in the top 15 of the NAIA with a 4.00 kills per game average.
Siena Heights player to watch: Libero Joudiel Poveymirow leads the NAIA with a 4.29 digs per game average, including havibg a season-high 31 digs in a five-game loss to No. 15 Goshen last month.
Quick breakdown: St. Xavier is off to one of its best starts in program history and has one of the top offenses in the nation. Setter Aaron Kummer is third in the NAIA with a 10.75 assists per game average and has guided the Cougars to the nine-best attack percentage in the NAIA at .288. In addition, St. Xavier is on a six-match winning streak and will play a conference match against St. Ambrose on Thursday before traveling for the non-conference match versus Siena Heights. Siena Heights has won two straight matches, including a four-game victory against in-state rival Aquinas on Tuesday. The Saints in the win hit .326, and Kevin Gomez finished with a team-high 17 kills on a .343 attack percentage.