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First place is not only on the line in one conference but in three conferences tonight.
No. 3 UC Irvine will try to take sole possession of first place in the MPSF as it travels to play No. 5 Pepperdine. In addition, Pfeiffer and Erskine will play each other in a possible preview of the Conference Carolinas championship match.
Check out the nation’s top college men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight.
No. 3 UC Irvine (18-3, 12-2 MPSF) vs. No. 5 Pepperdine (13-4, 9-4 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Malibu, California
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
What to know: Something is going to have to give as No. 3 UC Irvine and its undefeated road record will travel to play No. 5 Pepperdine and its undefeated home record. The Anteaters are on a nation-best nine-match winning streak and with a victory a can move into sole possession of first-place in the MPSF. In addition, UC Irvine has at least a .300 attack percentage in every match during that winning streak, including hitting .306 in a five-game home victory against Pepperdine in February. Outside attacker Tamhir Hershko in that match finished with a match-high 18 kills and added two aces. Hershko also is among the MPSF leaders and in the nation’s top 10 with a 3.84 kills per game average. Pepperdine returns to the Firestone Fieldhouse after losing two road matches to No. 4 Hawai’i last weekend. Opposite Parker Kalmbach in the two losses lead the Waves with a combined 38 kills. The series finale was also the third match this season that Kalmbach finished with at least 20 kills. In addition, the senior leads the conference with a 4.06 kills per game average. Along with Kalmbach, All-American senior setter Matt West is second in the nation with a 10.86 assists per game and is on pace this season to set the NCAA career assists during the 25-point rally scoring era.
No. 1 Loyola (13-1, 5-1 MIVA) vs. No. 11 Ohio State (14-4, 7-2 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio
Follow live: Live stats, In-match tweets
What to know: The weekend gauntlet continues for the Buckeyes. No. 11 Ohio State one day after beating No. 2 Lewis now will play a home match against No. 1 Loyola. Outside attacker Michael Henchy had a career-high 32 kills on a .756 attack percentage in the five-game victory against the Flyers on Friday. Henchy is one of three Buckeyes in the conference’s top 15 with more than a 2.75 kills per game average. Loyola enters this match attempting to rebound from having its 40-match winning streak snapped earlier this week against Lewis. Despite the loss, Loyola can move into a tie for first place in the MIVA if it beats Ohio State. In addition, Loyola outside attacker Thomas Jaeschke has a conference-best 3.85 kills per game average and double-digit kills and more than a .340 attack percentage in the last six matches.
Erskine (13-3, 9-1 CC) vs. Pfeiffer (10-3, 9-1 CC)
Match vitals: 2 p.m. in Misenheimer, North Carolina
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
What to know: First place in the Conference Carolinas will be on the line as Pfeiffer plays host to Erskine. Both teams are tied for the lead in the conference, and the winner of this match will move a step closer to winning the conference regular season title and clinching home court throughout the conference tournament. This match will also feature several of the top outside attackers in the conference. Erskine outside attacker Roberto Perez is second in the Conference Carolinas with a 4.31 kills per game average, while outside attacker Michael Michelau is third averaging 4.07 kills per game. In addition, Pfeiffer outside attackers Jonathan Martinez and Sonny Hirini are both in the conference’s top 10 with a 3.30 kills per game average. Hirini also had a match-high 11 kills on a .458 attack percentage in Pfeiffer’s three-game victory against Erskine in February.
No. 8 Long Beach State (11-8, 7-8 MPSF) vs. No. 15 Penn State (8-9, 4-0 EIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Long Beach, California
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
What to know: No. 15 Penn State has a chance to finish its annual mid-season West Coast road trip undefeated for the first time since 2008 when it won its last NCAA championship. Penn State enters its Active Ankle Tournament finale against No. 8 Long Beach State having already swept No. 7 USC and Cal State Northridge to start its West Coast trip. All-American outside attacker Aaron Russell in the two victories has a combined 36 kills and more than a .500 attack percentage. Russell, a 2014 finalist for the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Server of the Year, also had a season-high five aces in the sweep against the Matadors. Long Beach State swept Harvard in its Active Ankle Tournament opener on Friday to extend its winning streak to three matches. In addition, Long Beach State middle attacker Taylor Gregory is second in the conference with a 1.33 blocks per game average.
King (7-7, 6-3 CC) vs. Marymount
Match vitals: 10 a.m. in Arlington, Virginia
Follow live: Live video, In-match tweets
King (7-7, 6-3 CC) vs. Bluefield
Match vitals: Noon in Arlington, Virginia
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Mount Olive (7-8, 7-5 CC) vs. Charleston (3-18)
Match vitals: 2 p.m. in Charleston, West Virginia
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Lindenwood (6-7, 2-5 MIVA) vs. Cal Baptist (6-12, 2-11 MPSF)
Match vitals: 2 p.m. in Riverside, California
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No. 14 IPFW (12-6, 4-3 MIVA) vs. Lourdes
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Barton (9-13, 7-6 CC) vs. St. Francis (3-13, 2-2 EIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Loretto, Pennsylvania
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No. 12 Ball State (10-9, 4-4 MIVA) vs. Grand Canyon (12-7, 4-5 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7:30 p.m. in Muncie, Indiana
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Cal State Northridge (5-12, 3-10 MPSF) vs. Harvard (9-6, 3-2 EIVA)
Match vitals: 5 p.m. in Long Beach, California
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No. 4 Hawai’i (16-3, 12-2 MPSF) vs. Hope International
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Honolulu
Follow live: Live stats, In-match tweets