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Check out the five things to take away from the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball matches this weekend.
UCLA undefeated no more — Freshman outside attacker Stijn van Tilburg had a match-high 21 kills as No. 5/5 Hawai’i defeated No. 1/1 UCLA in their series opener on Friday. The Bruins entered the match as the only remaining undefeated team in the nation. In addition, UCLA rebounded in the series finale to defeat Hawai’i in five games on Saturday.
Ball State stuns Ohio State — No. 14 Ball State rallied from a two-game deficit and fought off a match-point in the decisive fifth game before beating No. 7/7 Ohio State in overtime. Outside attacker Mike Scannell finished with 13 kills, including having five kills in the fifth game and the match-winning kill in overtime. The comeback victory also ended the Buckeyes’ seven-match winning streak.
BYU dominant at home — No. 3/2 BYU in a two-match weekend series sweep versus No. 10/8 UC Santa Barbara had more than a .300 attack percentage in both matches. The Cougars in the series final hit .487, while outside attacker Jake Langlois and opposite Ben Patch each finished with double-digit kills and more than a .500 attack percentage.
Long Beach State shines at home — Outside attacker Kyle Ensing had a team-high 14 kills and eight digs to help No. 2/3 Long Beach State beat No. 6/4 Stanford in four games on Friday. In addition, Long Beach State swept No. 9/9 Pepperdine on Saturday to move into a three-way tie for third place in the MPSF.
St. Francis coach hits milestone — Coach Mike Rumbaugh earned his 200th career victory as No. 15 St. Francis rallied to defeat the defending-Conference Carolinas champions Pfeiffer in five games on Saturday. With this victory, the Red Flashes have now won four of their last five matches.