Check out the breakdown of the 10 teams that will compete in the 2019 Off the Block Grow the Game Challenge. The annual non-conference tournament will take place Jan. 18-20 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee.
BARTON
School’s location: Wilson, North Carolina
Division: NCAA Division I-II
Conference: Conference Carolinas (ConfCarolinas)
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: Two (2018, 2019)
2018 record: 21-8
2018 season recap: Barton won a share of the ConfCarolinas regular season title and advanced to the conference tournament finals. In addition, the Bulldogs are a year removed from winning their first conference title in program history and advancing to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Player to watch: Opposite Angelos Mandilaris returns for his junior season after being named the 2018 ConfCarolinas Offensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Division II National Player of the Year. Mandilaris, one of four all-conference starters returning for the Bulldogs, was fifth in the nation last season with a 3.97 kills per game average.
BLUEFIELD COLLEGE
School’s location: Bluefield, Virginia
Division: NAIA
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: One (2019)
2018 record: 7-18
2018 season recap: The Rams opened last season ending their 23-match losing streak and finished with a single-season record for wins in the program’s four-year history. In addition, Bluefield upset Belmont Abbey in March for the school’s first win all-time against a NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball team.
Player to watch: Outside attacker Alberto Chiaparini earned all-conference honors after finishing last season in the national top 20 of the NAIA with a 3.38 kills per game average.
CUMBERLAND
School’s location: Lebanon, Tennessee
Division: NAIA
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: One (2019)
2018 record: N/A
2018 season recap: Cumberland named Scott Barbe the program’s inaugural head coach in November. Barbe has spent the last nine months recruiting and so far has signed 12 players for the program’s first season in 2019.
FONTBONNE
School’s location: St. Louis
Division: NCAA Division III
Conference: Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL)
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: One (2019)
2018 record: 19-8
2018 season recap: Fontbonne set a program-record with 19 wins last season and finished in fifth place in the MCVL. It also was the third consecutive year that the Griffins under coach Mike Haston won at least 15 matches.
Player to watch: Libero Zach Rothstein set the school’s single-season record with 331 digs last season and was named both a first-team all-conference selection and the MCVL Defensive Player of the Year. Rothstein is one of five starters returning for Fontbonne in 2019.
GRAND CANYON
School’s location: Phoenix, Arizona
Division: NCAA Division I-II
Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF)
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: Two (2018, 2019)
2018 record: 18-11
2018 season recap: Grand Canyon finished last season at No. 14 in the national coaches poll and for the first time its program history was nationally ranked every week during the season. In addition, the Antelopes advanced to the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals.
Player to watch: Middle attacker Caleb Blazer was in the MPSF’s top 10 last season with a 0.97 blocks per game average. He also had a combined nine blocks in the Antelopes’ three matches last season at the Grow the Game Challenge.
LIMESTONE
School’s location: Gaffney, South Carolina
Division: NCAA Division I-II
Conference: Conference Carolinas (ConfCarolinas)
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: Two (2018, 2019)
2018 record: 8-20
2018 season recap: Limestone during its first season under coach Steve Benson had a roster primarily comprised of freshmen and finished 2018 in sixth place in the ConfCarolinas. The Saints also advanced to the conference tournament quarterfinals.
Player to watch: Opposite Francisco Salinger Cenzual. Cenzual was fourth in the ConfCarolinas with a 2.82 kills per game average and was named the 2018 ConfCarolinas Freshman of the Year.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL
School’s location: Harrogate, Tennessee
Division: NCAA Division I-II
Conference: Independent
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: Two (2018, 2019)
2018 record: 14-12
2018 season recap: The Railsplitters in their program’s second year finished with a winning record and won the IVA Tournament, a championship event for NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball teams without a conference affiliation. Lincoln Memorial also had three players earn All-IVA honors.
Player to watch: Opposite Evan Cory was among the national leaders with a 3.51 kills per game average, including having a career-high 26 kills as Lincoln Memorial beat Coker in the IVA Tournament finals.
LINDENWOOD
School’s location: St. Charles, Missouri
Division: NCAA Division I-II
Conference: Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA)
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: Two (2018, 2019)
2018 record: 9-16
2018 season recap: Lindenwood swept Erskine, North Greenville and Barton at the inaugural Grow the Game Challenge to win the 2018 tournament championship. The Lions ended last season ranked No. 5 in the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Division II National Coaches Poll and advanced to the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals.
Player to watch: Setter Adam Brewster finished the 2018 season in the nation’s top 15 with a 9.78 assists per game average. The All-MIVA selection also was among the conference leaders with a 1.66 digs per game average.
QUINCY
School’s location: Quincy, Illinois
Division: NCAA Division I-II
Conference: Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA)
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: One (2019)
2018 record: 12-19
2018 season recap: Despite finishing last season winless in MIVA play, the Hawks under first-year head coach Gavin Mueller went 12-4 in non-conference play. The team’s non-conference scheduled was highlighted with a five-game victory against Lincoln Memorial.
Player to watch: Middle attacker Blake Sprecher as a sophomore last season led Quincy and was in the top 15 of the MIVA with 75 blocks.
USC
School’s location: Los Angeles
Division: NCAA Division I-II
Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF)
Grow the Game Challenge appearances: One (2019)
2018 record: 8-20
2018 season recap: USC finished last season in sixth place in the MPSF and upset No. 5 Pepperdine in the conference tournament quarterfinals. It also pulled off an upset in the final weeks of the regular season against its cross-town rivals No. 3 UCLA.
Player to watch: Middle attacker Sam Lewis, a MPSF All-Freshman selection last season, was in the conference’s top 10 with a .334 attack percentage. The 6-foot-10 incoming sophomore also is spending this offseason playing with the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team.