Top 30 players to know for NCAA Tournament semifinals

Photo courtesy of Hawai’i athletics

There will be plenty of stars on the court for the NCAA Tournament semifinals on Thursday.

Check out the top 30 players to know for both matches – Penn State versus Hawai’i and Long Beach State versus UCLA.

Cole Bogner, Penn State
Accolades:
First-Team All-American, EIVA Player of the Year, First-Team All-EIVA
Bogner entered the NCAA Tournament fifth in the nation with a 10.28 assists per game average and has guided the offense to the fifth-best attack percentage in the nation at .337. In addition, Bogner led Penn State to more than a .300 attack percentage in regular season wins against Hawai’i and UCLA.

Mason Briggs, Long Beach State
Accolades:
First-Team All-American, All-Big West
Briggs leads the Big West and is fifth in the nation averaging 2.36 digs per game, including having double-digit digs in 11 matches. The libero, who spent the offseason playing with the U.S. Men’s National Team, entered the NCAA Tournament with a team-high 411 service receptions and a 94.4 percent successful passing rating.

Ethan Champlain, UCLA
Accolades:
First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF
Champlain is second on UCLA with a 2.72 kills per game average and in the nation’s top 25 with a .342 attack percentage. The outside attacker is also fourth in the MPSF with a 0.36 aces per game average.

Spyros Chakas, Hawai’i
Accolades:
Second-Team All-American, All-Big West
Chakas is in the top five of the Big West with both a 3.50 kills per game average and a .326 attack percentage. The outside attacker also leads Hawai’i and is fourth in the conference averaging 0.40 aes per game.

Toby Ezeonu, Penn State
Accolades:
First-Team All-American, First-Team All-EIVA
Ezeonu entered the NCAA Tournament second in the nation with a .497 attack percentage and is in the conference’s top five averaging 0.89 blocks per game. The middle attacker also was sidelined for the EIVA Tournament finals because of a lower-leg injury but came off the bench in the Penn State’s win against Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament opening round on Tuesday.

Ido David, UCLA
Accolades:
First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF
David is in the MPSF’s top five with both a 3.54 kills per game average and a .365 attack percentage, including having 17 kills and hitting .696 in a sweep against Long Beach State. The setter also is third in the MPSF with a 0.42 aces per game average.

Cal Fisher, Penn State
Accolades:
Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-EIVA
Fisher entered the NCAA Tournament fourth in the nation with a 0.67 aces per game average and has an ace in every match that the senior has played in this season. In addition, Fisher is in the conference’s top five with both a 3.38 kills per game average and a .360 attack percentage highlighted with 23 kills and hitting .514 in a victory against George Mason in the EIVA Tournament semifinals.

Chaz Galloway, Hawai’i
Accolades:
All-Big West
Galloway had double-digit kills in nine matches and is in the top 10 of the Big West with a .303 attack percentage. The outside attacker has 417 service receptions and a 94.2 percent successful passing rating.

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Guy Genis, UCLA
Genis is third in the nation with a 1.25 blocks per game average. The middle attacker also is hitting .418 – the second straight year Genis has more than a .400 attack percentage.

Clarke Godbold, Long Beach State
Accolades:
Second-Team All-American, All-Big West
Godbold entered the NCAA Tournament in the nation’s top 10 with a 1.09 blocks per game average. The opposite also is in the top 10 of the Big West with a 2.81 kills per game average, including having a season-high 32 kills on a .571 attack percentage in a victory against CSUN in April.

Troy Gooch, UCLA
Gooch is third in the MPSF with a 1.87 digs per game average, including nine digs in a four-game victory against Long Beach State.

Cole Hogland, Hawai’i
Hogland is fourth in the Big West with a 1.01 blocks per game average and had a season-high eight blocks against UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament finals. The middle attacker also is hitting .547 – the second consecutive season Hogland has more than 100 kills and more than a .500 attack percentage.

Shane Holdaway, Long Beach State
Holdaway entered the NCAA Tournament with a career-best .563 attack percentage and hit more than .500 in 17 matches. The middle attacker also is in the top 10 of the Big West averaging 0.80 blocks per game.

Alex Knight, UCLA
Accolades:
Second-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF
Knight has double-digit kills in 11 matches and is in the nation’s top 25 with a career-high .338 attack percentage. The outside attacker also is in the conference’s top 10 averaging 0.85 blocks per game.

Aidan Knipe, Long Beach State
Knipe entered the NCAA Tournament second in the Big West with a 9.60 assists per game average and guided the Beach to the fourth-best attack percentage in the nation at .340. The setter is also in the conference’s top 15 averaging 1.51 digs per game and is one day away from tying a single-season career high.

Michael Kowal, Penn State
Accolades:
First-Team All-EIVA
Kowal entered the NCAA Tournament in the conference’s top 15 averaging both 2.49 kills per game and 0.32 aces per game. The outside attacker also is second on the team with 462 service receptions and a 92.9 percent successful passing rating.

Merrick McHenry, UCLA
Accolades:
First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF
McHenry leads the nation with a .537 attack percentage and in the last three matches has a combined 34 kills and zero errors. The middle attacker from Texas also is in the nation’s top 10 with a 1.08 blocks per game average.

Ryan Merk, Penn State
Accolades:
EIVA Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-EIVA
Merk entered the NCAA Tournament leading Penn State with 524 service receptions and a 95.6 percent successful passing rating. The libero also leads EIVA with a 1.83 digs per game average.

Dimitrios Mouchlias, Hawai’i
Accolades:
First-Team All-American, All-Big West
Mouchlias was in the nation’s top 15 and leads the Big West with both a 3.96 kills per game average and a .397 attack percentage. The outside attacker also is fifth in the conference and among the national leaders averaging 0.38 aces per game.

J.R. Norris IV, UCLA
Norris is hitting .582 – the second straight year the middle attacker has more than .575 attack percentage. In addition, Norris had five kills on an .833 attack percentage in a sweep against Stanford in the MPSF Tournament finals.

Spencer Olivier, Long Beach State
Accolades:
Second-Team All-American, All-Big West
Olivier entered the NCAA Tournament in the nation’s top 20 with a .356 attack percentage – the outside attacker’s fourth consecutive season hitting more than .300. In addition, Oliver is among the Big West leaders averaging 2.74 kills per game and had back-to-back double-digit kill performances against Hawai’i in March.

Owen Rose, Penn State
Rose entered the NCAA Tournament leading the EIVA and is in the nation’s top 10 averaging 1.07 blocks per game. The middle attacker also is hitting .468 and has committed a combined three errors in the last nine matches.

Andrew Rowan, UCLA
Accolades:
National Newcomer of the Year, MPSF Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-American, First-Team All-MPSF
Rowan, who as a freshman was permanently inserted into the starting lineup in February, helped guide the Bruins to a nation-best .381 attack percentage. The setter also is in the nation’s top 10 with a 0.49 aces per game average.

Brett Sheward, Hawai’i
Accolades:
All-Big West
Sheward is second in the conference and in the nation’s top 10 with a 2.13 digs per game average. The libero is also second on the team with 453 service receptions and has 94.8 percent successful passing rating.

Sotiris Siapanis, Long Beach State
Accolades:
Second-Team All-American, All-Big West
Siapanis entered the NCAA Tournament seventh in the Big West with a 3.21 kills per game average and had a season-high 19 kills on a .531 attack percentage in a record sweep against Hawai’i in March. The offseason transfer from Ohio State also is second in the conference and in the nation’s top 15 averaging 0.45 aces per game.

Jakob Thelle, Hawai’i
Accolades:
National Player of the Year, Big West Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, All-Big West
Thelle leads the nation with a 10.73 assists per game average and guided the offense to the nation’s second-best attack percentage at .373. The setter also is sixth in the nation with a 0.36 aces per game average and has 121 career aces.

Keonii Thiim, Hawai’i
Thiim primarily coming off the bench as a serving specialist this season has 20 aces.

Simon Torwie, Long Beach State
Accolades:
Second-Team All-American, All-Big West
Torwie entered the NCAA Tournament leading the nation with a 1.60 blocks per game average, including having at least five blocks in 15 matches. The middle attacker also has a career-high .437 attack percentage and 22 aces – one ace shy of typing a career best.

Guilherme Voss, Hawai’i
Accolades:
First-Team All-American, All-Big West
Voss leads Hawai’i and is fifth in the nation with a 1.16 blocks per game average, including having seven blocks in the Big West Tournament finals. The middle attacker also has a career-best .556 attack percentage.

Brett Wildman, Penn State
Accolades:
Second-Team All-EIVA
Wildman entered the NCAA Tournament sixth in the nation with a 0.50 aces per game average, including having a combined four aces in two matches against UCLA during the regular season. The outside attacker also had 14 kills on a .500 attack percentage against George Mason in the EIVA Tournament semifinals.