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The madness of March has spilled over from the basketball court and into college men’s volleyball.
Check out the top five things to take away from this weekend’s action.
1. Ohio State sweeps rival Penn State — No. 7 Ohio State had a season-high .478 attack percentage and held Penn State to a season-low zero blocks as the Buckeyes swept the non-conference match Saturday. The loss extends the Nittany Lions’ losing streak to three matches — the program’s first three-match losing streak since 2007.
2. USC’s playoff hopes take another hit — USC following a five-game loss to UC San Diego on Saturday dropped to 11th place in the MPSF and three-and-half matches behind eighth-place UC Santa Barbara for the final berth to the MPSF Tournament. With seven conference matches left, USC is on the verge of missing the postseason for the first time seven years. In addition, the Tritions’ five-game victory was the first time in the team’s history they defeated the Trojans twice in a season.
3. MPSF handles non-West Coast teams — The MPSF went a combined 4-1 against EIVA and MIVA schools in non-conference play during the weekend. No. 3 Long Beach State won the Active Ankle Tournament with victories against George Mason and IPFW, while Grand Canyon had the lone win versus the MPSF with a five-game victory against Pacific.
4. Quiroga, Worley step up in Bruins’ victory — Outside attacker Gonzalo Quiroga had a match-high 22 kills as No. 5 UCLA defeated No. 6 Cal State Northridge in five games on Friday. Outside attacker Dane Worley also added a match-high four aces to help the Bruins extend their winning streak to four matches.
5. Mount Olive survives upset bid to stay perfect — Mount Olive rallied from a one-game deficit to beat Limestone in five games and remain the nation’s only undefeated team in conference play. The Trojans (19-3, 13-0 Conferecne Carolinas) are now on a nation-best 13-match winning streak and one victory away from claiming at least a share of the Conference Carolinas regular season title.
BONUS HIT
Lindenwood winning streak snapped — Park upset Lindenwood in non-conference play Saturday to end the Lions winning streak at 15 matches. Lindenwood — which had 14 of the 15 victories during the streak come in non-conference — will resume its MIVA schedule this weekend following a six-week break from conference play.