Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

The playoffs are about a month way but postseason positioning is on the line tonight in college men’s volleyball.

No. 6 Ohio State looks to stay in content for a MIVA regular season championship as travels to play its longtime conference rival Ball State. In addition, No. 1 BYU one day before playing No. 4 Long Beach State looks to avoid a trap game against No. 8 Cal State Northridge.

Check out the top-five men’s volleyball matches from around the nation to follow tonight.

1. No. 6 Ohio State (15-3, 7-1 MIVA) vs. Ball State (13-5, 4-5 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7:30 p.m. in Muncie, Ind.
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, Radio feed, In-match Tweets
What to know: The oldest rivalry in Midwest college volleyball gets renewed tonight and brings a little more emotion than usual after Ohio State and Ball State’s last meeting. This will be the first rematch between the two schools since Ball State lost to Ohio State earlier this season when a controversial yellow card at 23-23 in the fourth game gave the Buckeyes a match-point. The timing of the yellow card enraged several Ball State coaches and players. In addition, Cardinals coach Joel Walton said after the match he would petition the league to ensure that official that issued the yellow card never called a Ball State match again. Ohio State enters on a three-match winning streak, including a sweep against Penn State last week. Ball State is on a five-match winning streak and defeated IPFW on Thursday to move into fourth place in the MIVA. Along with the on-court intrigue for this rivalry, this match also has an interesting off-the-court reason. Two Ball State fans announced earlier this week they are trying to get enough fans in attendance to have this match break the program’s single-match home attendance record.

2. No. 1 BYU (15-3, 14-2 MPSF) vs. No. 9 Cal State Northridge (10-9, 8-9 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Northridge, Calif.
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, Radio feed, In-match Tweets
What to know: BYU will attempt to expand its two-match lead of first place in the MPSF as it travels to play Cal State Northridge. The Cougars with eight conference matches left in the season are on a MPSF-best seven match winning streak and have already clinched a spot in the MPSF Tournament. However, this match begins BYU’s longest road stretch of the season. The team will close out its regular season with six of its final eight matches on the road. Cal State Northridge enters on a three-match losing streak and in seventh place in the MPSF. A loss to BYU, though, would move the Matadors back into a three-way tie for the final two spots in the eight-team conference tournament.

3. Pacific (6-13, 3-12 MPSF) vs. Hawai’i (7-14, 6-12 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Honolulu
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match Tweets
What to know: Hawai’i has one last gasp at a postseason spot and it begins now as the team opens a two-match home conference series against last-place Pacific. Hawai’i after losing two matches last week to Cal Baptist is two-matches back of UC Santa Barbara and Cal Baptist for the final berth in the eight-team MPSF Tournament. The Warriors have six conference matches remaining, including the start of their four-match homestead tonight. Pacific snapped a 10-match losing streak last week with a four-game non-conference victory against Grand Canyon — the Tigers first victory since early February.

4. No. 8 Lewis (16-6, 8-1 MIVA) vs. Lindenwood (16-8, 2-5 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in in St. Charles, Mo.
Live stats: Live stats, Online video, In-match Tweets
What to know: Lewis will look to move one step closer to capturing its first MIVA regular season title in program history as it plays a road match against Lindenwood. Despite losing to Loyola in its last conference match, Lewis remains in first place in the conference and has a half-match lead on second-place Ohio State with five MIVA matches left. Lindenwood had its 16-match winning streak snapped with losses to Park on Saturday and Missouri Baptist on Tuesday. The Lions in their inaugural MIVA season are in seventh place but have already pulled off a conference upset against IPFW earlier this season.

5. Mount Olive (20-3, 13-0 Conference Carolinas) vs. King (9-15, 4-8 Conference Carolinas)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Mount Olive, N.C.
Follow live: Live stats, Online video
What to know: Mount Olive can clinch an out-right Conference Carolinas regular season championship and home court throughout the conference tournament if it can win its home match against King. The Trojans earlier this week clinched a share of the regular season title and now just need to win one of their three remaining conference matches to secure their third conference title in the last four years. A victory would also extend Mount Olive’s winning streak to a nation-best 15 matches. King is in sixth place in the Conference Carolinas and lost to Mount Olive in three games earlier this season.