Follow
Check out the five things to take away from the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball matches this weekend.
1. Pepperdine offense rolls through BYU — No. 4 Pepperdine had more than a .400 attack percentage in both matches of a home series sweep against No. 6 BYU during the weekend. All-American outside attacker Josh Taylor in the two victories had a combined 44 kills, including a match-high 24 kills in the series finale. With the two wins, the Waves move into sole possession of third place and are now a match out of first place.
2. Russell powers Penn State past Ohio State — Penn State outside attacker Aaron Russell had a match-high 30 kills on a .458 attack percentage and added 14 digs in a five-game victory against No. 11 Ohio State on Saturday. This was the fifth time this season that the All-American senior had at least 20 kills in a match.
3. Quincy stuns Ball State — In a match that featured 42 overtime points, Quincy defeated No. 14 Ball State in five games on Saturday for its win against a nationally ranked team since 2012. Opposite Jack Gamache led the Hawks with 15 kills, while outside attacker Ian Lawson and middle attacker Jared Kelso each added 14 kills.
4. USC gets comeback victory — No. 7 USC overcame a one-game road deficit to beat No. 8 Long Beach State in five games on Friday. Outside attacker Christopher Orenic had a match-high 19 kills in the victory that helped move the Trojans into a tie for fourth place in the MPSF.
5. Barton keeps on winning — Baron extended its conference winning streak to a program-record six matches with five-game victories against King and Lees-McRae during the weekend. These two wins also clinched the Bulldogs a spot in the Conference Carolinas Tournament for the second consecutive year.