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Four teams — BYU, Hawai’i, Lewis and UC Santa Barbara — all will be vying for the two spots in the NCAA Tournament finals.
Check out the 25 players to know and watch for in the two NCAA Tournament semifinal matches tonight.
1. Rado Parapunov, Hawai’i
Parapunov has garnered four major college men’s volleyball awards this season — the National Player of the Year, the Big West Player of the Year, the Bryan Ivie Award as the nation’s top opposite and the Nicolas Szerszen Award as the top international player. In addition, Parapunov is third in the nation 4.41 kills per game average on a .340 attack percentage and has double-digit kills in every match this season.
2. Ryan Coenen, Lewis
Coenen is second in the nation with a 4.42 kills per game average on a career-best .347 attack percentage, including having at least 20 kills in five matches. The Karch Kiraly Award winner as the nation’s top outside attacker is in the nation’s top 40 with a 0.85 blocks per game average and among the team leaders with a 0.29 aces per game average.
3. Casey McGarry, UC Santa Barbara
McGarry has a nation-best 11.08 assists per game average and guided the Gauchos to the seventh-best attack percentage in the nation at .318. The Lloy Ball Award winner as the nation’s top setter also is in the nation’s top 15 with a 2.19 digs per game average.
4. Gabi Garcia Fernandez, BYU
Fernandez, the 2020 National Player of the Year and reigning two-time MPSF Player of the Year, is in the nation’s top 25 with a 3.73 kills per game average. The All-American also is fifth in the country with a 0.54 aces per game average, including having a combined seven aces in the Cougars’ two MPSF Tournament matches.
5. Tyer Mitchem, Lewis
Mitchem is second in the nation with a .489 attack percentage and had double-digit kills in 10 matches, including 14 kills and zero errors while hitting .700 in a sweep against Penn State in the NCAA Tournament opening round. The All-American middle attacker and Dain Blanton Diversity Award winner also is third in the nation averaging 1.29 blocks per game.
6. Patrick Gasman, Hawai’i
Gasman leads the nation with a career-high .500 attack percentage and had at least five kills in all but two matches this season. The Ryan Millar Award winner as the nation’s top middle attacker also is sixth in the nation with a 1.22 blocks per game average.
7. Randy DeWeese, UC Santa Barbara
DeWeese is in the nation’s top 10 with a 4.03 kills per game average and had four matches with at least 20 kills. The opposite and finalist for the Bryan Ivie Award had both a match-high 21 kills on a .317 attack percentage and 13 digs in a four-game victory against Pepperdine in the NCAA Tournament opening round.
8. Davide Gardini, BYU
Gardini is among the MPSF leaders with a 3.09 kills per game average and has hit .340 — his third straight season with more than a .300 attack percentage. The All-American outside attacker also leads BYU with 428 serve receptions and has a 94.9 percent successful reception rate.
9. Gage Worsley, Hawai’i
Worsley is in the nation’s top 10 with a 2.32 digs per game average and had double-digit digs in five matches to help the Rainbow Warriors earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Erik Shoji Award winner as the nation’s top libero and Steve Shondell Award winner as the nation’s top passer led Hawai’i with 353 service receptions and had a 96 percent successful reception rate.
10. Kevin Kauling, Lewis
Kauling is second in the nation with a 10.92 assists per game average and had guided the Flyers to the third-best attack percentage in the country at .345. The Lloy Ball Award finalist helped Lewis hit .460 and a both a match-high six blocks and 10 digs in a sweep against Penn State in the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
11. Wil Stanley, BYU
Stanley has led BYU to the second-best attack percentage in the nation at .348 and is in the nation’s top 10 with a 10.26 assists per game average. The finalist for the Lloy Ball Award also helped BYU hit .471 in a MPSF Tournament finals sweep of Pepperdine.
12. Roy McFarland, UC Santa Barbara
McFarland had a season-high 21 kills on a .340 attack percentage as UC Santa Barbara defeated Pepperdine in the NCAA Tournament opening round. The outside attacker is averaging both 2.80 kills per game and 1.45 digs per game and is among the team leaders in serve receptions this season.
13. Jakob Thelle, Hawai’i
Thelle has led Hawai’i to a nation-best .365 attack percentage and is fifth in the country with a 10.63 assists per game average. The finalist for the Lloy Ball Award also had double-digit digs in two matches this season.
14. Kyle Bugee, Lewis
Bugee is in the nation’s top 10 with a 0.48 aces per game average and has multiple aces in five consecutive matches. The outside attacker also has double-digit kills in two of the Flyers’ four postseason matches this season.
15. Zach Eschenberg, BYU
Eschenberg is in the nation’s top 30 with a career-high .324 attack percentage, including hitting .550 with 13 kills in a sweep against Pepperdine in the MPSF Tournament finals. He also is among the team leaders with 308 service reception and has a 92.2 percent successful reception rate.
16. Ryan Wilcox, UC Santa Barbara
Wilcox is in the nation’s top 10 averaging 0.49 aces per game and is among the team leaders with a 2.87 kills per game average. The outside attacker also is in the nation’s top 20 with a 2.04 digs per game average.
17. Felipe de Brito Ferreira, BYU
Ferreira is fifth in the nation with a 1.25 blocks per game average and had a combined 14 blocks in the MPSF Tournament. The middle attacker also is hitting .451 and a combined 10 kills and zero errors on a .769 attack percentage in the two conference tournament matches.
18. Keenan Sanders, UC Santa Barbara
Sanders is fifth in the nation with a .455 attack percentage and has at least five kills in nine consecutive matches. The Ryan Millar Award finalist is in the nation’s top 40 with a 0.85 blocks per game average, including having four blocks in its NCAA Tournament opening round victory against Pepperdine.
19. TJ Murray, Lewis
Murray finished with seven kills and zero errors on a .700 attack percentage in a sweep against Penn State in the NCAA Tournament opening round. The middle attacker also is eighth in the nation with a 1.15 blocks per game average and is hitting .446 — his fourth straight season with more than a .400 attack percentage.
20. Colton Cowell, Hawai’i
Cowell is among the Big West leaders with a 3.09 kills per game average on a .307 attack percentage and has double-digit kills in all but six matches this season. The outside attacker and finalist for the Steve Shondell Award as the nation’s top passer had 277 serve receptions and a 94.8 percent successful reception rate.
21. Chaz Galloway, Hawai’i
Galloway is among the team leaders with a 1.33 digs per game average along with having 214 serve receptions and a 94.4 percent successful reception rate. The outside attacker also has a 2.27 kills per game average and double-digit kills in three matches this season.
22. Miki Jauhiainen, BYU
Jauhiainen is in the nation’s top 15 with a 1.06 blocks per game average and has multiple blocks in seven consecutive matches. The middle attacker also is hitting a career-best .444 and has at least a .500 attack percentage in five of the last six matches.
23. Carlos Jimenez, Lewis
Jimenez has 224 serve receptions and a team-best 97.4 percent successful reception rate. The libero also leads the Flyers with a 1.98 digs per game average.
24. Donovan Todorov, UC Santa Barbara
Todorov had four blocks and three kills in the NCAA Tournament opening round victory against Pepperdine.
25. Cole Brillhart, Lews
Brillhart has 273 serve receptions and a 94.9 percent successful reception rate this season. The outside attacker also had eight digs in the NCAA Tournament opening round sweep against Penn State.