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The NCAA men’s volleyball postseason will get underway with the MIVA Tournament.
The conference tournament quarterfinals will begin Saturday. Check out the matchups and the historical tidbits to know before filling out your MIVA Tournament bracket.
No. 1 seed Ball State (18-8, 11-3 MIVA) vs. No. 8 seed Quincy (8-18, 1-13 MIVA)
Match vitals: 6 p.m. Saturday in Muncie, Indiana
Season series: Ball State swept Quincy in February and won in four games in March.
All-time series: Ball State leads 57-5
MIVA Tournament titles: Ball State (1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2022); Quincy (none)
NCAA Tournament championships: Ball State (none); Quincy (none)
Next up on the bracket: The winner of this match will advance to the semifinals and play the winner of the Lewis versus Purdue Fort Wayne quarterfinals match.
Ball State player to know: Kaleb Jenness is in the nation’s top 30 with a 3.72 kills per game average and leads the MIVA with a .338 attack percentage.
Quincy player to know: Raje Alleyne leads the MIVA and is third in the nation with a 4.29 kills per game average.
Stats to know: Ball State has always advanced to the MIVA Tournament finals in years that there was a conference tournament and it won the regular season title. A No. 8 seed has never won in the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals. In addition, Quincy has not won a road conference match since 2017. Quincy last won a MIVA Tournament match in 2011 when as a No. 6 seed it upset Ball State.
No. 2 seed Loyola (21-6, 11-3 MIVA) vs. No. 7 seed McKendree (6-15, 1-13 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. Saturday in Chicago
Season series: Loyola won in four games in February and won in five games in March.
All-time series: Loyola leads 17-2
MIVA Tournament championships: Loyola (2013, 2014, 2015); McKendree (none)
NCAA Tournament championships: Loyola (2014, 2015); McKendree (none)
Next up on the bracket: The winner of this match will advance to the semifinals and play the winner of the Ohio State versus Lindenwood quarterfinals match.
Loyola player to know: First-year starting setter Dan Mangun is fourth in the nation averaging 10.34 assists per game and guided the offense to a .314 attack percentage.
McKendree player to know: First-year starting setter Tyler Poulsen is fifth in the country with a 10.27 assists per game average.
Stats to know: Loyola has advanced beyond the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals in all but one season during the rally scoring era. McKendree is attempting to become the first No. 7 seed to win a match in the history of the MIVA Tournament. The Ramblers and Bearcats are 2-2 in their series during the last two seasons with three of four matches going to a decisive fifth game.
No. 3 seed Ohio State (19-9, 11-3 MIVA) vs. No. 6 seed Lindenwood (10-12, 7-7 MIVA)
Match vitals: 5 p.m. Saturday in Columbus, Ohio
Season series: Lindenwood won in five games in February, and Ohio State won in four games in March.
All-time series: Ohio State leads 16-5
MIVA Tournament championships: Ohio State (1969, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987,1993, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018); Lindenwood (none)
NCAA Tournament championships: Ohio State (2011, 2016, 2017); Lindenwood (none)
Next up on the bracket: The winner of this match will advance to the semifinals and play the winner of the Loyola versus McKendree quarterfinals match.
Ohio State player to know: Jacob Pasteur, who spent the offseason playing with the U.S. Men’s National Team, is in the conference’s top 10 with both a 3.79 kills per game average and a .314 attack percentage.
Lindenwood player to know: AJ Lewis has a MIVA-best 0.47 aces per game average and is among the conference leaders averaging 2.86 kills per game.
Stats to know: Ohio State will play its first home postseason match since 2018. The Buckeyes are on a 13-match home postseason winning streak with their loss coming in the 2012 MIVA Tournament finals. Lindenwood has not won a MIVA Tournament match since reaching the semifinals in 2015. A No.6 seed has won a MIVA Tournament quarterfinal match three times during the 25-point rally scoring era.
No. 4 seed Lewis (16-12, 7-7 MIVA) vs. No. 5 Purdue Fort Wayne (16-12, 7-7 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. Saturday in Romeoville, Illinois
Season series: Purdue Fort Wayne won in four games in February, and Lewis won in four games in March.
All-time series: Lewis 43-26
MIVA Tournament championships: Lewis (1996, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2012, 2019, 2021); Purdue Fort Wayne (1991, 1992, 1999, 2006, 2007)
NCAA Tournament championships: Lewis (2003); Purdue Fort Wayne (none)
Lewis player to know: Christian Prayer is in the conference’s top 10 with averaging both 0.40 aces per game and 3.16 kills per game .
Purdue Fort Wayne player to know: Jon Diedrich is in the nation’s top 20 with a 3.70 kills per game average and in the MIVA’s top 10 averaging 0.33 aces per game.
Stats to know: This will be the 12th all-time meeting in the MIVA Tournament between Lewis and Purdue Fort Wayne with the Flyers winning the most recent meetings in 2018 and 2011. The victory in 2018 also started Lewis’ current eight-match home winning streak in the MIVA Tournament. Purdue Fort Wayne as the No. 6 seed last season reached the MIVA Tournament finals for the first time since 2007. A No. 5 seed has not defeated the No. 4 seed in the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals since 2015 – when Lindenwood upset Purdue Fort Wayne.