Off the Block

Tag: UCLA

  • Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    It is not as big as No. 1 USC playing No. 2 BYU next weekend, but there is definitely an appeal to tonight’s men’s volleyball matches.

    All around the nation there is intrigue as two of the top five nationally ranked teams play each other in California, while No. 9 Penn State and George Mason meet in Virgina to play for sole possession of first place in the EIVA. In addition, off the court there is some intrigue on whether a MIVA coach will continue to bench his former All-American middle attacker.

    Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight.
    (more…)

  • The top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    Rematch is the theme of tonight

    All of the top five nationally ranked men’s volleyball teams are in action tonight, with three of them playing teams who they have previously defeated this season. However, as this season has already proved sometimes the most difficult thing to do is defeat a team multiple times in the same year.

    Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight.
    (more…)

  • My men’s volleyball media poll ballot

    What a difference a year makes deciding who is No. 1 in the rankings.

    For most of last season there was a revolving door at the No. 1 spot with three teams having the top ranking by late February. However, this season USC has maintained the No. 1 spot since the preseason and is receiving all but one first-place vote in the coaches and media poll for the second consecutive week.
    (more…)

  • The top 5 men’s volleyball stories of the week

    It’s your top five men’s volleyball story list, but with a twist.

    Every Sunday during the men’s volleyball season I will post the top five best men’s volleyball stories of the week from around the nation. The list, though, is based more on how well the reporter wrote and covered the story rather than just what happened on the court.
    (more…)

  • Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    There is only one match between two top 10 ranked teams tonight, but as today has shown rankings are not needed for intrigue.

    No. 9 Penn State this afternoon survived in five games against Lees-McRae, which was attempting to be the first team from the Conference Carolinas to defeat a top 10 ranked team. In addition, one week ago all five of the top ranked lost, with four of them losing to teams outside of the top 10.

    Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight.
    (more…)

  • My men’s volleyball media poll ballot

    Everyone in the top five of the national rankings picked a good week to lose.

    For the first time in NCAA men’s volleyball history, all five of the top ranked teams Friday lost on a single night. It was one of the biggest oddities in my time covering men’s volleyball and created an interesting situation for this week’s poll.
    (more…)

  • Scraping the wreckage of a historical upset Friday

    The oddity of Friday night may be a first in the 41-year history of NCAA men’s volleyball.

    All of the top five ranked teams in the ASICS/Volleyball Magazine Men’s Division I-II Media Poll — No. 1 USC, No. 2 Long Beach State, No. 3 BYU, No. 4 Stanford and No. 5 UCLA — lost Friday.

    With a majority of the top 10 nationally ranked teams being in the MPSF, it is not unusual for one or two of the top five teams to lose a match during a weekend. However, I can never recall or find another incense when all five of the top ranked teams lost in a single day.
    (more…)

  • My men’s volleyball media poll ballot

    There isn’t a whole lot of question about who are the top four teams. USC, Stanford, BYU and Long Beach State have clearly established themselves as the four best teams in the nation during the first month of the season.

    However, the question who are the other six teams remains unsettled.

    Some teams such as a Ohio State have shown significant improvement since the start of the season, while teams like UCLA have struggled in recent weeks. These streaks continue to create a fluid voting ballot with the final few slots every week in the ballot feeling like a revolving door of teams.

    Check out this week’s top 10 men’s volleyball media poll and my ballot with explanations on why ranked each team where I did.
    (more…)

  • The top 5 men’s volleyball stories of the week

    It’s your top five men’s volleyball story list, but with a twist.

    Every Sunday during the men’s volleyball season I will post the top five best men’s volleyball stories of the week from around the nation. The list, though, is based more on how well the reporter wrote and covered the story rather than just what happened on the court.
    (more…)

  • Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

    It’s not often that MPSF schools travel outside the West Coast.

    However, this weekend four MPSF schools have traveled to the Midwest and East Coast to play in non-conference matches against EIVA and MIVA teams. This is by far the best non-conference weekend of the season with matches ranging from three nationally ranked teams meeting up in University Park, Pa., to No. 4 Stanford playing Loyola in the dreadful Alumni Gym where numerous road teams have struggled in recent years.

    Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches you need to follow tonight.
    (more…)