January 27, 2024
We wish we could get to every game on each night but with the volume of games on the schedule, especially Friday and Saturday, it’s just impossible. We like to focus on all teams no matter where they end up in the rankings, but the top 25 certainly seem to get more attention, no matter how much we try to keep things equal. The site will take on a new dimension in the next week or so when the player evaluator starts to kick in and of course the full-blown computer ranking based on the IH in-season algorithm, rather than a preseason algorithm that is used for pre-season reporting.
Another 50+ games on the schedule for Saturday. We have started our prep for updated rankings, scoreboard, standings, and more. But first, let’s look at “some” of the games and performances achieved today…
Cal Lutheran started their Midwest tour last night, knocking off North Central in a 5-set thriller. Tonight, it was Dominican’s turn to test a Kingsmen team who remains undefeated at D3. The Stars achieved the exact same results as North Central, falling 16-14 in the fifth set and dropping the match 3-2. Cal Lutheran is gaining more confidence as the season progresses, especially in tight matches were their resiliency shines. They have proven thus far that they belong near the top of the rankings with wins against Vassar, UCSC (2x), Carthage, NYU, North Central, and now Dominican. Statistically, because of the schedule strength and the company they have been keeping, their stats to not represent their strength. Here are some examples as we look at their first 8 matches. Over 30 sets, CLU has 341 kills compared to their opponents 338. Both CLU and their opponents have 33 aces to date. They have outblocked their opponents 52.5 to 50.5. Their serve receive percentages are lower than their opponents by .943 to .933. You can’t look at a .933 and say it’s an impressive number for a top 10 ranked team. They have outdug their opponents by a 293 to 263 margin or 1 dig per set. Assists are almost even at 312 to 313. OK… so why is this team 8-0 at D3? The big distinguishing statistical advantage for the Kingsmen is their hitting percentage. They are hitting .261 and their opponents are hitting .188. The 1-2 errors per set are making up the difference for this team. The excellent play on the attack of Michael Stahl, Jordan Cooper, Ben Weber, and Borys Horiuk is a key reason for the success. And you have to factor in the outstanding placement of sets from Taylor Marks to facilitate that hitting percentage advantage. We look forward to seeing what CLU can accomplish this season. Hats off to their Staff for putting a top-flight schedule for the season. They face Loras and Messiah next and have UC Santa Barbara in two weeks. Mark your calendar for 3/8 when CLU will face both Wentworth and St. John Fisher.
IH expected MIT to be much improved, especially with the fifth-year return of outside Nick Gustafson. Like Cal Lutheran, MIT loaded their early schedule with high ranked teams Stevens, Wentworth and Marymount, and suffered 3 straight losses. Usually, visiting Stevenson is no easy undertaking, with the 400-mile bus ride, and a Mustang team that always has a solid home record. But today it was all MIT as the Engineers smartly rode the Mustangs to a sweep. Nick Gustafson hit .652 while lassoing 17 kills while Phillip Johnson hit .563 and torqued 11 kills on the attack. Mike Rini had 5 blocks and Max Turner had 7 digs for the winners. Tim Flanagan had 7 digs and 15 kills for Stevenson.
Hobart finished off the Elmira Invitational with 2 wins today over Drew and Kean. The Statesmen opened the morning with a 5-set win over Drew, followed by a 4-set win against Kean to improve to 3-0 on the weekend. Hobart now has a seven-game win streak and improves their overall record to 8-1. Drew dropped to 2-4 while Kean is now 4-3 overall. Andrew Kim was the star for the Statesmen with 44 kills today, including a career-high 31-kill (.480) performance against Kean. Freshman Daniel Sappia was outstanding for Hobart with 34 kills, 15 digs, and 4 aces.
Louden Moran orchestrated another beautiful victory for Stevens leading them to a 3-1 victory over Juniata. Louden spread 41 assists through 6 Ducks in the win. Nate Lancia hit .444 and drilled 15 kills to lead the way and Koby Sherman added 13 kills 4 blocks and an ace. Ducks middle Tyler Hoke had 7 blocks and added 4 kills. Jesse Knuckles with the defensive gem for Stevens with 15 digs. Tyler Goldsborough hit .308 and posted 12 kills while Juan Armando had 15 kills but 11 attack errors for Juniata. The Eagles will now get ready for the Frog-Jump Invitational where they again will play Stevens. Mount Union and Carthage. They currently sit at 3-3.
Nichols hit .425 as a team to take down SUNY New Paltz in three straight sets in Boston today. Two great performances tonight from Bison Jack Normandin and Tanner Soracco to support this big win. Tanner hit .727 with 9 kills and Jack had 14 kills and hit .700. Awesome job by these two standout players. Nichols is now 5-0 on the season after taking the nightcap by sweeping Emmanuel College. The Fenway Classic ends tomorrow with the Bison taking on Baruch and #1 Wentworth and a chance to take their program to the top of the rankings with a sweep.
Baruch has been on a roller coaster ride this season and these past two days has certainly had its highs and lows. Thursday night, they had one of the biggest wins in recent history with a 5-set stunner of NYU at home. Two days earlier, they played Stevens very tight, winning one set and having another go 28-30. When they arrived at the Fenway Invitational, IH expected to be welcoming them into the top 20 before the weekend was over, especially if they could carry the momentum into 4 big matches this weekend. Saturday was just tough for the Bearcats. Emmanuel College took it to them in an early afternoon sweep and then Endicott finished off the Saturday by sweeping the Bearcats as well. Now Baruch has #1 Wentworth waiting for them tomorrow at noon and then take on what could be the hottest team in the Nation as they face Nichols at 2PM. Kudos to Emmanuel Saint Michael Shelley who had a 14 kills performance along with 4 aces and 6 digs in the sweep and Jake Laborde of Endicott who slammed 15 kills and 2 aces.
Corey Mayotte and Sean Wenzel led a strong Loras attack as the DuHawks down Aurora in straight sets. Joe Horn had 26 assists, 2 kills, and 2 block in the win. Wenzel hit .538 and had 3 blocks while Mayotte threw down 13 kills and lifted 9 digs in the win. Loras improved to 3-0 and plays Cal Lutheran tomorrow morning in Aurora.
Mason Grover had 38 assists and 6 aces and Avery Farabaugh slashed 17 kills to lead Penn State Altoona to a 3-1 victory over Manhattanville. It was the MU Valiants first match of the year, and they were later downed by Wilkes to start the season at 0-2.
Milestones:
Junior setter Owen Morrow of Dominican got his 1,000th career assist against Cal Lutheran today! Congrats Owen!!
Concordia Wisconsin outside Spencer Herman has broken two school records. The first for kills in a five-set match and the second for points in a five-set match when they faced Widener today. Spencer Rocks!!
Player of the Night:
We are calling out an outstanding performance tonight by sophomore setter Elijah Mosher from Concordia Chicago. In his match today with Fontbonne, Elijah posted 56 assists, 20 digs, 4 kills, and 2 blocks, leading his team to a 5-set win. Those are massive numbers and should be recognized. Awesome job Elijah!!!
More of tonight’s leaders:
Kills in 5 set match: Spencer Herman (Concordia Wisconsin) 26, Marcin Hoffman (Concordia Chicago) 25, Aaron Marrs (Dominican) 24
Kills in 4 set match: Andrew Kim (Hobart) 31, Chase Heuer (Adrian) 25, Martin Chromulak (Rutgers) 23
Kills in a 3 set match: Jordan Peiser (Elmira) 17, Owen Wickens (Nazareth) 16, Pedro DeJesus (Elms) 16
Assists in a 5 set match: Elijah Mosher (Concordia Chicago) 56, Alex Gantt (Fontbonne) 50, Taylor Marks (CLU)/Parker Rings (MSOE)/Owen Morrow (Dominican) 49
Assists in a 4 set match: Nate Seeger (Elizabethtown) 46, Nick Stasch (Marian) 46, Derek Au (Rutgers) 45
Assists in a 3 set match: Matt Albano (Hiram) 41, Ben Carmosino (Mt. St. Joseph) 38, Evan Engerick (St. John Fisher) 37
Aces: Alex Bergman (Sage) 8, Ben Maskiell (King’s) 7, Jacob Zarges (Eastern Nazarene) 7 NOTE: All in 3 set matches
Blocks: Paul Binner (Wilkes) 9 -4sets, Carter Milroy (Geneva) 8 -4sets
Digs in a 5 set match: Max Sellers (Augustana) 24, Jackson Phillips (MSOE) 22, Elijah Mosher (Concordia Chicago) 20
Digs in a 4 set match: Kaeden Noble (Roanoke) 22, Alec Donald (Illinois Tech) 19
Digs in a 3 set match: Corey Obeldobel (Mount Aloysius) 16, Josh Elegeer (Penn State Behrend) 13, Camden Sterner (Wilson) 13
1,386 players had stats today!!
IH