January 12 was full of top-20 matchups that saw the top teams in the country take easy wins. Many of the team’s competing this weekend will see more matches on Saturday and Sunday through tournaments and cross-country matches.
#14 Grand Canyon def. North Greenville 3-0, (25-11, 25-14, 25-11)
- Grand Canyon (4-0), North Greenville (1-2)
- Box Score
- Grand Canyon Press Release
- North Greenville Press Release
Grand Canyon did everything right in their three-set sweep over North Greenville, out-hitting their opponent .578 to .070. Leading the Lopes to their sweep was Shalev Saada with seven kills, three aces and two blocks
#3 Ohio State def. #18 Stanford 3-1, (25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23)
- Ohio State (2-0), Stanford (0-4)
- Box Score
- Ohio State Press Release
- Stanford Press Release
Ohio State squeaks past Stanford in a four-set match to begin their weekend. The Buckeyes remain unbeaten while the Cardinals have yet to win a match this season, going 0-4 to start things off.
Nicolas Szerszen led the Buckeyes with 17 kills on a .438 hitting clip while adding in five digs. Maxime Hervoir added another 11 kills.
#10 Penn State def. Mount Olive 3-1, (23-25, 25-19, 25-12, 25-14)
- Penn State (1-0), Mount Olive (0-1)
- Box Score
- Penn State Press Release
- Mount Olive Press Release
It was the season opener for both squads, with the Nittany Lions coming out on top in a four-set match. It looked to be going Mount Olives way after the first set, as they won 25-23 before dropping the next three. Three players recorded double-digit kills in the win, with Clavin Mende leading the way with 15 while Aiden Albrecht and Jalen Penrose each added 10.
#6 BYU def. #12 Ball State 3-1, (25-19, 16-25, 25-15, 25-20)
- BYU (2-1), Ball State (2-1)
- Box Score
- BYU Press Release
- Ball State Press Release
BYU ran to an easy four-set win over Ball State to open up the weekend, using fewer errors to secure the win. Brenden Sander led the squad with 17 kills while Gabi Garcia Fernandez added 13 kills and 11 digs for a double-double.
#5 Loyola def. #14 George Mason 3-1, (25-20, 19-25, 25-21, 25-22)
- Loyola (2-1), George Mason (1-3)
- Box Score
- Loyola Press Release
- George Mason Press Release
The offense on both sides of the net was fairly even, but serving errors riddled George Mason’s court allowing Loyola to squeak by in each set. Collin Mahan led with 15 kills while Kyler Kotsakis and Ryan Jamison added 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
#1 LBSU def. #9 Lewis 3-0, (27-25, 25-18, 25-19)
- LBSU (5-0), Lewis (0-3)
- Box Score
- LBSU Press Release
- Lewis Press Release
LBSU has continued their opening streak this season with their fifth straight victory over Lewis. The team’s effort was led by Ryan Coenen with 13 kills while Mitch Perinar added nine.
#2 UCI def. #13 USC 3-0, (25-17, 25-19, 28-26)
- UCI (3-1), USC (3-2)
- Box Score
- UCI Press Release
- USC Press Release
UCI was led to a season-best .449 hitting percentage by Dante Chakravorti who dished out 39 assists in the team’s sweep over USC. Aaron Koubi paced the Anteaters with 13 kills while Scott Stadick and Karl Apfelbach posted six blocks.
#8 CSUN def. UC Merced 3-0, (25-15, 25-16, 25-22)
- CSUN (4-0), UC Merced (0-2)
- Box Score
- CSUN Press Release
- UC Merced Press Release
CSUN rolled to a three-set sweep over UC Merced to begin the weekend. The Matadors were led by Lucas Timm with 14 kills while Gabe Vernoy put down seven blocks.
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