Leading things off in the early slate of matches today was King and Barton, who both earned victories to knot themselves into a split Conference Carolinas’ regular season championship. Continuing the afternoon matches was some MIVA action with top 10 teams in play as well as two top four EIVA teams searching for wins late in the year.
King Def. Mount Olive 3-0 (25-19, 28-26, 25-15)
- King 19-5 (15-1 Conf. Carolinas); Mount Olive 15-12 (11-5 Conf. Carolinas)
- Box Score
- King Press Release
- Mount Olive Press Release
For the second consecutive season, the King Tornado earned a share of the regular season Conference Carolinas championship as they swept Mount Olive to finish off a week that included a win over Barton. That all made it possible, with this one giving King the #1 seed and hosting abilities for the conference tournament. In regards to just this match, the King block was out in full force while the Tornado avoided the front line of the Trojans. Beyond a disparity in team blocks (6-1), that also allowed King to run free and hit .390 compared to a .200 day from UMO.
(RV) Barton Def. Lees-McRae 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-15)
- (RV) Barton 19-7 (15-1 Conf. Carolinas); LMC 3-21 (1-14 Conf. Carolinas)
- Box Score
- Barton Press Release
With King downing Barton and the Tornado winning on the day, the Bulldogs had the pressure of also snagging a victory to earn a share of the regular season title in the Conference Carolinas. They did just that with a quick sweep of Lees-McRae as Angelos Mandilaris (14 kills, .407, four blocks, three aces) was unstoppable and LMC was riddled with errors. Barton will now be the 2-seed in the league tournament as they needed King to drop a couple of sets in their match, but they will still host the quarterfinal round.
#10 Lewis Def. Lindenwood 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-17)
- #10 Lewis 18-10 (9-5 MIVA); Lindenwood 9-15 (3-11 MIVA)
- Box Score
- Lewis Press Release
- Lindenwood Press Release
Lewis was on high-alert after seeing Lindenwood upend Loyola Chicago, and although the match was close in the first two sets, the Flyers put the match away in straight sets. A difference in the block (10-4 team blocks, Lewis) may have been the biggest factor going the Flyers’ way, as with the stronger defense they held Lindenwood to a .202 day while they themselves hit .422. Ryan Coenen put on an absolute show with 17 kills on a .630 mark to go with a dozen kills from Mitch Perinar (.417), as Lindenwood looks to be playing better but couldn’t oust #10 Lewis.
#6 Loyola Chicago Def. Quincy 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-20)
- #6 Loyola Chicago 21-6 (11-3 MIVA); Quincy 12-18 (0-14 MIVA)
- Box Score
- Loyola Chicago Press Release
- Quincy Press Release
The Ramblers kept Quincy winless as they rebounded from an upset loss to Lindenwood just two days ago. It’s not enough to get back to Ohio State for a share of the top of the MIVA, but it does get Loyola back on the right track. The offense, led by Ricky Gevis (nine kills, .278) and five others with three or more kills, hit .328, but the best part of the day for the Ramblers was an aggressive (although wild at times) serve and defense that held Queens to a -.056 hitting percentage.
Harvard Def. NJIT 3-0 (
- Harvard 11-11 (10-2 EIVA); NJIT 7-16 (4-8 EIVA)
- Box Score
- Harvard Press Release
- NJIT Press Release
Harvard continued its steady pace of late and remains alone for second in the EIVA after a sweep of NJIT. Not many teams would have stopped Harvard in the EIVA today, if any, as their offense clicked to the tune of 40 kills on 64 swings (with eight errors). That .500 hitting percentage was too much for NJIT to overcome, despite a solid day with a .274 mark. Amazingly in the offensive attack, just one player for the Crimson had double digits (Brad Gretsch – 10 kills), yet because seven had multiple kills Harvard was unstoppable with their team-approach.
#20 Princeton Def. Sacred Heart 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-17, 27-25)
- #20 Princeton 10-14 (6-6 EIVA); Sacred Heart 5-14 (1-11 EIVA)
- Box Score
- Princeton Press Release
- SHU Press Release
After falling to Harvard in a tough five-setter, Princeton bounced back against EIVA bottom-dweller Sacred Heart. The win nearly secures their spot in the EIVA Tournament as the four-seed too, as more than likely they will be in the event following this success. Both teams found a solid block for the match, but Princeton’s offense that hit .317 was too much for SHU who had an above avergae day hitting .241. Interestingly enough it was Sacred Heart with more balance as three players had double-digit kills, but the monstrous output from George Huhmann (26 kills, .465, nine blocks) was too much for SHU to overcome.
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