#NCAAVB notes from a wild Thursday
There were only 28 matches played yesterday, and the only 3 top-20 teams in action all won their matches (#1 BYU, #12 Oregon, and #13 Washington). So why am I calling Thursday, September 20th a wild day?
Upset frequency. TEN of the 28 matches resulted in a significant upset.
We'll start with a pair in the Big Sky. Remember that team that pulled the massive upset of Florida earlier this year, Northern Arizona? Well, Idaho State (7-7, 1-0 Big Sky) passed the same test that the Gators couldn't, knocking out NAU (8-6, 0-1) on their home floor. Don't let the similar records fool you: NAU had played a mid-level non-conference schedule, even without the massive win over UF, while ISU's wins were mostly empty calories - their best win before yesterday was probably against a 5-8 Winthrop squad.
Defending regular-season champ Sacramento State (5-10, 0-1) couldn't finish a 2-0, 18-15 set 3 lead at Montana, a team picked to finish 9th in the 11-team conference. Combined with their September 1st win over Gonzaga, the Grizzlies (4-9, 1-0) have won back-to-back home games for the first time since October 2014.
For the second day in a row, the second-longest active conference losing streak was emphatically snapped. Wednesday it was Saint Peter's (3-13, 1-2 MAAC) sweeping at Manhattan (0-13, 0-2) for their first MAAC win in 42 tries. On Thursday, San Francisco (8-4, 1-0 WCC) broke a 2-year, 36-match WCC skid by rolling over rival Santa Clara (5-8, 0-1).
In the Southland Conference, things went mostly according to script, with a major exception coming in Houston. New Orleans (7-8, 1-0 SLC) got a big win at Houston Baptist (7-8, 0-1). UNO was picked 10th in the Southland Coaches Poll, while HBU was fourth. MasseyRatings gave the Privateers just a 3% chance of pulling that off.
How about another team that pulled off a 3% upset? Chicago State (7-9, 1-0 WAC) went to Orem, Utah and did something never done before in program history, beating Utah Valley (8-6, 0-1). The Wolverines were 22-0 against CSU since the series began in 2007. UVU had been one of the more impressive mid-majors early on, picking up a win at Power-5 NC State, which made the NCAA tournament last year.
Chicago State's feat was one-upped, at least in one category, by DI newcomer Cal Baptist. The Lancers (9-3, 1-0 WAC) not only won their first-ever conference match as a member of Division I, but they did it in style, taking out defending regular-season champ New Mexico State (10-4, 0-1).
Picked to finish last in the Mountain West, UNLV (10-3, 1-0 MW) won their 7th straight match by surprisingly sweeping Boise State (8-4, 0-1). The Rebels schedule up to that point has been very easy, but they seem to be gelling well under new coach Dawn Sullivan, a former Iowa State assistant.
BYU's top competition falls on WCC opening day
All 10 WCC teams opened conference play yesterday. #1 BYU (11-0, 1-0) blitzed Pacific (5-7, 0-1) in straight sets behind absurd offense from their outsides: Roni Jones-Perry and McKenna Miller combined to hit well over .700 without an error. But Thursday went much more poorly for the teams expected to be the Cougars biggest threats.
Upset frequency. TEN of the 28 matches resulted in a significant upset.
We'll start with a pair in the Big Sky. Remember that team that pulled the massive upset of Florida earlier this year, Northern Arizona? Well, Idaho State (7-7, 1-0 Big Sky) passed the same test that the Gators couldn't, knocking out NAU (8-6, 0-1) on their home floor. Don't let the similar records fool you: NAU had played a mid-level non-conference schedule, even without the massive win over UF, while ISU's wins were mostly empty calories - their best win before yesterday was probably against a 5-8 Winthrop squad.
Defending regular-season champ Sacramento State (5-10, 0-1) couldn't finish a 2-0, 18-15 set 3 lead at Montana, a team picked to finish 9th in the 11-team conference. Combined with their September 1st win over Gonzaga, the Grizzlies (4-9, 1-0) have won back-to-back home games for the first time since October 2014.
For the second day in a row, the second-longest active conference losing streak was emphatically snapped. Wednesday it was Saint Peter's (3-13, 1-2 MAAC) sweeping at Manhattan (0-13, 0-2) for their first MAAC win in 42 tries. On Thursday, San Francisco (8-4, 1-0 WCC) broke a 2-year, 36-match WCC skid by rolling over rival Santa Clara (5-8, 0-1).
In the Southland Conference, things went mostly according to script, with a major exception coming in Houston. New Orleans (7-8, 1-0 SLC) got a big win at Houston Baptist (7-8, 0-1). UNO was picked 10th in the Southland Coaches Poll, while HBU was fourth. MasseyRatings gave the Privateers just a 3% chance of pulling that off.
How about another team that pulled off a 3% upset? Chicago State (7-9, 1-0 WAC) went to Orem, Utah and did something never done before in program history, beating Utah Valley (8-6, 0-1). The Wolverines were 22-0 against CSU since the series began in 2007. UVU had been one of the more impressive mid-majors early on, picking up a win at Power-5 NC State, which made the NCAA tournament last year.
Chicago State's feat was one-upped, at least in one category, by DI newcomer Cal Baptist. The Lancers (9-3, 1-0 WAC) not only won their first-ever conference match as a member of Division I, but they did it in style, taking out defending regular-season champ New Mexico State (10-4, 0-1).
Picked to finish last in the Mountain West, UNLV (10-3, 1-0 MW) won their 7th straight match by surprisingly sweeping Boise State (8-4, 0-1). The Rebels schedule up to that point has been very easy, but they seem to be gelling well under new coach Dawn Sullivan, a former Iowa State assistant.
BYU's top competition falls on WCC opening day
All 10 WCC teams opened conference play yesterday. #1 BYU (11-0, 1-0) blitzed Pacific (5-7, 0-1) in straight sets behind absurd offense from their outsides: Roni Jones-Perry and McKenna Miller combined to hit well over .700 without an error. But Thursday went much more poorly for the teams expected to be the Cougars biggest threats.
- #24 San Diego should finally fall out of the rankings, as the Toreros (3-7, 0-1) lost again, this time at home to Saint Mary's (9-2, 1-0). USD's schedule has been brutal, but schedule strength and preseason predictions only go so far.
- Previously undefeated Portland got handled fairly easily by Pepperdine (7-4, 1-0) in their own gym. The Pilots (12-1, 0-1) were one of just six undefeated teams entering the day and were receiving significant votes in the AVCA poll.
- The biggest WCC shock of the day came in Spokane, where LMU's humming offense (#2 nationally in hitting percentage at .315) got grounded by the host Bulldogs (4-8, 1-0) in a surprising sweep. Loyola Marymount (10-2, 0-1) was just the third team out in the AVCA poll.
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