#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.

  • #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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