Saturday, Aug 31 Match Day!

Update: I will not be up for the 7 am match but a shout out to the CMS watching party. Love how you support Region X! I will also not be up to record the 10:30 pm match. You guys expect too much from me!

I added the pay to stream links because it was easier to do. It’s also easier for me to follow matches during the day. My strike lasted one day!

Game of the day is Johns Hopkins vs Juniata at 2:30 pm Remember that Juniata is just a few wins away from taking the consecutive win record from Johns Hopkins.

Here is the link to the always correct, always updated, always working scoreboard:

NCAA College Scoreboard

I’m up. LETU is up 2-1 right now in the “it’s too freaking early” match.

Well, dang. LETU dropped the next two sets for the loss. Howard Payne/Centenary has started with HPU taking an early lead. They should be in control in this one.

HSU is having an easy time with Sewanee. The Cowgirls might be an interesting story this season and could challenge the ETBU/UMHB duo in the ASC. Good to see.

I’m going to stop down a bit and watch the Trinity/ETBU match. Should be a good one.

9-2 Trinity with an ETBU timeout. The Trinity block is insane and that’s what you need to do to stop the ETBU outsides. I like Trinity using Courtney Pope as an opposite. First-year Taylor Starr is a blocking force in the middle teamed with Maddie Fate.

You just can’t camp out with your outsides against Trinity. Their middles are too good and they and the opposites just get too much penetration over the net. You have to set off the net or, and this will be tough, run your own middles in an attempt to freeze the Trinity middles. Staying in system will be huge against them and, oh yeah, do all of that and play even and then you have to play better defensively.

Trinity take set one 25-15. They hit 0.480 in that set. ETBU hitting 0.136 but were a tad better as the set went along. Still, Trinity was dominate.

Austin College struggling with UW-Superior but take the third set to avoid a sweep.

At the beginning of the Trinity match, their announcers declared that these two teams should make this a “D3VbWest Classic”. Was that a shout out?

Another bad start for ETBU in set two. They are maintaining a 5 point gap right now. Austin College wins the fourth set and are looking for the reverse sweep.

Trinity takes set two 25-17. ETBU really needs to start strong in set three. For the match, ETBU is hitting 0 so that needs to change. Trinity is hitting 0.423, so that needs to change if you are ETBU.

Stepped away and ETBU takes the third set. Fourth set, Trinity leads by 2 although they had a bigger lead so ETBU trying to make the comeback.

No reverse sweep by Austin College. LETU took the first set against CWRU. That would be an upset if they can finish the job.

Centre took the first set from CMS. CMS is about to win the second. CMS has no service aces so far so their success yesterday hasn’t carried over, yet.

“Coming up all Reid!” – Trinity announcer. ETBU finishes the set four comeback and wins it 25-22. Avery Reid with 19 kills. ETBU seems to have eliminated their jitters.

Another slow start to a set dooms ETBU in this one. Trinity with the 5-set win. It really was a “D3VbWest Classic”! Mackenzie Logan with 23 kills and Pope and Fate both hit 0.429 for Trinity. ETBU’s Reid/Mosely combined for 39 kills. One of the big differences in this one was the blocking game from Trinity and ETBU making more unforced errors. I’m sure ETBU would like to replay this one but hopefully they take notes from it and start off a little more confidently as they really are a super team.

Centre has taken set three against CMS and now have the #3 team in the nation on the ropes at home.

Do you remember the SNL skit with Alec Baldwin when he’s on a podcast talking about his baked goods (including cake balls)? The announcing crew at CMS sound like the two ladies running the podcast. Very peaceful. Manifesting love, which might have been a direct quote. Anyway, setter Georgia McGovern gets called for a backrow block. They didn’t know what the signal was and eventually decided it was a throw.

CMS down by 3 in the fourth set. That’s after a small comeback. CMS just doesn’t have the offensive players like they’ve had in the past. With setter McGovern on the front row, any pass off the net eliminates her from the attack. Centre has some heavy hitters so they are terminating in system.

The Centre libero (Madi Barron) is really good. CMS ties it at 19 but have dropped the last 3 points.

Mack Turner for Centre has 18 kills hitting 0.589. Wow.

25-22 Centre. CMS is another ranked team to see a loss this weekend.

I have to step away for a bit. Go volleyball.

UMHB takes down GFU 3-1. Dravyn Hurd with 12 kills hitting 0.458. Kendall Harrington one kill and 2 digs from a triple-double. I guess that leaves her with a single-double. Lots of that out there. 🙂

Schreiner up 2-0 on St Thomas. Interesting. Southwestern up 1-0 on UW-Stevens Point. That’s surprising. Just back to the house so hopefully, I’m not bad luck. Payton Shiflet back for this one.

Southwestern up 2-0. UWSP does not look right. Kopp is swinging but the defense isn’t there.

Southwestern with the sweep over ranked UW-Stevens Point. SU is defensively really good this season, it appears. They also have reduced their errors and have added more height out of the middle. And then there is granddaughter Carley Berkman. I think the announcer said she had 40 kills in the 3 matches this weekend. She had 12 today and hit 0.300. Payton Shiflet with libero Geneva Nedrow have really transformed the backline. Ton of balls that would have fallen last season, didn’t this weekend. That was enjoyable and I look forward to seeing all of my granddaughters next weekend.

What should we make of the SCIAC with Centre getting swept by La Verne but beating both Pomona-Pitzer and CMS in four. They beat Whittier in 5-sets. Sure seems like La Verne maybe more than just a little ahead of the other 3 schools.

Whitman hasn’t looked great every time I turned them on but they just beat Pacific Lutheran. PLU is going to be down this season but that is surprising. Both teams will be at Southwestern next weekend. Good win for the Blues. (Oh, it didn’t count as a conference match.)

I always struggle getting Caltech results but their SID seems to be on the stick this year with the website. Respect. University of Dallas on the other hand…

Whitworth/Clarkson live stats is reversed. Whitworth having an easy time of it.

A much needed win for CC against Transy. That was a tough tournament.

Just a few matches left. Of course, we still have the midnight affair in the west. Ugh. Pomona is in a 5-set match right now.

Pomona-Pitzer drops the 5th. Just the Whitman tournament left.

Random Thoughts: A number of interesting results yesterday nationally.

The big match in region is probably the Trinity/ETBU match. Both should be ranked (Trinity is). There will be some balls hit hard in this one. In the end, Trinity should take this.

CMS didn’t draw a lot of great teams this weekend. Their match against Centre is probably their best opponent week one. They had 21 aces against MCLA yesterday. Let’s see if that service game translate to a better opponent.

On the flip side, Colorado College has four really tough opponents this weekend. Their Oshkosh match is going on as I write this but they could be 0-4 after today and still be a good team.

UW-Stevens Point should take care of Southwestern today but at times my Pirates looked pretty good on Friday. The health of Payton Shiflet will be huge as the backups at outside did not step up. Still, they are all first-years that probably didn’t expect to play. Just have to Stop Kopp!

Still updating the Friday results so keeping this short today.