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Tuesday, October 23 Match Day
Update:
Cheerleaders and a band. Oh, and a mascot. Well done UTD.
UTD takes the first set 25-16. Nice run with Zeng serving.
UTD with a small come back to take set two 25-20. UTD is handling the UTT offense right now.
HPU and TLU going to a fifth set.
Only the second defeat of the year for UTT. First time they were swept. UTD looked like the 2016 version as did Dylan Brinkman (15 kills and 17 digs).
Back from the UTD / UTT match. Not sure why every coach other than Southwestern dislike my hat so much. I was not expecting a sweep but the defense of UT-Dallas was really on point tonight. It also helps to hit 0.346. Fun match to watch with no rooting interest with a number of long rallies and wicked hits from both sides. If UTD can maintain that effort/performance this weekend then they will be hard to beat.
TLU has had a really tough year and a 5-set loss to HPU kind of speaks to that.
ETBU returned the favor to LETU tonight with a sweep. They had 2nd place in the East wrapped up but this puts a bow on it.
Chapman takes set 1 from Cal Lutheran. CMS and Redlands also win the first set. Whittier / La Verne with the late start are at 13-13.
La Verne takes set 1 from Whittier.
CMS with the sweep. Redlands with the sweep, as well. Cal Lu took the second set. Whittier takes a close second set.
Chapman takes the third set and now lead 2-1. Looks like Cal Lu’s setter Steph Rolfson is not playing. Chapman’s Sophie Srivastava is one kill short of a triple-double.
La Verne takes the third set and are now up 2-1. La Verne’s Kelsie Sievers has 13 kills to lead both teams. Attack errors are really hurting the Poets right now.
And there’s the triple-double. Sophie leads the nation in this statistic.
Cal Lutheran forces a 5th set. Kind of important 15 points coming up. Cal Lu’s Maci Haddad has 10 blocks through 4 sets so far.
La Verne take the match against Whittier. That was pretty major for both teams. I don’t see a path forward for Whittier without beating CMS this week.
Cal Lu comes back in the fifth set when Jessi Lumsden hits the bench. They take the lead but are tied at 12 and in comes Lumsden. She never sees a set and Cal Lu wins 15-13 and takes the match.
Triple-double for Chapman freshman Sophie Srivastava and 22 kills for freshman Jessi Lumsden. Yeah, they are going to be a problem for a few more years.
As far as the SCIAC goes, that may have been Chapman’s best chance at another win (they are at La Verne and home against CMS). If Cal Lu can beat Pomona-Pitzer in their last match then they have 11 wins and will make the conference tournament. The two teams with 9 wins (CMS, Chapman and Cal Lu all have more wins right now) are La Verne and Pomona-Pitzer and they will play each other. At least one of them is getting to 10 wins, too. Whittier sits with 8 wins and will need to beat both CMS and Redlands. I guess what I’m trying to say is, “Hey SCIAC, expand your conference tournament to 6 teams!”
Random Thoughts:
I’m interested enough in the UTT / UTD match that I’m planning on going. I should be the only one there in a yellow Southwestern hat if you want to say hello. (Side note – my yellow hat took a beating on a mud ATV tour we took on our last vacation. Don’t judge me.)
I assume even though UTT is going to DII next year that these teams will still find a way to play each other but this should be their last DIII meeting ever. Now, rumor has it that UTD will be moving to DII in a few years but we’ll have to wait and see about that. The last time I was at UTD it was the 2016 Regional Final. Since I don’t want to upset the UTD parents, I’ll refrain from saying who won that match. (Go Bucs!)
LETU and ETBU was shaping up to determine the seeding in the ASC East Division but ETBU has that won. Now it’s two teams trying to break losing streaks as they get ready for the conference tournaments.
I don’t think CMS can clinch the regular season crown tonight if they win and Chapman loses because they still have to play at the end of the year. Maybe if I go deep enough in the tiebreakers they can.
Cal Lu / Chapman is huge especially for the Regals. They are trying to hold off two other teams while Chapman is trying to stay in 2nd. With that said, if Chapman wants to improve their at-large chances, they need this match.
I really see the La Verne / Whittier match as an elimination game for Whittier. Loser will have 6 losses but Whittier still has CMS on the schedule. I think you need to get to 10 wins to have a chance at the SCIAC Tournament and a loss here and then a probable one against CMS takes them out. Again, both teams are fighting for at-large consideration so both need this win.
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