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Post by formeruscgoalie on Feb 19, 2020 18:01:44 GMT -5
This is an interesting announcement: GPAC Announces Men’s Volleyball as Conference Sport and Ottawa to Join GPAC as an Affiliate MemberThis is great news for the schools in that conference. The question that follows: how will this impact Missouri Baptist, Park, and St. Louis College of Pharmacy? They are members of the American Midwest Conference in other sports, and Lincoln College is an affiliate member of the conference, but six schools are needed for the conference to have an automatic berth to the NAIA Championship, of course. With the success Mo Bap and Park have had, I don't see other conferences readily taking them in as affiliate members. We shall see!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2020 19:19:15 GMT -5
The 2021 season is going to look much different, with potentially two new conferences, with the Cal Pac set to add the sport if Park-AZ and Westcliff are accepted to the NAIA. Also, Park is set to join the Heart of America Conference beginning in 2020-21, which leaves Missouri Baptist on the outside. I do think the Heart of America adds Mo Bap as an affiliate member though.
This is what the NAIA will look like in 2021:
Cal Pac: Benedictine UC Merced Park (AZ) (Pending NAIA acceptance) Pacific Union Saint Katherine Simpson Westcliff (Pending NAIA acceptance)
Chicagoland: Cardinal Stritch Judson Robert Morris St. Xavier St. Ambrose Trinity Christian Viterbo
GPAC: Briar Cliff Dordt Hastings Jamestown Morningside Ottawa (KS)
GSAC: Arizona Christian Hope International The Master’s Menlo Ottawa (AZ) Vanguard
Heart of America: Clarke Culver Stockton Graceland Grand View Missouri Valley Mount Mercy Park (Mo.) William Penn
Mid-South: Bluefield Campbellsville Cumberland Life Midway Reinhardt St. Andrews Thomas More Warner Webber International
WHAC: Aquinas Goshen Indiana Tech Lawrence Tech Lourdes Siena Heights
Independents (unless one becomes affiliate member somewhere): Missouri Baptist Lincoln St. Louis Pharmacy
Not sure if I missed anyone, but the championship field will have to expand to at least 10 after this season, you would hope. In 2021 there would be 6 automatic bids, plus the host bid, allowing for one at-large selection under the current format. (The Cal Pac would not have a bid until Park and Westcliff get through their probation year).
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Post by fandad on Feb 20, 2020 9:47:53 GMT -5
The 2021 season is going to look much different, with potentially two new conferences, with the Cal Pac set to add the sport if Park-AZ and Westcliff are accepted to the NAIA. Also, Park is set to join the Heart of America Conference beginning in 2020-21, which leaves Missouri Baptist on the outside. I do think the Heart of America adds Mo Bap as an affiliate member though. This is what the NAIA will look like in 2021: Cal Pac: Benedictine UC Merced Park (AZ) (Pending NAIA acceptance) Pacific Union Saint Katherine Simpson Westcliff (Pending NAIA acceptance) Chicagoland: Cardinal Stritch Judson Robert Morris St. Xavier St. Ambrose Trinity Christian Viterbo GPAC: Briar Cliff Dordt Hastings Jamestown Morningside Ottawa (KS) GSAC: Arizona Christian Hope International The Master’s Menlo Ottawa (AZ) Vanguard Heart of America: Clarke Culver Stockton Graceland Grand View Missouri Valley Mount Mercy Park (Mo.) William Penn Mid-South: Bluefield Campbellsville Cumberland Life Midway Reinhardt St. Andrews Thomas More Warner Webber International WHAC: Aquinas Goshen Indiana Tech Lawrence Tech Lourdes Siena Heights Independents (unless one becomes affiliate member somewhere): Missouri Baptist Lincoln St. Louis Pharmacy Not sure if I missed anyone, but the championship field will have to expand to at least 10 after this season, you would hope. In 2021 there would be 6 automatic bids, plus the host bid, allowing for one at-large selection under the current format. (The Cal Pac would not have a bid until Park and Westcliff get through their probation year). Mt Vernon Nazarene announcement
Mt. Vernon Nazarene University had previously announced they are adding men's volleyball. I found the announcement at the link shown above that they have been accepted into the WHAC starting next year.
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Post by fandad on Feb 20, 2020 9:57:12 GMT -5
Mt Vernon Nazarene announcement
Mt. Vernon Nazarene University had previously announced they are adding men's volleyball. I found the announcement at the link shown above that they have been accepted into the WHAC starting next year. I noticed in the MVNU announcement that Cornerstone U is also set to begin play in the WHAC next year. I can't remember if this announcement was posted previously, but here is the announcement that was made in November: Cornerstone MVB announcement
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Post by fandad on Feb 21, 2020 12:17:53 GMT -5
From the National Matches of the Weekend thread posted by Vinnie Lopes of Off the Block: NAIA National Match of the WeekendNo. 3 Menlo (12-0) vs. No. 7 Benedictine-Mesa (9-6) Match vitals: 1 p.m. Saturday in Mesa, Arizona Menlo player to watch: Outside attacker Edin Ibrahimovic is second in the nation with a 5.2 kills per game average and is sixth in the country with a .449 attack percentage. He also has double-digit kills and at least a .400 attack percentage in all but two matches this season. Benedictine-Mesa player to watch: Middle attacker Bobby Henige is in the nation’s top 10 with 54 blocks and 23 aces. He also is among the national leaders with a .321 attack percentage and has double-digit kills in six of the team’s last nine matches. Quick breakdown: Menlo is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the nation. Among its wins included a four-game victory against CSUN last month. In addition, Menlo leads the nation with both a .386 attack percentage and a 2.13 aces per game average. Benedictine-Mesa is on a six-match winning streak, including a five-game road victory against Vanguard earlier this month. It also has at least five aces in four consecutive matches. This is the match a lot of us have been waiting for, particularly out here on the West Coast. This should give a pretty good indication of just how good Menlo is, but also tell us whether Benedictine is still a championship-caliber team. I'm really excited to see how it goes. I have now seen both of these teams play in person and I'll give you my opinion, for what it's worth: Menlo is the better team. - First of all, Ben-Mesa is still very talented, but it's hard to make up for the players missing from last season's roster. They lost AA setter Jaron Jones, AA libero Jesus Izaguirre, national championship tournament MVP OH Logan Adcock, and super RS Devin Hill to graduation. Talented middle Treven Clizbe is no longer on the roster, either. Freshman OH Landon Fuller is a great addition and they still have AA middle Henige, but they are definitely a lesser team than they had been.
- Benedictine doesn't have anyone to compare to Ibrahimovic, who is definitely one of the best 2 or 3 attackers in the NAIA, if not the best. Also (controversially), my opinion is that Menlo middle Chase Direito is better than Henige. Henige has the length advantage, but Direito is so much more quick and athletic; he is explosive on offense and defense. Menlo freshman setter Lucas Larson is also making people forget about Trey Lake and he is clearly outperforming Ben-Mesa's young setters. Menlo's offense is much faster and more dynamic that Ben-Mesa's. Although Ibrahimovic gets way more looks than anyone else, Menlo doesn't lack for other options.
- Ben-Mesa may have one advantage over Menlo. They seem more professional on the court. Both teams' benches do a lot of the same silly things in response to action on the court: the childish chants and overreactions. The difference is that some of that spills over into the behavior of the players on the court for Menlo. Ibrahimovic, among others, can be extremely emotional at times. The Ben-Mesa players stay much more even-keeled when they're on the floor. If Ben-Mesa can frustrate Menlo early, they could ride that to a win. If Menlo stays focused, I think they win pretty easily.
One nit-picky thing about Vinnie's entry about this match is that Benedictine doesn't play their matches in Mesa. None of the Arizona NAIA teams has their own gym. Benedictine plays in the Coyote Center on the campus of Chandler-Gilbert Community College, which is located in Chandler.
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Post by Volleyfan024 on Feb 21, 2020 12:21:03 GMT -5
From the National Matches of the Weekend thread posted by Vinnie Lopes of Off the Block: NAIA National Match of the WeekendNo. 3 Menlo (12-0) vs. No. 7 Benedictine-Mesa (9-6) Match vitals: 1 p.m. Saturday in Mesa, Arizona Menlo player to watch: Outside attacker Edin Ibrahimovic is second in the nation with a 5.2 kills per game average and is sixth in the country with a .449 attack percentage. He also has double-digit kills and at least a .400 attack percentage in all but two matches this season. Benedictine-Mesa player to watch: Middle attacker Bobby Henige is in the nation’s top 10 with 54 blocks and 23 aces. He also is among the national leaders with a .321 attack percentage and has double-digit kills in six of the team’s last nine matches. Quick breakdown: Menlo is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the nation. Among its wins included a four-game victory against CSUN last month. In addition, Menlo leads the nation with both a .386 attack percentage and a 2.13 aces per game average. Benedictine-Mesa is on a six-match winning streak, including a five-game road victory against Vanguard earlier this month. It also has at least five aces in four consecutive matches. This is the match a lot of us have been waiting for, particularly out here on the West Coast. This should give a pretty good indication of just how good Menlo is, but also tell us whether Benedictine is still a championship-caliber team. I'm really excited to see how it goes. I have now seen both of these teams play in person and I'll give you my opinion, for what it's worth: Menlo is the better team. - First of all, Ben-Mesa is still very talented, but it's hard to make up for the players missing from last season's roster. They lost AA setter Jaron Jones, AA libero Jesus Izaguirre, national championship tournament MVP OH Logan Adcock, and super RS Devin Hill to graduation. Talented middle Treven Clizbe is no longer on the roster, either. Freshman OH Landon Fuller is a great addition and they still have AA middle Henige, but they are definitely a lesser team than they had been.
- Benedictine doesn't have anyone to compare to Ibrahimovic, who is definitely one of the best 2 or 3 attackers in the NAIA, if not the best. Also (controversially), my opinion is that Menlo middle Chase Direito is better than Henige. Henige has the length advantage, but Direito is so much more quick and athletic; he is explosive on offense and defense. Menlo freshman setter Lucas Larson is also making people forget about Trey Lake and he is clearly outperforming Ben-Mesa's young setters. Menlo's offense is much faster and more dynamic that Ben-Mesa's. Although Ibrahimovic gets way more looks than anyone else, Menlo doesn't lack for other options.
- Ben-Mesa may have one advantage over Menlo. They seem more professional on the court. Both teams' benches do a lot of the same silly things in response to action on the court: the childish chants and overreactions. The difference is that some of that spills over into the behavior of the players on the court for Menlo. Ibrahimovic, among others, can be extremely emotional at times. The Ben-Mesa players stay much more even-keeled when they're on the floor. If Ben-Mesa can frustrate Menlo early, they could ride that to a win. If Menlo stays focused, I think they win pretty easily.
One nit-picky thing about Vinnie's entry about this match is that Benedictine doesn't play their matches in Mesa. None of the Arizona NAIA teams has their own gym. Benedictine plays in the Coyote Center on the campus of Chandler-Gilbert Community College, which is located in Chandler.
The behavior of the players is the difference between the coaches of the two teams..
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NAIA 2020
Feb 21, 2020 13:23:11 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by beachbum86 on Feb 21, 2020 13:23:11 GMT -5
BenU also plays Merced tonight. Should be a nice warm up for BenU facing off against Menlo tomorrow.
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NAIA 2020
Feb 22, 2020 8:39:44 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by gonethenback on Feb 22, 2020 8:39:44 GMT -5
Mount Mercy tops Stritch last night, 3-1. Looked pretty solid.
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Post by fandad on Feb 22, 2020 11:49:11 GMT -5
BenU also plays Merced tonight. Should be a nice warm up for BenU facing off against Menlo tomorrow. BenU sweeps Merced and Menlo sweeps Arizona Christian last night. All set for today's matchup.
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Post by fandad on Feb 23, 2020 12:57:53 GMT -5
Menlo in 5 sets over BenU-Mesa. It sounds like it was a very exciting match. Menlo certainly established themselves as the favorite, but not by much. Menlo winning was a positive and winning away from home was a positive, but this match was literally determined by 2 points. The difference between these two teams is not much at all. Can't wait for the rematch on March 27th in Atherton.
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Post by backinthesaddle on Feb 23, 2020 13:02:20 GMT -5
Vanguard sweep at Cal Lutheran U. Second set was 40-38!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2020 23:12:31 GMT -5
Mount Mercy has started to come along the past few weeks. The last part of their schedule has some really tough non-conference opponents (Lourdes, St. Xavier, Vanguard), and if they get those results, they may be able to sneak into an at-large, assuming they win the ones they are supposed to.
That Menlo-BenU matchup was a good one. Both of those teams have a good chance to make deep runs this year. BenU is so young, and will continue to improve with each match. Menlo looks hot and cold. When they are hot though, they look great, and they are talented enough to get through those cold spells.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2020 14:06:40 GMT -5
Top matches this week:
2/26 - #5 Missouri Baptist vs Ottawa (KS) 2/26 - #10 Aquinas vs Siena Heights 2/27 - #2 Grand View vs Missouri Valley 2/28 and 2/29 - #2 Grand View vs #9 Saint Xavier 2/28 - #3 Park vs Jamestown 2/28 - #3 Menlo vs Vanguard 2/28 - #7 Benedictine vs Ottawa (AZ)
Menlo/Vanguard and Park/Jamestown are the most interesting to me. I do think Jamestown is talented enough to upset some teams this year, not sure it will be Park, but I am curious to see how they compete. That Menlo/Vanguard matchup will feature two of the top players in the NAIA with Edin Ibrahimovic and Kyle Anema (both sophomores!).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2020 13:26:02 GMT -5
Menlo takes Vanguard in five, in a match that honestly could have gone either way. Vanguard is right there, and so impressive as a first year program. Menlo just has more options and were able to close out well. The good teams find a way to win, and they did just that. Both Ibrahimovic and Anema showed out and had huge nights.
Everything else across the NAIA was pretty quiet. Jamestown took a set off Park, but the Dordt did the same thing. Park is one of those teams that will show up for the big games, but will get sloppy against weaker opponents.
I still think Grand View is going to be the team to beat, with Park being the most likely to knock them off. Not on the Campbellsville train, despite their early season success.
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Post by formeruscgoalie on Mar 4, 2020 16:08:57 GMT -5
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