The big kids mostly swept the smaller kids Thursday in NCAA men’s volleyball, and the coaching carousel did some spinning in the women’s game.
The NCAA men’s schedule is finally filling up.
There are a handful of matches over the next few days, including George Mason of the EIVA getting its season underway when it goes to Barton of Conference Carolinas. Hawai’i is home for Edward Waters, Pepperdine plays host to Erskine, NJIT plays Lewis, Saint Francis plays Loyola, Stanford plays UC Irvine, Erskine plays USC, and Harvard plays UC San Diego.
To watch any match that is being broadcast or streamed, find the links at the VolleyballMag.com TV & Streaming Listings.
COACHING CAROUSEL — App State has a new head coach, Niagara is looking for one, and Long Beach State is double-dipping.
App State, the school in Boone, North Carolina, that plays in the Sun Belt, hired LSU assistant coach Sarah Rumely Noble. The former Kentucky star was at LSU the past five seasons. She replaces longtime coach Matt Ginipro, who resigned in November. App State finished 7-22 last fall, 3-13 in the Sun Belt …
Niagara fired Donna Day. Her team finished 13-15 this past season, 10-8 in the MAAC. She was promoted to head coach in 2018 after serving as an assistant for two seasons at the Buffalo school …
Long Beach State will have Nick McRae on both its volleyball staffs. He’s currently the associate head coach for the men, and now he will fill the same role for new women’s head coach Tyler Hildebrand. McRae is from Long Beach and went to LBSU.
NCAA MEN — Penn State is 3-0 after the Nittany Lions off the EIVA swept visiting Grand Canyon (2-1) of the MPSF. Brett Wildman had 14 kills in the 25-17, 25-21, 25-22 victory. Penn State, 9-0 in sets this season, hit .463. Wildman had one error in 19 kills as he hit .684 to go with two aces, four digs, and four blocks, one solo. Cal Fisher had 10 kills, hit .333, and added seven digs. Camden Gianni had 12 kills with one error in 24 attacks for GCU to go with two aces and five digs …
Ball State hit .506 and opened its season with a sweep of Maryville (0-2). Bryce Behrendt had 17 kills, four aces, and a block. The Cardinals had 47 kills with seven errors in 79 attacks. Behrendt had two errors in 24 swings and six digs. Nick Martinski had 10 kills with one error in 19 attacks, two aces, a block, and seven digs …
Pepperdine swept Erskine as 10 players had kills … Emmanuel beat Queens in five … Belmont Abbey swept Carolina …. Concordia swept St. Katherine.