NCAA men’s volleyball preview: Tourney begins with Ohio State vs. King

The National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Championship begins Sunday at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, with what the NCAA is calling its “Opening Round Match 1” when sixth-seeded Ohio State of the MIVA plays seventh-seeded King of Conference Carolinas.

The winner advances into Tuesday’s “Opening Round Match 3” against third-seeded Penn State of the EIVA. Earlier Tuesday, fourth-seeded Long Beach State plays fifth-seeded Grand Canyon in “Opening Round Match 2.”

All times are Eastern:

Sunday, April 29
Ohio State vs. King, 6 p.m., ESPN+

Tuesday, May 2
Long Beach State vs. Grand Canyon, 5 p.m., ESPN+
Penn State. vs. Ohio State-King winner, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+

Thursday, May 4
Semifinals
UCLA vs. Long Beach-GCU winner, 5 p.m., NCAA.com
Hawai’i vs. Penn State/OSU-King winner, 7:30 p.m, NCAA.com

Saturday, May 6
Championship match, 5 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN3 (Español)

Read how they got there in last Sunday’s NCAA roundup.

Ohio State is making its 22nd appearance in the NCAA tourney, while King is in for the second time. In its only other appearance, the Tornado lost to Ohio State in 2018. That was also the time the Buckeyes were in and they  advanced to the title match before falling to Long Beach State.

Ohio State, which beat Ball State in the MIVA championship match, is 16-23 all-time in the NCAA tournament and won the crown in 2011, 2016 and 2017.

King got this far the hard way. The Tornado, seeded third in the Conference Carolinas tournament, had to pull of a reverse sweep against Mount Olive in the quarterfinals, and then swept second-seeded Erskine in the semifinals before going five to win the final over top-seeded North Greenville to win the league’s automatic bid.

Top talent in the middle

Setter will be a point of interest with the likes of Hawai’i’s Jakob Thelle, Penn State’s Cole Bogner and UCLA fab freshman Andrew Rowan. Outside hitter offers a parade of talent that includes — but certainly is not limited to — Ohio State’s Jacob Pasteur, Long Beach State’s Sotiris Siapanis, Grand Canyon’s Camden Gianni and King’s 6-foot dynamo Warren Davis.

But it’s tough to overlook — and look over — the dynamic middle blockers who will be part of the drama.

“I don’t think they’re getting overlooked by the coaches as we prepare to deal with that,” said Charlie Wade, coach of two-time defending national champion Hawai’i.

The Rainbow Warriors have Guilherme Voss (1.71 kills per set, .556 hitting percentage, 1.16 blocks per set) patrolling the middle, and Wade characterizes him as a player who will beat opponents with speed and intelligence. There are the big-armed types such as The Beach’s Simon Torwie (2.79, .437, 1.60) — the tallest of the tournament’s regulars at 6-foot-10 — King’s Kellan Kennedy (2.34, .428, 1.03) and Hawai’i’s Cole Hogland (1.23, .547, 1.01), as if dealing with Voss wasn’t enough.

There also are the long, athletic types who present a whole new challenge. That includes Penn State’s Toby Ezeonu (2.10 kills per set, .497, 0.89 blocks per set) and UCLA’s Merrick McHenry (2.26, .537, 1.08).

Ezeonu is recovering from an ankle injury, and Penn State coach Mark Pavlik is hopeful he will be ready by the time Penn State plays Tuesday against the winner of King-Ohio State. If Ezeonu can’t go, Pavlik will have to “settle” for using 6-6 grad student Sam Marsh, a two-time All-EIVA honorable mention who averages 0.80 blocks and hits .344 for his career.

If Ezeonu is ready, that’s one more matchup nightmare coaches such as Wade will have to prepare for.

“McHenry and Ezeonu … those guys, you don’t have an answer for,” he said. “They’re literally undefendable … Those are guys that are going up and touching 12 feet. Like, good luck.”

Been there, done that

Coach John Speraw’s UCLA Bruins earned the No. 1 seed for the tournament. Speraw, however, believes Hawai’i is the favorite because of its championship pedigree and the leadership of Thelle.

Experience certainly counts in the NCAA Tournament, and Hawai’i has a mountain of it, having played in every final since 2019 and winning the past two.

Pavlik, who has been to his share of NCAAs and has a national title to his credit, believes a team’s ability to deal with the off-the-court demands of the tournament is what often separates the winners from the also-rans.

“The biggest thing is, this is unlike any tournament or competition they’ve been at,” Pavlik said. “It’s very structured. You will be told when you can touch the volleyballs to start your practice. You’re going to be told when you have to be out of the gym.

“There are things out of your control that teams that I have seen not handle that well are the ones that turn this thing into … it heightens their prep, and it can throw you out of whack.”

Wade said he believes his team, indeed, is well prepared for the trappings of the tournament. Aside from having been there before, Wade likens his team’s everyday experiences to dealing with the hub-bub of the NCAA tournament.

The Rainbow Warriors averaged more than 6,000 fans for home matches and all their matches are broadcast live on TV and radio. Wade and his players are constantly fielding interview requests as well as accommodating autograph and “selfie” seekers.

“There is more media (at the NCAA) and the structured practices and everything. There’s more pomp and circumstance,” Wade said. “Our guys have been through this for years and dealing with all the noise that comes with attending an event like the NCAA Tournament.

“For us, we’re in a good position to just manage the whole thing.”

Global game

The field for the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament, the participating coaches agree, is one of the tightest ever, with razor-thin margins separating the seeds.

“All season long, if you look at us, Penn State, Hawai’i and UCLA, everybody has kind of beaten each other,” said Long Beach setter Aidan Knipe. “And Ohio State coming out strong winning the MIVA, and Grand Canyon has definitely put a great year together winning their first tournament (bid) in school history.

“It’s going to be a tournament where you look at it where anybody could win, anybody could put a strong case together and go on a run and win some volleyball matches.”

The growth of boys high school volleyball has broadened the talent base domestically. But there also has been an influx of international talent that has helped elevate the level of play.

Some of the most exciting and accomplished players in the tournament are internationals. Hawai’i has four in its starting lineup: Voss (Brazil), Dimitrios Mouchlias and Spyros Chakas (Greece) and Thelle (Norway). UCLA boasts Ido David and Guy Genis (Israel). Long Beach state has Siapanis (Cyprus) and Torwie (Spain/Germany) as key players, and Penn State has gotten a lift from Michal Kowal (Poland).

“I think it’s a byproduct of the growth of men’s volleyball across the board,” said Beach coach Alan Knipe, “the programs and the coaching and what’s going on with international players coming to play. I think it’s just deepening the talent pool, which I think is super exciting for our tournament and our game.”

Added John Hawks, a former UCLA assistant who just completed his first season as Loyola Chicago’s head coach: “With the influx of the international student-athletes nowadays, I think that’s where you’re starting to see a higher volleyball IQ across the country. That’s only going to keep increasing as we go.”

Friendly rivalry

Grand Canyon and Long Beach State will meet for just the second time when they square off Tuesday for the right to face UCLA in the semifinals. Their only meeting to this point was four years ago in the regular season, with LBS winning 3-0.

But at least two players on opposite sides of the net are no strangers: Beach setter Knipe and GCU setter Nicholas Slight. Knipe was an honorable mention All-Big West performer, averaging 9.60 assists per set, and Slight was honorable mention All-MPSF after averaging 10.00 assists per set.

Knipe said bragging rights are on the line.

“I’ve been playing against him since I was 13 years old, and I’m excited for that matchup,” Knipe said. “We have been talking crap to each other for over a decade getting ready for this moment.”

Who’s hot?

Oftentimes in a tournament setting — in any sport — it isn’t always the best team that wins but the team that is playing the best at the right time.

But that doesn’t afford much separation between the seven teams in this highly competitive field.

Ohio State and Hawai’i come in riding 11-game winning streaks. UCLA has won 10 in a row, and Penn State has won eight straight.

End game

Two players who have been instrumental in Hawai’i’s back-to-back titles are bringing down the curtain on their remarkable careers: Thelle and Mouchlias. Thelle will have exhausted his eligibility after this season, and Mouchlias recently announced he will leave school to pursue pro volleyball.

As if the Bows needed any other incentive to win a third title in a row, they will be trying to send two of their stars out as winners.

“Anytime you’re kind of faced with your own mortality, whether it’s as an athlete with a specific team or life, it gets your attention,” Wade said. “It’s pretty jarring. You get a little more focused on it.”

Thelle has earned a slew of awards in his career, including his second consecutive Big West Player of the Year honor this season. Certainly a long career as a pro and with his national team awaits.

“He’s going to leave here as one of the most successful and celebrated players in collegiate volleyball, not just in Hawai’i volleyball,” Wade said.

Did you know?

If Hawai’i wins its third straight NCAA title, it will be the first program to accomplish the feat since UCLA won four in a row from 1981-84.

The last four winners have gone back-to-back. Loyola Chicago won in 2014 and 2015, Ohio State in 2016 and 2017, Long Beach State in 2018 and 2019, there was no tournament in 2020, and Hawai’i won the past two seasons.