No. 10 Purdue handed No. 9 Ohio State a loss in Columbus, but otherwise the AVCA’s national rankings held in NCAA Division I women’s volleyball action Friday.
Notably, No. 2 Texas downed No. 6 Baylor for the fourth time this year, and No. 14 Louisville swept No. 22 Georgia Tech in an important ACC match. No. 20 Pepperdine took advantage of No. 21 San Diego being short handed in the middle to score a nice four-set victory.
High Point secured the Big South regular season championship, and therefore the NCAA Tournament berth, since there will be no conference tournament this year.
The recaps follow, but first a look at Saturday’s NCAA Division I women’s volleyball schedule.
The SWAC tournament continues with regular-season champion Jackson State taking on No. 5 seed Southern, and Arkansas Pine-Bluff matching up against Prairie View A&M in the semis.
The ASUN kicks off its postseason with the quarterfinals on Saturday. Kennesaw State hosts Liberty, North Florida is at Stetson, North Division top seed Lipscomb goes to Bellarmine, while South Division leader FGSU plays at Jacksonville.
The Big Ten Saturday schedule features rematches of Friday night action with Indiana at Illinois, Purdue at Ohio State, Minnesota at Northwestern, and Michigan State at Iowa. In addition, Rutgers hosts Maryland.
The ACC has five matches, including national No. 22 and conference No. 2 Georgia Tech versus NC State in Louisville and No. 25 Florida State versus North Carolina in Pittsburgh.
In the Big 12, there are three matches, with Texas Tech at Texas State, TCU at Oklahoma, and Iowa State hosting Wayne State for the second night in a row after beating them 3-1 on Friday. Iowa State was originally scheduled to travel to Creighton on Saturday, but the Bluejays made schedule changes to accommodate more postponed conference matches.
The second night of Pepperdine at San Diego and BYU at Saint Mary’s headlines the WCC slate, which also features Gonzaga at Portland.
The Mountain West, Southland, and Summit have a full schedule. The Pac-12 and SEC are off.
Twenty NCAA DI-II men’s matches are also taking place Saturday, including a trio of matches featuring the top three teams in the country: UC San Diego at No. 1 Hawai’i, No. 2 BYU at Concordia, and No. 3 UC Santa Barbara at CSUN.
For full broadcast and streaming information, go to the VolleyballMag.com TV & Streaming Listings.
Pac-12 — Originally, Pac-12 leader Washington State was scheduled to go to Utah Friday night, but that match was canceled due to “recent COVID-19 protocol developments within the Washington State volleyball program.” The match has been rescheduled for Sunday, March 28, at 10 a.m. PT …
No. 8 Washington needed four match points to finish it off in the fourth set, but the Huskies ultimately scored a victory over Stanford (25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 29-27) and improved to 13-3 to hold its second-place spot in the Pac-12 standings. It was a total slugfest between Stanford’s Caitie Baird and Washington’s Samantha Dreschsel, with the former finishing the match with 25 kills and the latter tallying 23. Dreschel made just three errors in the match to finish with a .588 hitting percent to go with two aces, three blocks and 18 digs. UW setter Ella May Powell collected 50 assists, three kills with no errors to hit .500, an ace, three blocks, and nine digs …
It took five sets (28-30, 25-22, 25-15, 19-25, 15-13) for USC to hand Arizona its first loss at home since January. Senior outside hitter Brooke Botkin led the way for the Trojans with her 26th career double-double (16 kills and 11 digs), but it was Arizona’s Sofia Maldonado Diaz who led the match with 17 kills. The scrappy defensive match saw Arizona finish with 71 digs as a team to USC’s 64.
Colorado set a new season-high with 13 team aces in a five-set win over Arizona State (13-25, 25-16, 25-13, 14-25, 16-14). Jenna Ewert was responsible for five of those service-line points, in addition to her 22 assists and 11 digs. ASU libero Annika Larson led all players with 21 digs, adding two aces and four assists …
No. 16-ranked Oregon swept Cal with identical 25-17 scores in each set. The Ducks hit .260 to the Bears’ .026, thanks in large part to solid blocking effort on Oregon’s side of the net. Karson Bacon led the way with seven blocks, one solo …
UCLA freshman Iman Ndiaye tied her season-high with 12 kills in a sweep of Oregon State (25-15, 25-22, 25-16). Ndiaye had just two errors on 20 swings to hit .500. Senior Mac May also added 12 kills.
Big Ten — No. 10 Purdue scored a four-set victory over No. 9 Ohio State in Columbus 20-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-22. Grace Cleveland led Purdue with 17 kills, while Caitlyn Newton and Maddy Chinn also made it to double digits with 13 and 10, respectively. Setter Hayley Bush finished the match with 49 assists to go with three kills, a block and 11 digs. Ohio State’s Emily Londot led the match with 23 kills and 17 digs, tying her career high. The Buckeyes will get another shot at the Boilermakers Saturday afternoon …
Northwestern returned to play for the first time in a month only to lose to No. 4 Minnesota at home in straight sets. Stephanie Samedy led Minnesota with 12 kills, hitting .435, while Regan Pittman finished the match with eight kills in just 10 swings to hit .700. Freshman setter Melani Shaffmaster recorded 26 assists, six digs, and five blocks …
Michigan State ended a five-match losing streak with a 18-25, 25-22, 25-13, 25-21 road win over Iowa. Alyssa Chronowski led all players with 13 kills, making just one error to hit .545. The Spartans’ libero Jamye Cox topped the stat sheet with 18 digs. As a team, MSU out-blocked Iowa 11 to seven …
Illinois and No. 5 Nebraska both scored sweeps, defeating Indiana and Michigan, respectively. Illinois setter Diana Brown had a good night, leading her team to the 25-15, 25-21, 25-18 victory with 32 assists, three kills, 10 digs,and three blocks, one solo. Middles led the way for Nebraska, with Kayla Caffey and Lauren Stivrins each contributing 10 kills to the 25-19, 25-15, 25-13. Combined, the pair hit .714 with no errors and 11 blocks …
ACC — No. 14 Louisville kept ACC leader No. 22 Georgia Tech under 20 points in all three sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-17) Friday night in Louisville. Tech hit just .011, in part thanks to 12 blocks from the Cardinals. Aiko Jones earned credit for six of those blocks, while Anna DeBeer led the offense with 11 kills. GT’s Julia Bergmann led the match with 12 kills, but made 11 errors to hit just .026 …
National rankings held in the match between No. 19 Pittsburgh and No. 25 Florida State as the Panthers extended their win streak to nine in a row with a 25-19, 25-22, 14-25, 25-20 victory at home. Pitt outside hitter Kayla Lund recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 13 kills and 14 digs, but it was opposite Chinaza Ndee who led all players with 15 kills, hitting .343. Middle Sabrina Starks had a career night with 11 kills, hitting .588, adding two blocks. FSU’s Taryn Knuth had 14 kills with zero errors to hit .636, and her five blocks helped the Seminoles out-block Pitt 12 to six …
No. 23 Notre Dame got a win on senior night, coming back from losing the first set to defeat Clemson in four 23-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-11. Twenty kills and 11 digs earned Charley Niego her seventh double-double of the season and sixth in her last eight outings. Senior Hannah Thompson tallied three blocks, six kills hitting.308, and two digs in her final home match …
Syracuse swept Wake Forest and Boston College beat Miami in four. Ella Saada led ’Cuse with 14 kills and just three errors, hitting .423 to go with eight digs and four blocks. Libero Lauren Hogan finished the night with five assists, three aces, and 16 digs. For BC, Katrina Jensen and Gabby McCaa both made it into double-digit kills, with 13 and 10, respectively. McCaa made just one error to hit .529.
Big 12 — A four-set win over No. 6 Baylor in Waco earned No. 2 Texas the season sweep over its conference rival and scored UT head coach Jerritt Elliott his 500th victory at Texas. Logan Eggleston led the way with 16 kills, six digs, and a block, while Skylar Fields added 12 kills and seven blocks. Freshman Melanie Parra also had a solid night with 10 kills, eight digs, and two aces. Brionne Butler helped hold Baylor to a .135 team hitting percentage with 12 blocks, two solo. Baylor’s Yossiana Pressley took 70 swings, scoring a match-high 28 kills, but making 15 errors to hit .186 …
After a competitive first two sets, TCU ran away with the third and fourth to defeat Oklahoma 25-20, 17-25, 25-15, 25-13. The Horned Frogs set a new season high with a .280 hitting percentage. Julia Adams led the team with 18 kills, while Katie Clark finished the match with 11 kills and five blocks …
Iowa State defeated Wayne State in four sets 25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19 despite missing four players due to injuries. ISU’s Eleanor Holthaus tied her career high with 22 kills, while Annie Hatch contributed 13 (with a career-high 24 digs for a double-double) and Kenzie Mantz had 12. Libero Izzy Enna also had 24 digs, while setter Piper Mauck collected 50 assists and 13 digs …
AAC — Tulane topped Tulsa in four in its second-to-last regular season match of the spring, securing a spot in the AAC tournament. Middle Kayla Dinkins totaled 15 kills with four blocks, hitting .387, while the Waves second middle Anna Davis finished with 13 kills of her own. Freshman libero Sophia Ervanian scooped up 22 digs, a number matched only by Tulsa’s libero Hannah Overmyer …
East Carolina hosted North Carolina A&T and the visitors snuck away with a five-set win on the Pirates’ senior night. Fatimah Shabazz tallied 25 kills, hitting .467 for A&T, while ECU’s Bri Wood had a productive night on both sides of the ball, finishing with 15 kills and a match-high 23 digs …
Temple defeated AAC East leader Cincinnati 25-19, 25-18, 25-27, 25-21 on Friday afternoon. The win keeps Temple’s goal of making the AAC tournament alive, and a second win over Cincinnati on Saturday would seal the deal. As a team, the Owls set a new season high with 13 blocks, an effort led by Taylor Davenport’s nine stuff blocks …
Another AAC upset saw Wichita State topple Houston 25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 25-20. Natalie Foster led the Shockers with 17 kills, hitting .556 with six blocks, and Lily Liekweg led the team with 23 digs. Setter McKayla Wuensch also had a nice night, contributing 23 assists and 15 digs.
Big South — For the third time in the last four years, High Point is the Big South regular season champion, thanks to a sweep of Campbell Friday afternoon. With no Big South tournament happening this year, the victory also means High Point will represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament this year. Annie Sullivan led her team to its 14th consecutive win with 15 kills and just one error in 42 swings, adding two blocks and a dig. Abby Bottomley led the match with 22 digs.
MAC — After losing the first two sets, Miami rallied to score a conference win over Central Michigan 28-30, 22-25, 30-28, 25-22, 15-11. Sarah Wojick and Avarie Powell led the Red Hawks with 22 and 20 kills, respectively, with Wojick taking a team-high 58 swings in the long five-setter. Only Savannah Thompson of CMU took more, a total of 68, out of which she scored a team-high 18 kills …
Akron was also forced to rally from down 0-2 to collect its fifth victory over the season Friday night. The Zips defeated Toledo 20-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-19, 15-12 thanks to 23 kills from senior outside Alexis Adleta, who also added an ace, two blocks, and 10 digs.
Summit League — Denver’s sweep of Kansas City on Friday (25-17, 25-13, 25-20) keeps the Pioneers in the running for a Summit League regular-season championship. The team made just eight hitting errors in the match for a .280 hitting percentage, and Katarina Marinkovic and Brianna Green led the Pioneers with eight kills each. With Denver now 13-2 and UMKC 13-3, the rematch between the two teams on Saturday will determine the regular-season champion.
SWAC — In the first round of the SWAC tournament, all four matches were decided in straight sets. Only No. 5 seed Southern scored an upset over No. 4 Grambling 25-20, 25-12, 27-25, with Southern’s Imani Litz leading all players with 14 kills, hitting .367. Setter Princess Stark tallied 28 assists to go with eight digs and two kills …
With 10 kills, six digs, and two blocks, Alexis Williams led top-seeded Jackson State to a 25-10, 25-18, 25-13 victory over Mississippi Valley. JSU hit .395 as a team, holding Mississippi Valley to a .066 clip …
No. 2 seed Prairie View A&M benefited from 13 kills and 14 digs out of senior outside hitter Tamaira Armstrong in its 25-15, 25-20, 25-13 win against Texas Southern …
Arkansas Pine Bluff got its conference quarterfinal win 25-21, 25-19, 25-16 over Alcorn State. SWAC Player of the Year Zyonn Smith had 13 kills, while Destiny Thomas added 12 for the Lions. Kaila Robinson led all players with 17 digs.
WCC — No. 20 Pepperdine scored a road win over No. 21 San Diego. Rachel Ahrens led with 20 kills, adding two aces and two blocks, one solo, while Shannon Scully recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. Outside hitters Kylie Pries and Katie Lukes played middle for USD, as the Toreros have been missing Cami May all season due to injury, Gabby Goddard went down with an apparent ankle injury during serve and pass about an hour before the match, and the remaining middles on the roster are all out of commission due to COVID protocols. Even with the lineup changes, USD won the blocking battle, collecting 10 stuffs for the match to Pepperdine’s two. Roxie Wiblin led the Torero offense with 20 kills and just four errors on 45 swings to hit .356. She added an assist, an ace, two blocks (one solo), and 10 digs …
League No. 2 BYU improved to 13-1 overall with a sweep of Saint Mary’s 25-17, 25-15, 26-24. Senior outside hitter Taylen Ballard-Nixon led BYU with 13 kills hitting .379 and a career-high 14 digs. Setter Whitney Bower also tallied a double-double with 34 assists and 10 digs.
Around the nation: Dayton and George Mason both scored A10 wins, taking down Saint Louis and George Washington, respectively. UD’s 25-20, 25-14, 25-11 sweep keeps the Flyers on top of the A10 standings. Setter Bridget Doherty set match-highs with 28 assists and three blocks. For GMU, the 19-25, 25-15, 25-13, 25-11 victory marked the end of the spring season. Katie Parmalee led the offense with 10 kills, while setter Erin Derick had 28 assists, nine digs, and three aces on the night …
Providence came back from down 0-2 to score a home win over Villanova 19-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-12. Jennifer Leitman and Emma Nelson led the Friar offense with 19 and 18 kills, respectively, but it was Villanova outside hitter Riley Homer who led the match with 21 on 53 swings …
C-USA’s Florida Atlantic concluded its season with a five-set victory over Middle Tennessee 25-14, 25-13, 21-25, 18-25, 15-13. Scherine Dahoue finished the match with 20 kills and 16 digs, just one kill away from a new career-high. She also had two aces and five blocks.
MEN — Hawai’i opened its home Big West schedule with a four-set triumph over UC San Diego 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 25-15. Rado Parapunov helped the Warriors remain undefeated with 17 kills. Setter Jakob Thelle led the match with 12 digs to pair with his 42 assists, two aces, and four blocks. UCSD’s Kyle McCauley matched Parapunov’s match-high with 17 kills of his own .. No. 3 UC Santa Barbara swept CSUN with 11 kills from Roy McFarland who had zero errors on 17 swings to hit .647. Randy DeWeese led the match with 18 kills and just one error, hitting .654 … Long Beach State improved to 2-1 with a four-set win over UC Irvine. Redshirt sophomore Spencer Olivier led the 49ers offense with 17 kills to go with two aces, four blocks, and three digs.
Lewis, Loyola, and Ohio State all scored straight-set victories in Friday-night MIVA action. Conference leader Lewis extended its win streak to six in a row with a 25-14, 25-17, 25-12 win over Quincy. Ryan Coenen led the match with 18 kills, hitting .536, with an assist, an ace, two blocks, and seven digs … Luke Denton and Cole Schlothauer each had 11 kills for Loyola as the Ramblers downed Ball State 25-20, 25-23, 25-20. Both players also added five digs, while Ball State’s Kaleb Jenness led the match with 13 kills … Ohio State’s Sotiris Siapanis extended his season-long streak of double-digits kills with 14 in the Buckeyes’ 25-18, 25-18, 27-25 win over Lindenwood. OSU improved to 7-8 on the season with the win.
An EIVA sweep of Sacred Heart marks nine in a row for No. 8 Penn State. The team hit .480 with Brett Wildman scoring 17 kills and Jack Shampine collecting 11 in his first career start at home. Cole Bogner finished the match with 38 assists. Eight team blocks helped hold SHU to a .072 hitting percentage … George Mason needed five sets, but the squad eventually scored a victory over Saint Francis, despite SFU’s Michael Fisher tallying an impressive 25 kills. Omar Hoyos led GMU with 12 kills, adding nine digs …
Independent Lincoln Memorial had to go the distance to collect a W over the Conference Carolinas’ Limestone Friday. The victory marks four in a row for LMU. Jacob Titus led the victorious squad with 16 kills, two aces, a block, and seven digs, but it was Limestone’s Geraldo Rivera who led the match with 22 kills … Belmont Abbey held on to its top spot in the conference standings with a 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 25-23 win over league No. 2 Mount Olive. Matteo Miselli and Riley Mukley each contributed 11 kills to their Belmont Abbey squad.
