Inky Ajanaku of Stanford puts a slide set down in Thursday's semifinal match against Minnesota. /Ed Chan, VBshots.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The match isn’t what we expected.
But if you go back to early August, to the AVCA Division I Coaches preseason poll, it’s not like a final between Texas and Stanford is that far-fetched. After all, Texas was ranked No. 2 and Stanford No. 11.
Sure, all season long all eyes were on Nebraska and Minnesota. But they’re gone, and all that remain after pre-conference play, grueling conference competitions and a wonderfully entertaining NCAA Tournament are fourth-seeded Texas and No. 6 Stanford.
And they will __play for the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship at 9 p.m. Eastern in Nationwide Arena on ESPN2 as Stanford (26-7) tries to tie Penn State for the lead with its seventh NCAA title, its first since 2004, and Texas (27-4) goes for crown No. 3 its first since 2012.
Texas players show the signature “Hook ’em Horns” during NCAA semifinals __play against Nebraska/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Texas has never had a losing streak. The Longhorns lost their second match of the season to Nebraska, lost to visiting Wisconsin in mid-September, and then lost at Kansas on Oct. 29 in Big 12 play.
But since then, the Longhorns have won 11 in a row, including in the NCAA Tournament beating UT Rio Grande Valley, SMU, BYU, Creighton and then that stunning sweep of No. 1 Nebraska on Thursday.
Stanford’s ride was a lot more bumpy, but the Cardinal won 10 of their last 11 Pac-12 matches and have won nine in a row, including NCAA Tournament victories over Denver, Boise State, Florida State, Wisconsin and then its surprise win in four over No. 2 Minnesota on Thursday.
Both teams had to overcome the loss of a key player and then make some magic in this tournament.
Before the season began, Texas lost sophomore middle Chiaka Ogbogu, the 2015 Big 12 freshman of the year, who was declared academically ineligible.
On Oct. 5, Stanford announced that All-American sophomore outside Hayley Hodson, the VolleyballMag.com 2015 national freshman of the year, had taken a medical leave from school after playing in just 27 sets.
In the NCAA Tournament, Texas won its first two matches but then had to make a remarkable comeback in the fifth set against BYU after falling behind 5-0 and still trailing 11-5 and 12-7 before winning 16-14, winning the last three points to survive and advance.
In the regional final at Wisconsin, Stanford trailed the home team, the No. 3 seed, 2-0 before rallying to win in five.
Texas and Stanford did not play this season but have met up seven times in NCAA Tournament play, the last time when Stanford beat Texas in the national semifinals in 2008.
Both teams, of course, are playing extremely well, but offer some unusual contrasts. Stanford fields the tallest lineup maybe ever in the women’s college game with two 6-foot-6 freshman in middle Audriana Fitzmorris and outside Kathryn Plummer, the AVCA naitonal freshman of the year. The Cardinal setter is 6-1 freshman Jenna Gray, and when she rotates to the back row, the right side is 6-8 junior Merete Lutz, the tallest player in the match. What’s more, the other middle is 6-3 senior Inky Ajanaku, who gets up as high as anyone in the match.
Texas is not small, but its senior setter, 5-7 Chloe Collins, a superior leaper, will certainly be a target.
Where Texas is big is on the right side with 6-4 junior Ebony Nwanebu, who might be having the best tournament of anyone. The middles are 6-3 sophomore Morgan Johnson and 6-4 Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani, while the outsides are 6-2 Paulina Prieto Cerame and 6-1 freshman Micaya White.
Cat McCoy of Texas passes against Nebraska while Nicole Dalton looks on/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Both liberos are outstanding. Stanford’s is 5-9 freshman Morgan Hentz, while Texas relies on a veteran in 5-7 junior Cat McCoy. Hentz, a converted outside hitter playing libero for the first time this season, and the experience McCoy could well be the deciding factors.
And about McCoy’s experience: She and her teammates only know what it’s like to finish a season at this event, because this is Texas’s fifth consecutive trip to at least the national semifinals. The Longhorns on the roster lost in the 2013 semifinals the year after Texas won the title, in 2014 lost in the semifinals to BYU and last year lost in the national-championship match to Nebraska.
Height advantage Stanford.
Strength advantage Texas.
Experience advantage Texas.
Coaching? Two veterans of the game with impressive resumes. Jerritt Elliot is in his 16th season at Texas and over the past five years has pretty much established his team as the one to beat each season. Stanford’s John Dunning, the AVCA national coach of the year, won two national titles at Pacific and then two since he took over at Stanford, also 16 years ago.
Finally, every coach always reminds you of the importance of the serve-and-pass game.
For the season, Texas has 115 aces, one per set, while it’s been aced 111 times. The Longhorns also have a whopping 264 service errors.
Conversely, Stanford has 121 aces, also one per set, and has been aced 117 times. Stanford has 173 services errors.
There’s been a lot of serves since the season started August 26, when Texas beat Oregon and San Diego stunned Stanford. Typical of the way tthings would continue to go all season long, the next day Texas lost to Nebraska, while Stanford bounced back and beat Minnesota.
And some how, some way, it all came full circle and, while it might not have been the match-up we expected, late Saturday night either Texas or Stanford will be the 2016 NCAA champion.
The AVCA All-American banquet is always well attended/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sarah Wilhite of Minnesota was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association national player of the year Friday.
Anne Marie Anderson interviews AVCA player of the year Sarah Wilhite of Minnesota during the AVCA banquet on Friday/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Wilhite, the Big Ten player of the year, led Minnesota to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and into the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship semifinals.
Click here to read about the senior outside hitter’s tremendous career at Minnesota.
The AVCA presented its first, second and third All-American teams at its annual lunch-time banquet Friday. For a complete list, click here.
VolleyballMag.com is making the rounds at the 2016 AVCA Annual Convention. We’re interviewing coaches, players and the people who make the volleyball community great during the AVCA convention. Stop in at booths 502 and 504 and be a part of the story!
Stanford celebrates its NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship victory over Minnesota/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio — ESPN and the volleyball world got what they hoped for.
The first time that the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship was broadcast on the network’s main channel gave the Worldwide Leader everything that makes for great TV, from fierce competition, remarkable athleticism and long rallies in front of a huge crowd of 16,670, and, in the end, a couple of upsets.
Stanford and Texas are moving on and __play for the NCAA title at 9 p.m. Eastern Saturday back on ESPN2, while No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Minnesota have left the building. Stanford is trying to win its first title since 2004, while Texas last won it all in 2012.
Nebraska, ranked No. 1, 2 or 3 all season, was simply stampeded by the Longhorns.
The best team all season was no match for fourth-seeded Texas as the Longhorns — in a rematch of last year’s NCAA-championship match — came away with a stunning sweep 25-18, 25-23, 25-21.
Earlier Thursday night, Stanford’s remarkable run continued as the sixth-seeded Cardinal knocked off Minnesota 26-24, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22.
“We had a lot of self-confidence as a team going into it,” Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said. “I’ve been to a lot of final fours and this is the calmest I’ve been going into it. I just had a feeling with this group that they would perform at a high level tonight.
“And they proved that.”
Texas, runner up in the Big 12, improved to 27-4, while Nebraska, which won the Big Ten, ended its season 31-3. Nebraska swept Texas in last year’s NCAA title match and then swept the Longhorns in August in the second match of this season.
Stanford, which completely overhauled its lineup in October and finished second in the Pac-12, improved to 26-7. Minnesota of the Big Ten ended its season 29-5.
“I thought we were tough,” Stanford coach John Dunning said. “People have been talking about our freshmen all week, about whether they’re going to __play like freshmen or not.And what I say is, yeah, they played like freshmen.They’re really good. They’re poised for freshmen, and they can handle it and they’re continuing to learn and handle it better.
“Looking forward to Saturday.I mean this is unbelievable stuff.”
What’s more, both winning teams overcame losing key players early. Texas lost sophomore middle Chiaka Ogbogu, the 2015 Big 12 freshman of the year, who was declared academically ineligible before the season began. Stanford then lost All-American sophomore outside Hayley Hodson to an injury and the VolleyballMag.com 2015 national freshman of the year subsequently took a medical leave from school.
Stanford setter Jenna Gray goes over teammate Audriana Fitzmorris while Kelsey Humphreys tries to help/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Senior middle Inky Ajanaku and freshman outside Kathryn Plummer led Stanford with 15 kills apiece. Ajanaku had nine blocks, one solo, while Plummer had five blocks, one solo, and 12 digs.
The two teams met in August at Stanford and the Cardinal won in four. But Stanford at one point was 10-5 overall, 4-3 in the Pac-12, before Dunning made some major lineup changes.
But even last weekend Stanford was down 0-2 at Wisconsin in the regional final. Since then, however, the Cardinal has been hitting on all cylnders, winning that match in five and then upsetting Minnesota on the big stage.
“You know, I played with a lot of great players, a lot of great different teams,” Ajanaku said. “Every experience playing for Stanford, with Stanford on your shirt, is incredible.And the talent on this team being able to play with everyone is amazing.And the heart in their eyes is something that is really rare in volleyball, when everyone seems like they’re on the same page working for the same goal.
“And I’ve only seen it, that amount, in everybody’s eyes a handful of times of the teams I’ve been on and it’s really special.It inspired me.”
Big Ten player of the year Sarah Wilhite had a monster match for the Gophers as the senior outside led with 25 kills — 10 in the first set — and 13 digs. Freshman outside Alexis Hart added 11 kills.
“Stanford is a great blocking team. They played great out there. They played hard. I just think as hitters we really had to mix up our offense and our shots to kind of combat the tall block,” Wilhite said.
“But kudos to them. They played well, and they’re definitely a tough team to hit against.”
“Down at the end of that fourth set we made some great stuffs that they covered. Balls that were going straight down; they stuck out an arm popped up, good for them,” Minnesota coach Hugh McCutcheon said.
“But as they say, right, in this job you’ve got to be good. You’ve got to be lucky. And you’ve got to stay healthy. I’m not saying it was luck for Stanford. But it’s just a play here and a play there, things might have been different, especially when you get to this point in the season and we’re talking about two sets.”
Texas players celebrate a stuff block (from left, Micaya White, Morgan Johnson, Autumn Rounsaville, Ebony Nwanebu/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Texas was led by junior right side Ebony Nwanebu, who played in just one match in 2015, a season-opening win over Nebraska. But then she missed the rest of the season. Thursday night Nwanebu had 15 kills with just one error and hit .378.
“Texas deserves a lot of credit,” Nebraska coach John Cook said. “They played really well. We just couldn’t get in a rhythm and put enough pressure on them.So they certainly deserved to win.
“When you make eight hitting errors in a three-game winning match that’s a great night. So they played really well and deserved a 3-0 victory.”
Senior outside Paulina Prieto Cerame added 12 kills for Texas, making its fifth consecutive final-four appearance.
Nebraska got 13 kills from sophomore Mikaela Foecke, who was MVP of last year’s title match. She hit .333. Junior Briana Holman had nine kills.
“I think they just took control of the match from the start,” Nebraska setter Kelly Hunter said. “And it was pretty hard for us to get it back.”
Justine Wong-Orantes makes gets one of her 11 digs for Nebraska/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Senior libero Justine Wong-Orantes had 11 digs in the match to end her tremendous career as Nebraska’s all-time digs leader with (1,890). Wong-Orantes also ended her career with 296 digs in the NCAA Tournament, the most in school history.
“I think we were just really pressing tonight. And then once we sensed that Texas was playing really well, and we were having a hard time stopping them, I mean, I think, we’re the best defensive team in the country,” Cook said. “And we let them hit .321 tonight. So just when we couldn’t stop them, it just forced — we started pressing a little bit trying harder and that’s why you saw those types of plays.I saw stuff I haven’t seen all year tonight.
“But that’s what happens in a match like this sometimes. And, of course, we’ve seen it happen to other teams. But again Texas deserves a lot of credit.”
And in the end, ESPN got two great matches on what could turn out to a pivotal TV night for volleyball.
“I love volleyball,” Dunning said. “And when I started 42 years ago coaching volleyball, it wasn’t like this.The first final four I went to wasn’t like this.It’s grown and grown and grown.
“And the people that are involved in volleyball for a long time know it’s just an amazing, elegant, fast, athletic, strategy-based sport.And the more people get exposed to it the more they’ll love it.
“Having the sport rise up over the years and, I think, taking a big jump right now is huge for volleyball and all the people that can experience this amazing thing.It’s such a small court with so many people close together, you have to be so good with one another that close together.The ball travels 70 miles an hour.It’s so fast.
“How could you not love the game?And how many more people are going to love it?I’m excited.It’s just going to explode now, I think.”
Sean Hardy of Triple Crown Sports at the AVCA Convention, where his organization announced the 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship
COLUMBUS, Ohio — 64 more Division I teams just got the opportunity to __play postseason volleyball.
Starting in November 2017, the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, which was announced Thursday at the AVCA Convention, will take the best team available from the 32 Division I conferences that did not get berths in the NCAA Tournament.
Teams offered an automatic berth by the NIVC shall be the team that is the highest-finishing team in its conference’s regular-season standings, and not selected for the NCAA Tournament. The team’s overall record is not a criteria. There is also a list of tiebreakers and other criteria.
Then the NIVC will give 32 at-large berths to the top teams available. Any team from a Division I conference, or a Division I independent team, will be considered.
“The return of the NIVC is a wonderful opportunity for volleyball offered to us by Triple Crown Sports,” AVCA executive director Kathy DeBoer said. “It allows us to expand post-season options for our teams and explore our ability to market our sport to our fans.”
The single-elimination tournament will feature 32 first-round matches, followed by 16 second-round matches, eight third-round matches, four quarterfinal games, two semifinal matches, and the championship.
2017 Dates
The 64-team field will be announced late Sunday , November 26, 2017. The first round will start Tuesday, November 28, with the event ending Tuesday, December 12.
Selection – November 26.
Round 1 & 2– November 28-30.
Round 3 – December 1-3.
Round 4 – December 4-6.
Semifinals – December 7-9
Championship – Tuesday, December 12, 7 p.m. ET.
NIVC video, history
In this NIVC video, you’ll see how the brackets would have fallen together had the event run after the just-completed 2016 season.
The NIVC has its roots from another NCAA Division I event that ran for several years before the turn of the century.
The Women’s Invitational Volleyball Championship made its debut in 1989, with 20 teams, in response to demand for another postseason opportunity within the sport. Administrators at smaller but competitive programs like Western Kentucky, Alabama-Birmingham and Eastern Kentucky did the introductory work of gauging interest and building a format. The teams played at one site, in four five-team pools, with each pool winner advancing to a single-elimination bracket.
After two years, the event was renamed the NIVC. Previous event champions were:
1989 – Wisconsin 1990 – Houston 1991 – Kentucky 1992 – Washington State 1993 – Louisiana State 1994 – Cal-State Northridge 1995 – Wisconsin
The NIVC was held for seven seasons (1989-95) as a 20-team event, but the remodeled format you’ll see in 2017 looks much like college basketball’s Postseason WNIT – which makes sense, since both are produced by Triple Crown Sports.
Paul Bischoff, a setter from Illinois, is a top recruit for Stanford/Photo courtesy of Christine Giunta
By Mike Miazga for VolleyballMag.com
Parity in sports can be a good thing.
And if the results of the 2016 VolleyballMag.com men’s college top recruiting classes are any indication, the influx of incoming talent this season will help many teams. Six teams earned at least one first-place vote in the polling, which comes from a panel of NCAA Division I-II coaches. Only 12 voting points separated the first- through fourth-place teams.
Stanford checks in at No. 1 in the rankings, completing a recruiting sweep for the Cardinal, who also earned the top spot in this year’s VolleyballMag.com women’s college recruiting rankings.
Coach Dan Friend’s Lewis Flyers check in at No. 2, further adding to the long-term high-quality program run out of the small south-suburban Chicago town of Romeoville.
A tale of polar opposites round out the four teams with UCLA (only three recruits) at No. 3 and defending NCAA champion Ohio State (with a massive incoming class of eight) taking up residence at No. 4.
UC Santa Barbara also did itself plenty of future favors with the massive class it assembled. Here’s the complete rundown of this year’s top classes.
Stanford’s John Kosty has the opportunity to coach the VBM top-ranked recruiting class/Stanford photo
1. Stanford Cardinal Incoming players: Eric Beatty (6-7, OH, Huntington Beach (Calif.), HBC/949 Athletics), Paul Bischoff (6-5, S, Glenbard (Ill.) West, Sports Performance), Stephen Moye (6-9, MB, El Segundo (Calif.), SCVC), Jacob Thoenen (6-6, MB, Christian (St. Charles, Mo.), St. Louis HP), Mason Tufuga (6-5, RS, Costa Mesa (Calif.), OCVC), Eli Wopat (6-5, RS, Dos Pueblos (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Santa Barbara VBC/SMBC)
The skinny: Stanford churns out another top-notch class, headlined by Bischoff, a suburban Chicago product from the tradition-rich Sports Performance club who was named the 2016 VolleyballMag.com Boys’ High School Player of the Year.
“Paul has the talent to become a premier setter in the MPSF and the work ethic to match,” Stanford coach John Kosty said. “Of the many prospects in this class, he probably is the best athlete in the position, but he is much more than that. He has command of the offense and has the ability to run the offense at a very quick pace. He can make bas passes look good and is an above-average defender. Best of all, Paul fits our Stanford profile. He is a tremendous person with great passion, drive and humility.”
Including Bischoff, this class features four players named to the VolleyballMag.com 2016 Boys’ Fab 50 list. Beatty comes from a successful prep pedigree at Huntington Beach High School where he played on two unbeaten teams.
“Eric Beatty, quite simply, is a winner,” Kosty said. “Every team he has been on has enjoyed tremendous success. At 6-7, he brings good size and physicality to the court. He is well-skilled as a passer and a net player, and is a strong attacker out of the front and back rows. He will bring intensity and fire to our team. We truly are fortunate to have this young man in our program.”
Lewis coach Dan Friend: “This is one of the best recruiting classes, top to bottom, that I’ve had since being at Lewis.”
2. Lewis Flyers Incoming players: Kyle Bugee (6-5, OH, Homestead (Cupertino, Calif.), Bay to Bay), Joe Crosby (6-10, MB, Mc Quaid Jesuit, Rochester, N.Y., Pace Bootlegger), Jake Dixon (6-6, OH, Bethel Park (Pa.), Pittsburgh), Grant Holve (6-3, libero, Carlsbad (Calif.), Coast), Zack Meyer (6-4, OH, Wheaton (Ill.)-Warrenville South, Sports Performance), Tyler Mitchem (6-10, MB, Bolingbrook (Ill.), Sports Performance), TJ Murray (6-9, MB, Barrington (Ill.), Sports Performance), Ryan Van Loo (6-3, S, Burroughs (Burbank, Calif.), SMBC)
The skinny: Coach Dan Friend’s recruiting class is large times two. Not only does the Flyers’ Class of 2016 feature eight players, but it also has five players above 6-5 and three above 6-9. Bugee, Dixon, Meyer and Mitchem are 2016 VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 selections.
“This is one of the best recruiting classes, top to bottom, that I’ve had since being at Lewis,” Friend said. “There are several Fab 50 and All-Americans within the group. I look for this group to make a lasting impact on the program.”
One other coach on the voting panel had this to say about the Flyers group: “Lewis has a big and very good recruiting class that will have an immediate impact.”
The Flyers also kept the Illinois talent pipeline open, snagging Sports Performance club standouts Meyer, Mitchem and Murray.
UCLA setter/outside Sam Kobrine
3. UCLA Bruins Incoming players: Sam Kobrine (6-3, S-OH, Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.), 949 VBC), Daeanan Gyimah (6-8, MB-OH, Mowat Collegiate Institute (Toronto, Ontario), STVC Nemesis), Sam Jones (5-9, libero, Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), SCVC)
UCLA libero Sam Jones
The skinny: The theme here for the Bruins is 3-for-3. UCLA has only three incoming recruits, but those three players have high enough potential for members of the voting panel to rate this class at such a high level at No. 3.
“Our recruiting class this year is small, yet it’s a really important one,” UCLA assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Brad Keller said. “We have our entire starting lineup returning from last year and we lost only two players. The three guys coming in complement this group extremely well. Daenan is an explosive quick-twitch player who touches over 12 feet and has a big ceiling. Sam Kobrine is a dynamic, explosive athlete that can possibly __play three positions for us. Sam Jones is a fast-twitch libero that brings a ton of experience and a great touch on the ball.”
Kobrine and Jones both are 2016 VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 selections. Gyimah played for the Canadian boys’ youth national team and earned Canadian National All-Star honors.
Ohio State coach Pete Hanson: “This is one of the best recruiting classes in program history.”/ Jay LaPrete photo
4. Ohio State Buckeyes Incoming players: Tyler Alter (6-4, OH, Laguna Beach (Calif.), 949 VBC), Jason Bruggemann (6-5, MB, Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), Cincinnati Attack), Dejon Clark (6-5, OH-RS, Pickerington (Ohio) North, Vanguard), Reese Devilbiss (6-2, OH, Northeastern (Manchester, Pa.), Yorktowne), Jake Hanes (6-10, RS, Sandburg (Orland Park, Ill.), Ultimate), Paul Henken (6-3, S, University (St. Louis, Mo.), St. Louis HP), Maxime Hervoir (6-5, OH, France), Andrew Hillman (6-3, S, Parkland (Allentown, Pa., Yorktowne), Shawn Hughes (6-4, OH, University (St. Louis, Mo.), St. Louis HP)
The skinny: The defending NCAA champions reloaded in a big way here with eight newcomers and one transfer (Hervoir, from France, is a junior in class standing). This class features five VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 picks (Alter, Devilbiss, Hanes, Hillman and Hughes) and three AVCA high-school All-Americans (Devilbiss, Hanes and Hillman).
“We’re very excited about the amount of well-rounded volleyball players and proven winners we have coming in here this fall,” said Ohio State coach Pete Hanson, whose team won the 2016 NCAA title. “Every member of our 2016 class has taken their respective high school and club teams to new heights and we expect them to do the same at Ohio State. This is one of the best recruiting classes in program history.”
Henken and Hughes come from the same successful high school and club teams in St. Louis. Hanes was named the player of the year by the Daily Southtown in the Chicago south suburbs, while Hughes was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s player of the year. Hervoir played for the French national team in 2014 and is a two-time French Cup winner who also was named best outside hitter in 2015.
UC Santa Barbara outside hitter Roy McFarland/Ralf Stier (Ralf’s Photography; www.ralfsphotography.com)
5. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Incoming players: Davis Boehle (6-0, libero-S, Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.), MB Surf), Randy Deweese (6-6, S, Natomas Prep, Sacramento, Calif.), Spencer Fredrick (6-3, RS, Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.), Dynamic), Brad Maricle (6-4, OH-RS, Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.), SCVC), Roy McFarland (6-3, OH, Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), SCVC), Casey McGarry (6-0, S, Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.), SCVC), Keenan Sanders (6-6, MB-RS, Scripps Ranch (San Diego, Calif.), Coast), Jack Truman (6-10, MB, Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.), MB Surf), Grady Yould (6-0, libero-OH, Dana Hills (Dana Point, Calif.), 949).
The skinny: A well-deserved top-five ranking here for the Gauchos, who stayed entirely in the Golden State to secure this nine-player class that mixes players with strong high-school and club pedigrees.
“We brought in nine guys we like a lot,” Santa Barbara coach Rick McLaughlin said. “Four or five of them already have very high volleyball IQs, sound skills, have won a ton and will really help our training environment immediately. The other four or five have incredible potential and could become very successful players in the MPSF after a few years. We are very excited about all nine and can’t wait to get them in our gym.”
Santa Barbara features five players on the 2016 VolleyballMag.com Boys’ Fab 50 list (Boehle, Deweese, McFarland, McGarry, Sanders and Truman) and five that made the 2016 VolleyballMag.com Boys’ High School All-American teams (Boehle, McGarry, McFarland, Maricle and Truman).
6. Penn State Nittany Lions Incoming players: Cameron Bartus (6-10, MB-OH, West Seneca (N.Y.) West, Eden), Kyle Mackiewicz (6-8, RS, J.P. Stevens (Edison, N.J.), Atlantic Valley), Declan Pierce (6-0, libero, Eden (N.Y.), Eden VBC), Nathan Smith (6-5, S, Los Altos (Calif.), Bay to Bay), Bobby Wilden (6-9, OH-MB, Briar Woods (Ashburn, Va.), NVVA)
The skinny: Bartus, Mackiewicz and Wilden are 2016 VolleyballMag.com Boys’ Fab 50 selections, while Pierce earned 2016 VolleyballMag.com Boys’ High School All-American second-team honors.
Penn State assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Colin McMillan likes this group’s versatility.
“Our class added size and athleticism to our team at a variety of positions,” he said. “The ability of these players to be put in multiple positions will give us good options and lineup flexibility for years to come.”
Pierce comes from a family volleyball background. His father, Robert, is heavily involved in the club scene and sister, Kendall, played at Penn State, while other sister, Lainy, is currently on the Penn State women’s team.
George Huhmann is a 6-11 Princeton middle.
7. Princeton Tigers Incoming players: Parker Dixon (6-6, OH, St. Mark’s (Dallas, Texas), Summit Nitro), Shane Gooding (6-4, S, Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.), Balboa Bay), George Huhmann (6-11, MB, University (St. Louis, Mo.), St. Louis HP), Greg Luck (6-5, OH, South Pasadena (Calif.), SG Elite).
The skinny: Coach Sam Shweisky continues to improve the talent pipeline at Princeton, as evidenced by this Top 10 class. Huhmann is a 2016 VolleyballMag.com Boys’ Fab 50 selection who was part of the 2015 boys’ youth national team that placed seventh at the U19 worlds. Dixon, a multi-sport athlete in high school, comes out of Texas and was selected to three USAV training teams. Gooding comes from the well-regarded Corona del Mar high-school program and the Balboa Bay club program. Luck was part of two South Pasadena teams that won CIF titles.
“2016 could turn out to be the best recruiting class we have ever had in the history of the program,” Shweisky said. “George is a 7-foot starting middle on the junior national team, while Parker and Greg are both 6-5/6-6 pins who could start right away and have a huge impact on our program. What I like most about this class is its size and athleticism.”
UC Irvine’s class includes, from left, Zach Mills, Sean Dennis, Scott Stadick, Austin Wilmot and Patrick Sohacki/UCI photo
8. UC Irvine Anteaters
Incoming players: Sean Dennis (6-11, MB, Bonita (La Verne, Calif.), SG Elite), Zack Mills (6-5, RS-OH, Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 949 VBC), Patrick Sohacki (6-6, RS-OH, Eastlake (Chula Vista, Calif.), Coast), Scott Stadick (7-0, MB, Watertown (Wis.), Milwaukee Sting), Austin Wilmot (6-9, OH, Crespi Carmelite (Encino, Calif.), West Edge)
The skinny: The Anteaters added three 2016 VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 selections in Dennis, Sohacki and Stadick, whose sister, Katie, plays at Illinois, and another sister, Deb, who played at Iowa State. This class also features considerable size with Stadick at 7-feet (the tallest in the class), Dennis right behind him at 6-11 and Wimot measuring 6-9.
“The human and athletic potential of this recruiting class is special,” said Anteaters coach David Kniffin. “The personalities will be fun to work with and if they are willing to do the work, these five could be significant contributors to future championship campaigns.”
The skinny: Loyola-Chicago ties Ohio State and UC Santa Barbara for the most 2016 VolleyballMag.com Boys’ Fab 50 selections with five (Cowen, Freeman, Kotsakis, Linsky and Piekarski). Loyola, like Chicago-area brethren Lewis, tapped into the talent-rich Chicago pool and secured Baranski, Kotsakis (who teamed in high school and club with Stanford recruit Paul Bischoff) and Piekarski.
Jake Freeman Kyle Piekarski
“This class solidifies our roster in a lot of important places and will instantly increase the competitiveness of our gym,” Loyola coach Mark Hulse said. “Five are Fab 50 selections and every guy brings something new to the gym, which gives you a route to the starting lineup, potentially right away.”
(Loyola photos by Steve Woltmann/Loyola Athletics)
Trevor Briggs
10. Long Beach State 49ers Incoming players: Trevor Briggs (6-0, libero, Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.), Legacy VBC), Zane Griggs (6-8, OH, Eastside (Lancaster, Calif.), Legacy VBC), James Thomas (6-2, OH, Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Balboa Bay.
Zane Grigg James Thomas
The skinny: The 49ers addressed their needs at the pin and in the back-row with this small, but strong recruiting class. Briggs is a 2016 VolleyballMag.com Boys’ Fab 50 selection. Briggs was a three-time all-league performer in high school, while Griggs earned a player of the year honor during his Eastside time. Thomas was an all-state selection at Santa Margarita Catholic as a senior and was a four-time all-league first-team choice.
“Trevor has a high volleyball IQ and is a volleyball junkie,” 49ers coach Alan Knipe said. “Zane is a big kid who can __play multiple positions. He started the sport late, but will make it up fast. James is a solid all-around player who has won a lot and can help us in many ways.
“We didn’t go for numbers with this class. We love the quality. They all help us as players and add to our already great team culture.”
Others receiving votes: BYU, George Mason, Pepperdine, USC
