KP’s January ’25 NCAA Men’s Volleyball Review
Most teams take their lumps when starting a new program. Barry University out of Miami, Florida started the season red hot with victories over Eriskine (a 3-2 five set thriller) and two wins over Barton. “It was exciting to be able to play our first three matches at home and come out on top. All matches were hard fought and we had to come from behind to earn the victory. We battled back and were able to have a historic first couple of matches. I am proud of this group and exciting we made history at Barry University,” Coach Charles Norman of Barry University.
USC and Lewis had a good showing at their January 17th and 18th matches. SoCal Cup hosted the Open Championship and USC offered free admission to all high school students for their matches. “We are thrilled to see so many club players, coaches, and families from all reaches of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico attend our matches. We will continue to grow the game and Fight On,” Coach Gary Sato of USC.
Chicago had a Midwest boys’ club tournament and many of the participants were able to check out Lewis compete against Long Beach State. I tip my cap to universities when they find ways to get club and high school athletes at their matches. C2 Attack was one of the clubs that got to experience the match at Lewis. “Getting the boys’ to the Lewis vs. Long Beach game was not only a great experience getting to see the highest level of college volleyball, but a moment of our athletes to learn. Our team took away how well the college athletes do all the simple things at the highest-level time and time again. At the end of the night, we got to learn something, but more importantly we experienced a high level college volleyball match in front of a packed house,” Crissy McDaniel, Owner of C2 Attack.
Moni Nikolov, a 6’8 freshman phenom who plays for Long Beach State recorded an 80 MPH serve against Lewis. The setter is making spectacular plays and is a gifted all-around player. Don’t be surprised if you see Nikolov recording a quadruple double this season. The over ten sets in a match should be relatively easy, but on any given night he can record ten blocks, digs and kills. The young man is one of the top volleyball players I have seen playing at the college level.
The LA fires had an impact on NCAA men’s volleyball. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families involved in the horrific disaster. A big thank you to all the firefighters and medical staff that sprung into action to help. UCLA had to move its home opener to Long Beach against Saint Francis. “We are deeply grateful to Long Beach State for generously hosting our match against Saint Francis in light of the tragic fires that devastated our community. Three of our athletes have been directly impacted by these horrific events and for them this match was more than just a game, it was a chance for our team to come together, find solace in each other’s presence and begin the healing process. My heart goes out to all those affected by these fires. UCLA men’s volleyball is extremely thankful to Long Beach State and their staff for offering a space to support one another during such a difficult,” said UCLA Head Coach John Hawks, who earned his first victory during this match as the UCLA Head Coach.
Fairleigh Dickinson flew all the way out to LA and ended up returning home due to the fires. Sadly, they did not get to compete in any matches. “FDU handles student safety with an abundance of caution. While we were disappointed to not be able to play matches, we look forward to heading out west in February to compete against Pepperdine,” said Fairleigh Dickinson Head Coach Karl France.
The First Point Challenge hosted Stanford, UCLA, Penn State and Ohio State in Austin, Texas. Prior to the matches each college program hosted clinics for local boys’ volleyball players to fine tune their game. “The clinic was an absolute success! With over 230 players across the county in attendance, it was awesome opportunity for them to hear what some of the top universities are teaching, and it was great for our student-athletes to lead a court of passionate athletes,” said Spencer Wickens, assistant coach Stanford.
It is neat to see when college men’s volleyball teams find sometime to make an impact on their local communities in the offseason. Many programs do a marvelous job making a difference and they are usually well documented on the programs Instagram page. Grant Elementary, the school I work at as a PE teacher was on the receiving end of UCSD men’s volleyball community outreach. Head Coach Brad Rostratter brought his squad to teach the basics of volleyball. The article that UCSD wrote highlighting the event can be found here using this link (https://ucsdtritons.com/news/2024/11/1/athletics-tritons.aspx). Thank you UCSD for helping grow the game of volleyball.
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