Here's part two of our (slightly past) mid-season look at each team to see how they're stacking up with preseason expectations. Again, we visit the teams in alphabetical order.
Ball State
What we expected: Ferocious blocking and just-enough hitting to lead to a possible mid-high MIVA finish.
What we've been getting: Roughly that. The Cardinals have had a so-so non-conference, going 4-3 with losses to UC Irvine, Penn State, and St Francis. But they're also 3-0 in MIVA play thus far, and hold non-conference wins over Princeton, George Mason, Sacred Heart, and McKendree. The blocking hasn't quite been what I'd expected — Matt Leske has been as-advertised, but Kevin Owens' performance has been a bit down from last year. On the whole, though, the Cardinals are still a strong blocking team.
Going forward: The teeth of the MIVA schedule obviously still awaits, and it's coming this week, with Loyola and Lewis on tap. Big matches to be sure. But with the rest of the schedule mostly teams the Cardinals ought to comfortably beat (lower-order MIVA teams and a surprisingly abundant non-conference against the majority of the EIVA and Conference Carolinas), there's not much doubt they'll be a MIVA tournament team. To me, that means they've met expectations, and it's still there for them to exceed them by season's end.
Grand Canyon
What we expected: Solid but unremarkable, with numerous returners from a team that finished second-division in 2013.
What we've been getting: Again, pretty much that. The Antelopes are 6-7 as of this writing. Their schedule is much like Hawaii's, packed with double-shots, even among their non-conference opponents. They've played Loyola twice already and, quite naturally, lost both. They also somewhat surprisingly lost twice to Lindenwood, split with George Mason, beat Pacific in a single-shot, split with Concordia-Irvine (widely expected to be Pacific's eventual replacements in the MPSF), beat McKendree, lost to Stanford. Nothing really jumps out at me on their season stat sheet. Just the expected unremarkable consistency from the likes of pin hitter Ben Ponnet and setter Keith Smith.
Going forward: I think their record will stay more or less at .500 this season. They'll win the matches they should win, and lose the matches they should lose. It's all shaping up to be pretty normal service from the Lopes. This week they hoof it to Ohio State, and I'd expect they'll lose both of those. Then they come home to face UC San Diego and something called Hope International, and I'd expect they'll win both of those. Grand Canyon have pretty squarely met expectations. Recursion alert, but if they surprise me this season, I'll be surprised.
IPFW
What we expected: Not unlike Grand Canyon, a team returning most of their 2013 contingent, but with the lack of any real impressiveness from 2013, 2014 output was figured to be about the same.
What we've been getting: Well, not that. The Volleydons have carried a national ranking for much of this season (as of this writing, they're in ARV). They haven't played a particularly hard schedule, losing their only two likely competitive matches (which is probably why they're not in the rankings anymore), but 7-2 is 7-2. They played five matches against the EIVA, and won all of them against teams not named Penn State. They're off to a 2-1 start in MIVA play, with wins over Lindenwood and Quincy. And they beat Cal Baptist at the Asics. To West coast chest-thumpers, I say you can't have it both ways. It's true that Baptist are well down the pecking order in the MPSF, but if the West coast reigns entirely supreme, then a win for a low-high or high-middle tier Midwest team is still a feather in the cap. It's been offence-by-committee in Fort Wayne, as no one really stands out as the principal target for starting setter Omar Rivera, though Rivera's 11-plus assists per set do impress.
Going forward: The Volleydons are gonna struggle against more vertical, physical teams. They're the only team I've noted so far who are actually getting out-blocked on the season, and it's not by a little bit (a good half a block per set). The big team against whom that spells trouble is Loyola, so the Volleydons have their work very much cut out for them on Saturday. IPFW should do fine in their remaining non-conference matches against the EIVA and Carolinas, so I'll give them a mark of exceeded expectations. Last year, they only made the conference tournament because Lindenwood weren't eligible. This year, they'll make it on their own right and could well host a match. That's incremental improvement.
Lewis
What we expected: It was going to be a surprise if they didn't finish exactly second in the MIVA. It'd be a surprise if they were higher. It'd be a surprise if they were lower.
What we've been getting: Again, pretty much that. The Flyers went 8-2 in their early non-conference matches (they have a few more later down the schedule), dropping contests to Stanford and UCI but beating BYU and the best Conference Carolinas has to offer. A shame the USC match had to be called off (bad weather). All the usual suspects are doing what they do, and newcomer Jacob Schmiegelt has to be a contender for conference freshman of the year, having played every Flyers match so far (surprisingly, already one of only two players who has) and being a very viable counterpart to Bobby Walsh at middle blocker.
Going forward: Lewis have already played Loyola once, a match won of course by the Ramblers (in four sets). The return match at Loyola will probably be trouble, but Lewis would hardly be alone in having trouble with the Ramblers. The Flyers have already beaten Ohio State at Ohio State, so I wouldn't worry too much about that return match. An intriguing one is Lewis' tilt with Penn State, which will come at home on 22 March. If they want to build a potential at-large resume, that's pretty much a must-win. So far, I'd say Lewis have very much met expectations, which is good on them because it was going to be so, so hard to exceed them.
Lindenwood
What we expected: Incremental growth from a surprisingly decent first MIVA (and NCAA) season in 2013. A playoff berth with the possibility of hosting a match not seeming completely outlandish.
What we've been getting: It's sort of hard to say at this point, because the Lions' schedule is quite disjointed. They just played four conference matches, going 2-2 in those contests, but don't entertain another MIVA foe until the 28th (the fearsome Loyola/Lewis double-shot). After that, their next conference match isn't until 22 March. So they've got a lot of non-conference play all throughout their schedule. So far they've beaten the teams they should beat, holding an 8-4 overall mark and 3-3 in conference. A six-match home winning streak, recentl snapped, had to make for some good times in St Charles, but losses to IPFW and Ball State, taking just one set between the two matches, suggest that the Lions will still be second-division in 2014.
Going forward: No reason to think it won't be more of same. Wins against the Bartons, McKendrees, and Quincys of the world, but likely some struggles against the higher-order MIVA teams. Their schedule has a serious sting in the tail, as their last five matches are on the road, all against quality MIVA teams. Winning two of those five would be a success (it would also probably guarantee their playoff spot). I want to say Lindenwood have so far met expectations (so I will), but further expectations might need to be a bit guarded. In addition to that killer season-ending road trip, they're also one of the only teams to travel to Conference Carolinas sites this season. Road matches are always tough, and we saw the fight Mount Olive and Erskine (neither of whom the Lions actually play) gave Lewis on the Flyers' home court. So it's hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
Loyola
What we expected: Prohibitive MIVA favourites.
What we've been getting: That and then some. I thought they'd tussle a little with Lewis for outright control of the MIVA, but they haven't needed to. Other than a non-conference match with USC, the Ramblers are undefeated on the season, #1 in both national polls. And you would never hear the team make an excuse like this, but that USC match was their third in three nights all against pretty good MPSF competition (UCI, BYU, then the Trojans). The Ramblers squeaked by the Anteaters and then embarrassed the Cougars, only to look a little tired against USC (I did see part of the match). I defy any actual West coast teams to win three straight on three nights against strong opponents. Since then, across nine matches, the Ramblers have dropped all of two sets, one to Sacred Heart and one to Lewis. I thought at the beginning of the season that Loyola would probably end up maxing out at #3, in terms of NCAA tournament seed, but if they keep winning it'll be hard for the committee not to give them a bye to the Final Four. Joseph Smalzer will surely be a first-team All American this year, putting up very strong hitting numbers and outright ridiculous serving numbers (he's at almost an ace per set, and has just one fewer ace on the season than Loyola's collective opposition). Nicholas Olson leads a well-rounded block and should be at least talked about come AA time as well. With plentiful offensive options, the Ramblers have a team hitting efficiency for the season of .371 as of this writing. That's hard to beat.
Going forward: The only date on the schedule left that should be even remotely challenging is 21 March against Penn State. That match could very well serve as a preview for the NCAA tournament (if, say, Loyola are the top seeds and Penn State win the 4/5 match). A lot was expected of Loyola this season, but they've somehow managed to exceed expectations by being the top dogs in the nation for a good few weeks running now. It's not unanimous, and no doubt there are some West coast supporters who feel them to be paper tigers. We'll find out come tournament time.
Ohio State
What we expected: SWAG'd for third place. Second place is sometimes derisively called 'first loser,' and that was more or less the feeling with the Buckeyes (though with a bit more tact, I'd hope) — with Loyola and Lewis both head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the MIVA, whoever came in third would be 'best of the rest.'
What we've been getting: Been saying this a lot, but 'pretty much that.' Ohio State are 5-6 as of this writing, but that doesn't really tell the tale. True, they got swept out of the Outrigger (didn't win even one set in their three matches), but Hawaii, UCLA, and Penn State are all really solid teams, Hawaii especially so on their home court. They're 2-2 in conference, but the two losses are to Loyola and Lewis, who realistically should be beating Ohio State. Their other loss is a mainland defeat to their Big Ten brothers from State College. So that's a preeeeetty difficult schedule so far.
Going forward: They don't have an abundance of cupcakes later in the season either (they have a few….most everyone does) so if ever a team were 'battle-tested,' these Buckeyes certainly will be. I'd say they're on track for a MIVA tournament hosting gig, even if they may have to fight to stay on the happy side of .500. Ohio State weren't expected to win the MIVA or anything like that this year, and even with their heads slightly below water as of this writing, it's fair to say they've met expectations. If nothing else, they haven't fallen short by much. If they can beat IPFW head-to-head (first match between the two is on 5 March), they should finish third in the MIVA.
Quincy
What we expected: I….it's Quincy. They're not exactly a championship program.
What we've been getting: Very normal service from the Hawks. They're 5-7 as of this writing, with three of those wins coming against Carolinas teams, one against MVB debutants McKendree, and one against Division III Carthage. They've also dropped three matches to Carolinas opponents. As for conference, well, you get the picture. Quincy are right where you expect them to be.
Going forward: Their remaining schedule is a lot like their past. Carolinas, D-III, NAIA, and some teams I don't even recognise, along with the MIVA matches where they'll probably get clobbered. It is what it is, and by now the school's/program's supporters surely recognise that. The Hawks have all but exactly met expectations for 2014, in that they're beating up on the little guys while not really doing much in conference.
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