Men's Volleyball 3/31/2022 4:11:00 PM

Men's Volleyball Notes -- Week 10

This weekend, the No. 3 OUAZ men's volleyball team is headed to Costa Mesa, California, to play in the 2022 GSAC Tournament. OUAZ opens the tournament as the No. 2 seed, and the Spirit will face No. 5 and third-seeded Menlo in the semifinal on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The winner advances to the championship match on Saturday at 7 p.m. against the winner of Vanguard and The Master's.

Vanguard is the tournament host will all three matches being played in The Pit on the Vanguard University campus.

OUAZ finished the regular season with a 22-3 overall record and were champions of the GSAC with a 9-1 record in conference play. They have gone 6-0 on a neutral court and 7-3 in road matches entering the weekend.

The Spirit sit 13th in the NAIA by averaging 12.38 kills per set while placing fourth in the country with their .317 attack percentage. The team has hit .300 or better 15 times this season and been above .400 seven times. They are 21-1 when hitting at least .200 in a match.

OUAZ is second in the NAIA, with an average of 2.70 blocks per set. That average leads the GSAC, and they are also the conference leader in block assists (351) and total blocks (241) while ranking in the top five in the NAIA in each category. The Spirit has posted 10-plus blocks in a match 12 times. The 241 total blocks is a new program record for blocks in a season.

The first set has been a critical factor in determining the result of OUAZ matches this season, as the Spirit is 18-1 when winning the first set. They have also posted a 16-0 mark when taking a 2-0 lead over its opponent. In the program's history, the Spirit is 54-0 when taking a 2-0 lead.

OUAZ head coach Kyle Steele was named the GSAC Coach of the Year on Wednesday. In his fifth season leading the Spirit, Steele guided the team to its best regular record in program history and a second straight GSAC regular season title. The team set the program record with a 15-match winning streak and by reaching a No. 2 national ranking.

The GSAC also named Colin Donisthorpe, Jordan Moses, and Emery Outin to the 2022 GSAC Men's Volleyball All-Conference Team. This is the second straight selection for Moses and the first for Donisthorpe and Outin.
Jordan Moses ranks in the NAIA top 100 in nine statistical categories. He is 44th in the country in kills per set (3.16), 43rd in attack percentage (.266), and 29th in points per set (4.0). Moses has been in double figures in kills 15 times this season and 27 times in his OUAZ career. He adds 1.62 digs, 0.36 aces, and 0.92 blocks per set while recording four double-doubles.

Emery Outin is third in the GSAC and 18th in the country with his .306 attack percentage. He averages 2.78 kills per set, which is good for 62nd in the nation, and Outin averages 1.59 digs per set.

The two-headed monster of Colin Donisthorpe and Brenden Hardt spark the Spirit's blocking totals. Donisthorpe leads the NAIA by getting 1.34 blocks per set, with his 102 total blocks setting a new single-season program record. Hardt is second in the conference and 10th nationally at 1.11 blocks per set and is second in program history with 73 total blocks.

Tatum Gray averages 2.14 digs per set to rank fifth in the conference and 48th nationally. He is fifth in the GSAC with 171 total digs while posting double-digits seven times.

Nicho Calles is 22nd in the NAIA by averaging 9.15 assists per set.

OUAZ brings a 7-3 all-time record against Menlo in Friday's semifinal meeting. This season, the Spirit swept the two meetings, winning in five sets in Atherton on February 25 and sweeping the Oaks at Faith Arena on March 12. The only previous meeting on a neutral court was a 3-1 Spirit win in Santa Cruz, California, during the 2018 season.

The Spirit holds a 1-3 record in the all-time series with Vanguard after the teams split two meetings this season. OUAZ won 3-1 in Surprise on March 5, and they fell to the Lions 3-1 on March 18 in Costa Mesa. The Spirit is winless in two series matchups in The Pit, including a 3-1 loss in last season's GSAC Championship Match.

Should the Spirit face The Master's in Saturday's championship match, they will enter with a 7-0 lifetime record against the Mustangs. OUAZ won at The Master's 3-2 on February 19 and 3-1 in Faith Arena on Saturday to sweep the season series. The teams have never met on a neutral court.

The winner of the GSAC Tournament receives an automatic invite to the NAIA National Championship, which will be played from April 12-16. The 12-team event will occur at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex in West Des Moines, Iowa. The format features four pools of three teams, with each pool winner advancing to the semifinal on April 15. The national champion will be decided on April 16.

The National Championship Qualifier Reveal will air live on the NAIA Facebook page on Monday at 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#8 Nicho Calles: S; 6' 4"; Senior

#12 Colin Donisthorpe: MB; 6' 10"; Graduate Student

#2 Tatum Gray: L; 5' 10"; Junior

#15 Jordan Moses: OPP; 6' 4"; Senior

#4 Emery Outin: OH; 6' 5"; Sophomore

#19 Brenden Hardt: MB; 6' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#8 Nicho Calles
: 6' 4"; Senior
: S

#12 Colin Donisthorpe
: 6' 10"; Graduate Student
: MB

#2 Tatum Gray
: 5' 10"; Junior
: L

#15 Jordan Moses
: 6' 4"; Senior
: OPP

#4 Emery Outin
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: OH

#19 Brenden Hardt
: 6' 10"; Junior
: MB