Men's Volleyball 4/11/2022 10:00:00 AM

Men's Volleyball Notes -- Week 11

The OUAZ men's volleyball team will make its first-ever trip to the NAIA National Championship this week as they are one of 12 teams at the event in Des Moines, Iowa. OUAZ is the No. 2 seed overall and the top team in Pool A.

The National Championship begins with pool play, where the Spirit will face Saint Xavier on Tuesday and Park on Thursday. Both matches at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex will start at 11 a.m. (AZ). The pool winner advances to the semifinals on Friday at 2 p.m. (AZ), with the championship match on Saturday at 3 p.m. (AZ).

OUAZ earned its trip to the event by winning the GSAC Tournament title. The Spirit is 24-3 overall, and they tied for the GSAC regular season crown with a 9-1 record in conference play. They have gone 8-0 when playing at a neutral site this season and won 10 straight in that setting dating back to last season.

The Spirit take their GSAC-leading 1,196 kills to Iowa, where they rank 12th in the country by averaging 12.46 kills per set. The team is No. 4 in the NAIA with a .318 attack percentage, having hit .300 or better 17 times while being above .400 seven times. They are 23-1 when hitting at least .200 in a match.

OUAZ has dominated the net defensively all season and enters the Championship as the NAIA leader with an average of 2.74 blocks per set. The Spirit ranks second in the country with 385 block assists and third with 264 total blocks. They have totaled 10-plus blocks in a match 14 times during the season. The current blocks per set average would rank third in NAIA history, while the 264 blocks are a new OUAZ record.

The first set has been a critical factor in determining the result of OUAZ matches this season, as the Spirit is 20-1 when winning the first set. They have also posted an 18-0 mark when taking a 2-0 lead over its opponent. In the program's history, the Spirit is 56-0 when taking a 2-0 lead. OUAZ has won six of the eight matches this season that was tied at one set apiece, and they are 9-0 when holding a 2-1 lead.

OUAZ head coach Kyle Steele was named the GSAC Coach of the Year. In his fifth season leading the Spirit, Steele guided the team to its best regular record in program history, a second straight GSAC regular season title, and its first GSAC Tournament win. 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.

Moses ranks in the NAIA top 100 in nine statistical categories. He is 45th in the country in kills per set (3.14), 42nd in attack percentage (.267), and 30th in points per set (4.0). Moses has been in double figures in kills 17 times this season and 29 times in his OUAZ career. He adds 1.59 digs, 0.36 aces, and 0.93 blocks per set while recording four double-doubles.

Donisthorpe anchors the Spirit blocking totals by leading the NAIA in getting 1.40 blocks per set, with his 116 total blocks setting a new single-season program record and pranking fourth in the NAIA. Donisthorpe has recorded at least five blocks in a match 12 times during the season. He is also an offensive threat with an average of 2.13 kills per set while maintaining a .455 attack percentage. He has six matches with 10-plus kills.

Outin is second in the GSAC and 15th in the country with his .307 attack percentage. He averages 2.81 kills per set, which is good for 61st in the nation, and Outin averages 1.54 digs per set.

Tatum Gray averages 2.17 digs per set to rank fifth in the conference and 45th nationally. He is fifth in the GSAC with 182 total digs while posting double-digits eight times.

Nicho Calles is 22nd in the NAIA by averaging 9.15 assists per set. Tyler Gardenhire averages 8.04 assists per set to rank 40th in the nation.

Saint Xavier is one of the four teams in the championship field that has qualified for all three NAIA National Championships. The Cougars are 26-9, and they qualified for the tournament by winning the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. The pool play match will be the first all-time meeting between OUAZ and Saint Xavier.

OUAZ's second pool play opponent, Park, is also playing in its third NAIA postseason after receiving an at-large invitation. The Pirates are 20-6 after falling in the semifinal of the Heart Tournament. Park defeated the Spirit 3-1 earlier this season at the Pirate Invitational in the only other meeting between the two programs.

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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

#32 Tyler Gardenhire: S; 6' 6"; Graduate Student

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

#32 Tyler Gardenhire
: 6' 6"; Graduate Student
: S