GCU, Hawai’i, UCLA win in men’s volleyball; expecting a new twist for PVF
There were only four NCAA Division I-II men’s matches Sunday but three of them went five sets The winners were top-ranked Grand Canyon, No. 3 Hawai’i — overcoming 36 kills by UC Irvine’s Hilir Henno — No. 4 UCLA and Lincoln Memorial.
And in a new league where everything happens for the first time, the Pro Volleyball Federation has its first player to leave because she’s pregnant.
There are four NCAA men’s matches Monday and two in the Pro Volleyball Federation.
Loyola Chicago of the MIVA, ranked No. 11, is home for No. 15 Princeton of the EIVA.
Saint Francis (PA) of the NEC is home for independent Tusculum, Edward Waters of the SIAC is at independent Thomas More, and independent Maryville entertains Clarke.
The Pro Volleyball Federation has the Vegas Thrill (3-7) at the Columbus Fury (4-3) and the Orlando Valkyries (4-6) at the San Diego Mojo (2-5).
The Atlanta Vibe and Omaha Supernovas are tied for first at 7-3 and Grand Rapids Rise slot in in fourth at 4-4.
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Sunday’s recaps
Hawai’i of the Big West improved to 17-1 with its 16th victory in a row, 23-25, 25-19, 25-22, 17-25, 15-13 over No. 5 UC Irvine (13-6). The star of the match was Henno, who had a career-high and national season-high 36 kills. He had just eight errors in 68 attacks to hit .412 and had an assist, three aces, two blocks and six digs. His teammates combined for 31 kills.
Nine Hawai’i players had kills, 17 by Sypros Chakas and 13 by Todd Alakai’. Chako had an assist, three blocks and eight digs. Todd had an assist, an ace, six digs and four blocks, one solo. Guilherme Voss had eight kills in 21 errorless attacks and five blocks, and Kurt Nusterer had six kills with one error in 10 tries, two aces, nine blocks and two digs. Keoni Thiim had 12 digs, two blocks, five aces and five assists to go with five kills. Tread Rosenthal had four kills in five errorless tries, 41 assists, seven blocks and four digs. His team hit .258 and had nine aces and 13 serving errors.
UCI, which lost to the Rainbow Warriors for the 15th time in a row, hit .299 and had four aces and 14 errors. Akhil Tangutur had 10 kills, three assists, an ace, three blocks and six digs. Brett Sheward had three kills, 30 assists, two blocks and 22 digs, a career high and second most in the nation this season …
UCLA (16-4) of the MPSF swept visiting Ohio State (15-5) of the MIVA 25-23, 25-16, 25-20. The Bruins, who hit .429 and had seven aces and 11 errors, got kills from eight players. Ethan Champlin had 10 and hit .444, Grant Sloane had eight kills and Sean McQuiggan had seven in eight errorless attacks. Cooper Robinson had six kills with one error in 12 swings. Ohio State hit .278 and had one ace and 18 errors. Jacob Pasteur led with 13 kills …
Grand Canyon (16-2) of the MPSF won’t likely be No. 1 in the new AVCA top 25, but the Lopes bounced back from their first two losses by getting out of Hawai’i with a 23-25, 18-25, 25-17, 25-14, 15-11 reverse-sweep victory over No. 14 Lewis (11-10) of the MIVA. Jarrett Anderson led a balanced attack with 14 kills, three aces, two blocks and three digs. Jackson Hickmah had 13 kills, two assistss, an ace, four blocks and six digs. Cameron Thorne had 13 kills in 17 errorless attacks, eight blocks and five digs, and Rico Wardlow had 10 kills with one error in 14 swings, three blocks and four digs. GCU hit .407 and had five aces and 10 errors. Lewis hit .287 with four aces and 16 errors. Max Roquet led with the Flyers with 20 kills, hitting .327, and had two assists, three digs and six blocks, two solo. Syver Drolsum had 15 kills, hit .464, and had two aces, two blocks and four digs. Daniel Haber had 13 kills and 10 digs …
Independent Lincoln Memorial (12-5) beat visiting Mount Olive (13-4) of Conference Carolinas in five. Johan Negron had 16 kills, Griffin Wheatley 13 and Axel van Baars 12. Ethan Morgan had eight blocks and six kills. Mount Olive’s Hayden Frear had 13 kills.
Omaha’s Mancuso-Prososki steps away
The Supernovas are expecting a bambino libero but lost a player.
Gina Mancuso-Prososki is pregnant. The Omaha news release:
Omaha Supernovas Franchise Player Gina Mancuso-Prososki has shared that she and her husband, Masen are expecting their first child in July. Mancuso-Prososki was placed on Short Term Injured Reserve on February 11 and will be moved to the Season-Ending Injured Reserve list.
“My entire time with the Omaha Supernovas Franchise has been nothing but exceptional and I am grateful for every moment thus far,” Mancuso-Prososki said. “The way this franchise, staff and team has treated me throughout this pregnancy journey is how I believe and wish every female athlete should be treated – like a gift, a blessing, something to celebrate! Thank you, family, friends and fans, for supporting me, reading my story and showing that you care. There is nowhere I’d rather be than with Supernovas nation!”
Supernovas Team President Diane Mendenhall shared, “We are thrilled for Gina and Masen, and their families. Although we, and the entire Supernova nation, would love to have her on the court, I know our owners, coaches, staff, and the Team are even more excited to welcome baby Mancuso-Prososki to our Supernovas Family. We feel blessed to be part of Gina and Masen’s journey and cherish the opportunity to welcome our fourth mother to the team. Gina remains a critical component of our team, franchise, culture and her presence and perspective continues to be vital as we chase a Pro Volleyball Federation Championship.”
Mancuso-Prososki is the first known pregnancy in the Pro Volleyball Federation.
The Omaha native has been with the Supernovas since July of 2023, serving as one of two franchise players for the organization. Mancuso-Prososki recorded one kill and two digs in three matches as part of her eighth season playing in professional volleyball. She was a two-time All-American for the Nebraska Volleyball team and was also named the 2008 Gatorade National Player of the Year after her playing career at Papillion La-Vista High School.
Click here for more on Mancuso-Prososki.
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