Halfway through the collegiate men's volleyball season Bay to Bay alums have been contributing for their programs across the country! With all divisions (D1, D2, and D3) now competing, let's check in on our alums progress.
Sean Staskus (UC San Diego): The freshman outside hitter and the Tritons will make their way up to Northern California this Friday (March 9th) to take on Stanford in Burnham Pavilion. The Tritons are currently 0-2 in the Big West conference and look to build off a split in the midwest against McKendree and Lindenwood.
Wyatt Harrison (UCSD): Harrison ranks second on the team in points per set (2.46) and has brought a consistency to the San Diego passing line with a .977 reception percentage. Wyatt will return home to NorCal this Friday to take on the Cardinal in Burnham Pavilion.
Bay to Bay Giveaway: This Friday night we want to pack the house with Bay to Bay support for our two alumni competing with UCSD. One lucky Bay to Bay player in attendance will win a throwback Stanford jersey. Check Instagram this week for contest details!
Kyle Bugee (Lewis): Bugee and the #7 ranked Flyers have won 12 straight home matches leading back to last season. That includes huge wins over #3 ranked Ohio State in straight sets. Bugee is hitting a respectable .211 on the season and is third on the team in aces with 15. Next up, the Flyers will head to Hawaii to take part in the Outrigger Invitational against UH, BYU, and Penn State.
Joel Schneidmiller (UC Irvine): The Freshman outside hitter has continued his steady production for Coach Kniffin and the Anteaters. The 'Eaters had a big win over #2 ranked Hawaii on the road in Oahu. During the month of February Schneidmiller received his fourth Big West Freshman of the Week award.
Joel will make his first return trip to Northern California this weekend to face off against Stanford on Saturday March 10th at 7:00 pm in Burnham Pavilion. Admission is free, so come out and support!
Bay to Bay Giveaway: Saturday will also be a Bay to Bay giveaway night, one lucky Bay to Bay player will win a throwback Stanford jersey. Be sure to check out Instagram for contest details!
Andrew Zhu (NYU): Zhu and the Violets went 3-3 during the month of February. The senior captain is the only player to appear in all 47 sets for NYU this season, providing a steady presence on both the offensive and defensive side. Zhu is averaging 1.2 points per game, and just under 1 dig per set.
Alex Li (NYU): The freshman outside hitter is leading NYU in points per set with a impressive 3.8. Totaling 115 kills thus far, Li and NYU will look to strengthen their record with matches against Dominican and Bard College up next.
Kevin Orsley (Emmanuel College): Orsley and the Saints had 2 big wins in February versus Johnson & Wales and Eastern Nazarene. Orsley is second on the team in kill per set (1.53) and has provided defensive production with 83 digs thus far on the season.
Markus Melbardis (Loyola-Chicago): Melbardis and the Ramblers jumped one spot in the National rankings to #6. In a barn burner 5 set victory against Lincoln Memorial Markus put away 8 kills, hitting an efficient .375 to go along with two terminating blocks. Riding a 12 match win streak, Loyola-Chicago will head West this week to take on Concordia-Irvine and Pepperdine.
Aleks Melbardis (Stevenson): The Freshman setter and the Mustangs are 11-6 overall on the season. Aleks has contributed 5.8 assists per set and hit with a .172 average while running a 6-2 for legendary coach Aldis Berzins. Check out some highlights of Aleks (#5 in green) below!
Andrew Weisner (UC Merced): Weisner and the Bobcats stand at 7-9 thus far on the season with wins against top-10 teams Lourdes and Clarke University. Next up, UC Merced will take on UC Santa Cruz and Lakeland College in a double header.
Cameron Ponce (Johnson & Wales): Ponce and the Wildcats sit at 5-12 overall on the season. The Junior setter leads the team in assists and has provided a spark in the back row with a team leading 2.3 digs per set.
Ben VanDerLuit (Concordia-Irvine): The sophomore setter and the Concordia Eagles sit at 8-8 overall on the season with a national ranking of #13. Coming up next, the Eagles will take on four non-California opponents in Ball State, Loyola-Chicago, IPFW, and Harvard.
Bailey Mundy (NJIT): Mundy and the Highlanders sit at 1-4 in their EIVA conference. Thus far, Mundy has contributed 1.5 points per set as an outside hitter including 8 blocks and 8 service aces on the season. Next up, an all-important double header with EIVA foe Princeton.
Shea Filardo (Menlo College): Filardo has continued to impress in his freshman campaign, dishing out a team leading 7.7 assists per set. Next week, Shea and the Oaks will travel to Phoenix, Arizona to take on division 1 Grand Canyon. Check out this "Unrooted" video of Shea from the Menlo College website:
Nathan Wang (M.I.T.): Wang and the Engineers have continued their fast start to a 12-2 overall record. Their only losses have come against #2 Stevens Institute of Technology and Nazareth College. In an upset of #9 NYU, Nathan led all players with 13 kills hitting a blistering .375 in the sweep. For their efforts thus far, M.I.T. isits in 5th place in the UVC.
Nathan Smith (Penn State): Nathan and the Nittany Lions dropped back to #11 in the national rankings this week after tough losses to Princeton and George Mason. Smith and Penn State will look to get back on track with a trip to Hawaii to play BYU, Lewis, and UH in the Outrigger Invitational.
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