First Point Challenge brings top NCAA men’s volleyball to Austin again

When talking about the third edition of the First Point Collegiate Challenge, Glen Lietzke often uses the phrase “fired up.”

Lietzke, head of Austin Junior Volleyball, spearheaded bringing the tournament to Austin, Texas, originally, in the hope of bringing back some players from the Lone Star State who had gone on to play collegiately. Now, he said, it is about bringing the best teams.

The First Point Collegiate Challenge accomplished that this season in a big way. The 2024 participants for the event, which will be Friday and Saturday at Austin Convention Center, are top-ranked UCLA of the MPSF, No. 4 Ohio State of the MIVA, No. 7 Penn State of the EIVA, No. 8 Stanford and No. 13 USC of the MPSF, and No. 14 Ball State of the MIVA. It’s one of the strongest fields ever for a pre-conference men’s NCAA tournament.

UCLA is the reigning national champion and returns almost its entire lineup. Penn State was a national semifinalist last season.

All six teams are ranked in the most recent AVCA poll, and all but Ball State are undefeated. The Cardinals are a “mere” 6-2 with both losses to No. 9 BYU.

“The only field that might be stronger is the final four,” Lietzke said. “We’re excited.”

The matches begin at 1:30 p.m. Central on Friday with USC (4-0) facing Ball State, followed at 4 p.m. by UCLA (4-0) against Ohio State (4-0) and then at 6:30 by Penn State (4-0) vs. Stanford (4-0).

On Saturday, Ohio State and USC open the action at 1:30, followed by Ball State vs. Ohio State at 4 and the event concludes at 6:30 with Penn State facing UCLA.

Penn State, incidentally, was one of only two teams to defeat the Bruins during its national championship season in 2023.

“I think it’s compelling in a place like Texas, which hasn’t necessarily been the top state in high school or youth boys volleyball,” said Wade Garard, CEO of First Point. “You see football families and basketball families, and they experience the athleticism live, and it’s just striking.”

Lietzke said he is expecting everything about the 2024 First Point tournament to be bigger and better than ever. FloSports will broadcast the event. The matches will be played on the same Terra-Flex floor that was used in Tampa for the 2023 women’s final four. Replay technology will be provided by echo.

In terms of crowds, Lietzke hopes for sellouts, which would mean upwards of 3,000 people. Many of the fans who come to the matches are participating in a large boys and girls club tournament also in the convention center.

Experiencing a high-level men’s match live is key to growing the popularity of the sport, Garard said.

“The athleticism you experience when you watch men’s volleyball live, it’s hard to convey on TV,” he said. “It hooks people, and you’re a fan forever when you see it played live at the highest levels.

“I’m always struck when someone is experiencing their first high-level college or pro men’s volleyball match. They just are blown away. You could see it in their faces.”

The expansion of the tournament, Lietzke said, is directly tied to the growth of boys and men’s volleyball nationwide. Teams continue to be added at all levels.

Lietzke doesn’t have to look far for evidence. He can point to his own club as well as the boys club tournament that runs concurrently with the First Point Collegiate Challenge.

“In two years, the boys tournament – partially due, I think, to First Point – has gone from 51 teams to 139 teams this year,” he said. “Boys volleyball is blowing up. We (Austin Juniors) went from, in two years, four or five teams to 12 teams.”

First Point Volleyball has raised more than $4 million to spur the growth of boys and men’s volleyball. The organization has been instrumental in adding teams at the collegiate level — Maryland Eastern Shore and Northern Kentucky will join the Division I ranks next season thanks to grants from First Point and its donors — and helping boys volleyball get sanctioned at the high school level in several states.

UCLA coach John Speraw, chairman of First Point, sees the growth of the Collegiate Challenge as evidence of the foundation’s work.

“It speaks to the growth and the opportunities for boys in America to play our sport and have an opportunity to use that sport to further their education,” he said. “It’s an amazing experience for all of us. … I couldn’t be more proud of where this sport is and the work that (First Point Volleyball) has done.”

Added Penn State coach Mark Pavlik: “I think we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg, especially on the men’s side, but the women’s side, too. I think we’re in a position where the Summer (Olympic) Games roll around, and if the U.S. teams can do what we all believe they can do, I think you’re going to see even more of a resurgence in a following of the game by people who are kind of average sports fans. I think there is a wave that’s poised to grow this game over the next 10 to 15 years, and I think it’s going to be interesting to watch and to see how things develop.

“With the men’s game, we’ve had that physicality level, but I think over the next five, six, seven years we’re going to see more and more teams get bigger and better guys on the court. And I don’t mean just the top 15 teams. I think there’s going to be enough guys playing the game that everybody’s going to have an opportunity to develop some of their own players’ physicality.”

Plenty of that will be on display in Austin. Besides the defending national champion Bruins — who feature Bedford, Texas, native and Austin Junior Volleyball product Merrick McHenry — crowds will have the chance to see arguably the best player in the country, Ohio State’s Jacob Pasteur, who has competed on the national team for Speraw, also the USA Olympic coach.

USC promises to be an interesting squad, featuring fab freshmen Wes Smith (MB), Jakobi Lange (OH), Jack Ebertin (OH), Brad Pan (libero), and transfer Josh Friedman (S). They were rated the No. 1 recruiting class by VolleyballMag, with Smith rated as the No. 1 overall player.

The 6-foot-10 Smith hasn’t disappointed, hitting .500 and averaging 1.14 blocks per set through the Trojans’ first four matches.

Penn State graduated its core of super-seniors but returns grad opposite Johnny Kerr, who was  AVCA national player of the week after a 31-kill performance in a win over Lewis two weeks ago.

Coincidentally, Kerr won the same award last year when filling in for injured Cal Fisher as he amassed a combined 35 kills over wins against Stanford at Pepperdine … at the First Point Collegiate Challenge.

And Stanford, among its talented veteran squad, features fifth-year setter Nathan Lietzke, Glen’s son. This is Stanford’s third trip to the tournament in as many years, but last year Lietzke fell ill during his homecoming and could not play.

His father noted that the First Point Collegiate Challenge is more than a showcase. These matches count, and the six teams will get a chance to see how they stand as they vie for the national championship over the coming months.

Garard expects that the First Point event will continue to grow in stature and popularity as the sport does.

“I think you’re seeing the growth at both hs and college and club, and it’s all over,” Garard said. “It’s not just certain states anymore. There’s a new energy that wasn’t always there before. … Now I think you go to any cul-de-sac or any airport, and it’s not weird to see a men’s volleyball team.”

Busy Friday on tap

There are six matches Thursday and plenty of other NCAA men’s action around the nation Friday with a 17-match slate that includes a handful of other ranked teams.

On Friday, second Long Beach State (3-0), which opened its East Coast trip with a sweep at Merrimack (0-1) on Wednesday, goes to NJIT where it plays No. 17 George Mason and the home team plays Lindenwood.

Fifth-ranked Grand Canyon goes to No, 18 UC San Diego, BYU plays at No. 15 UC Santa Barbara, No. 10 Pepperdine is home for McKendree, No. 11 Loyola Chicago plays host to Kentucky State, No. 12 Lewis entertains Merrimack, and No. 16 Princeton is at No. 18 CSUN.

Want to watch an NCAA men’s volleyball match? If it’s being shown, we’ve got the viewing link in the VolleyballMag TV & Streaming Listings.

In Long Beach’s victory at Merrimack in North Andover, Massachusetts, it hit .545. Nathan Harlan led with eight kills as eight Beach players had two or more kills. Also Wednesday, No. 6 UC Irvine (3-1) swept visiting McKendree (0-1) by hitting .412. Hilir Henno had 11 kills and Maxim Grigoriev. had 10.

First Point Challenge brings top NCAA men’s volleyball to Austin again Volleyballmag.com.