A weekly podcast examining the big issues in college men’s volleyball.
Conference Championship Saturday
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown all six matches on Conference Championship Saturday.
What can we do at the NCAA Tournament
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The Off the Block crew discusses the big matches this weekend, bracketology implications and what type of auxiliary fan events Off the Block should try to organize at the NCAA Tournament.
Weird stats and even weirder bracketology scenarios
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown what the recent upsets mean for the bracketology and if Grand Canyon can beat UCLA this weekend.
Bracketology breakdown
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes and Jonathan Bates go in-depth on all the latest bracketology data and discuss all the teams that still have a chance to get an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
Outrigger Invitational preview extravaganza
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The Outrigger Invitational starts Thursday, and Off the Block has extensive prematch coverage featuring interviews with UCLA outside attacker Ethan Champlain, Purdue Fort Wayne coach Rock Perrotte, Penn State coach Mark Pavlik and legendary volleyball reporter Cindy Luis. The Off the Block crew also provides their insight into the non-conference tournament.
What’s your ballot?
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes and Jonathan Bates discuss how they voted this week in the National Media Poll and then get into a lengthy debate about Hawai’i’s schedule.
Who will be the last undefeated
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes and Brandon Johnson breakdown the remaining three undefeated teams and if they will run the team. They also preview the top matches this weekend and discuss some upcoming recruits to know in California.
Who’s a NCAA Tournament contender?
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes and Jonathan Bates discuss every nationally ranked team and whether they will reach the NCAA Tournament.
Sam from New Jersey calls in
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Princeton coach Sam Shweisky provides his insight into some of latest topics discussed on the And for Off the Block podcast.
UCLA setters, random stats, conference play starts
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson discuss the latest developments with UCLA, the big matches this weekend and how well they know the Charleston roster.
B1G showdown, volleyball meets 90s baseball
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The show starts with the question who has the most to prove this weekend and someone answer is George Santos. It only gets better from there.
Long Beach big win, schedule strategy and poll drama
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson discuss Long Beach State beating Penn State, issues with the national rankings and brilliance of how certain teams schedule.
Lack of upsets, conference RPI and volleyball in Texas
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The Off the Block crew breaks down the opening two weeks of the college men’s volleyball and previews the big matches this week.
Fixing men’s volleyball
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes and Jonathan Bates interview the NCAA men’s volleyball committee chair Tim O’Brien and provide the chair their ideas for how to fix college men’s volleyball.
Offseason Summer Recap
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown all the college men’s volleyball news from the first three months of the offseason.
Princeton vs. North Greenville postmatch reaction
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The Off the Block crew breaks down North Greenville beating Princeton in the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA Tournament field revealed reaction
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown the at-large bid selection and the NCAA Tournament field that was announced on Sunday.
Got to love this time of year
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes and Jonathan Bates breakdown all the match results from the weekend, the bracketology implications and preview the opening round of the ConfCarolinas Tournament.
What a weekend!!!!
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown the big college men’s volleyball match results from the weekend and the bracketology implications.
What’s your question?
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In this podcast episode, Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson answer questions submitted by fans.
Big West looking good, MPSF questions and Ball State party
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Off the Block breaks down the recent success of Big West teams, whether some MPSF teams should be concerned and why fans should not pump the brakes on a Ball State title run.
Ball State is back, Rank Lincoln Memorial and SIAC mascot
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson discus a wide array of topics including Ball State’s big wins, why Lincoln Memorial should be ranked, the top matches this weekend and best SIAC mascot.
Showdown in LA
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Off the Block breaks down the upcoming college men’s volleyball matches this weekend, including the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge.
2022 season preview
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The Off the Block crew breaks down and previews every conference with the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball season starting this week.
Women in volleyball media
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Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes interviews Anne Marie Anderson, Cindy Luis and B.J. Evans about their careers as female sports media members.
MIVA & ConfCarolinas postseason play
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes and Jonathan Bates breakdown the opening round of MIVA Tournament and ConfCarolinas Tournament. Plus, they discuss their favorite crowd noises.
2021 Big West preview
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In this episode, Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes is joined by Brandon Johnson and Jonathan Bates to preview the 2021 Big West season
Rankings when not playing, BYU is good and injury news
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Vinnie Lopes, Brandon Johnson and Jonathan Bates breakdown the upcoming matches this week and whether Lewis should be ranked ahead of Hawai’i.
2021 season preview
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Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes is joined by Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson to discuss the Preseason All-American, preseason favorites most likely to not win a conference championship and the top matches to watch this weekend.
U.S. Congressman-Elect Kai Kahele
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Off the Block interviews former Hawai’i men’s volleyball player Kai Kahele about his time with the Rainbow Warriors and winning an election to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
What to be thankful for
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Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson discuss the UCLA setter situation, the latest 2021 schedules and what to be thankful for in college men’s volleyball.
Daemen coach Don Gleason
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Off the Block interviews coach Don Gleason about growing the Daemen program that enters its third season and the team’s fall training during a pandemic.
Charleston coach Mike Iandolo
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Off the Block interviews Charleston coach Mike Iandolo about the start of the team’s fall training, having international players on the roster during a global pandemic and what the Golden Eagles need to do to move up in the EIVA standings.
Penn State training and the coronavirus
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Off the Block interviews Penn State coach Mark Pavlik about the effects the coronavirus had on his team, the start of the fall training and what the 2021 EIVA season could look like.
Belmont Abbey coach Nolan Albrecht
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Off the Block interviews Belmont Abbey coach Nolan Albrecht the team playing a broadcasted intrasquad preseason match and what to expect from the Crusaders in 2021.
Lewis coach Dan Friend
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Off the Block interviews Lewis coach Dan Friend about starting preseason training in a pandemic, seniors opting to return for another season in 2021 and start the financial process of getting the Flyers endowed.
George Mason coach Jay Hosack
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Off the Block interviews George Mason coach Jay Hosack about the chaotic 2020 offseason and starting to train for the upcoming season.
Racial incidents at Ball State (Part 2)
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Off the Block interviews former Ball State setter Jake Romano about racist incidents that occurred during his time at Ball State.
Racial incidents at Ball State (Part 1)
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Off the Block interviews former Ball State players Lem Turner and Julian Welsh-White about racism they experienced while on the team.
Ohio State coach Kevin Burch
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In this podcast episode, Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes interviews Ohio State men’s volleyball coach Kevin Burch about the Buckeyes’ offseason.
Fort Valley State coach Larry Wrather
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In this episode, Off the Block interviews Larry Wrather about the former Ball State player becoming the inaugural head coach for the Fort Valley State men’s volleyball team.
Where to play the NCAA Tournament
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Off the Block digs deep into selection process for the sites of the 2023-26 NCAA Tournament, including an interview with EIVA commissioner and NCAA consultant Russ Yurk.
Lees-McRae new head coach Caitlin Bullock
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Check out Off the Block’s interview with new Lees-McRae men’s volleyball head coach Caitlin Bullock
AVCA Hall of Fame candidates
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Off the Block debates which college men’s volleyball coaches should get consideration for the AVCA Hall of Fame.
Belmont Abbey senior Liam Maxwell
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Off the Block editor interviews Liam Maxwell, the ConfCarolinas Co-Offensive Player of the Year, about his college career.
College men’s volleyball national awards preview
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Off the Block discusses the finalists for all the college men’s volleyball national awards that will be presented on Wednesday night.
Independent Teams and MPSF mascots
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Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson debate the best mascots in the MPSF and among independent teams
Concordia-Irvine outside attacker Raymond Barsemian
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Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes interviews Concordia-Irvine outside attacker Raymond Barsemian about his college career that started with him playing at a junior college.
Conference awards and MIVA mascots. Oh my!
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson react and breakdown the college men’s volleyball conference award honors. They also discuss the best mascot in the MIVA.
Lincoln Memorial opposite Evan Cory
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Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes interview Lincoln Memorial opposite Evan Cory about his start to volleyball and his college career. Cory in his senior season repeated as the Independent Teams Player of the Year.
Top of the Class championship. Seniors coming back?
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown the championship round of the Top of the Class Tournament and discuss the NCAA’s decision to grant an additional year of eligibility because of the coronavirus.
Top of the Class regional semifinals
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Off the Block’s Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown the regional semifinal matches in the Top of the Class Tournament. Voting is now underway on the Off the Block website and your votes decide the winner.
Top of the Class opening round breakdown Part 2
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Off the Block launched the Top of the Class Tournament— a interactive event with fans deciding which senior had the best college career. Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown the opening round matches in the TJ DeFalco Region and Tom Bonynge Region.
Top of the Class Tournament opening round breakdown Part 1
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Off the Block launched the Top of the Class Tournament— a interactive event with fans deciding which senior had the best college career. Vinnie Lopes, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown the opening round matches in the Carlos Moreno Region and Yuval Katz Region.
Stats are cool, Long Beach big test and men’s volleyball 30-for-30s
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Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes interviews volleyball data guru Nate Ngo about analyzing stats and finding trends in volleyball. Plus, Brandon Johnson and Jonathan Bates preview the upcoming matches this weekend.
Nashville strong, BYU vs. Hawai’i, trading players
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In this week’s podcast episode, Off the Block editor interviews Hawai’i coach Charlie Wade. Plus, Brandon Johnson and Jonathan Bates breakdown the big matches this week along with proposing hypothetical trades in college men’s volleyball.
We know who’s not good, ConfCarolinas showdown and fear the Antelopes
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In this week’s episode, Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes is joined by Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson to breakdown the upcoming matches this weekend.
Coaching a new program, UCSD is good and snubbed award winners
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Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes interviews Tusculum coach Eddie Pennington about what it’s like running a first-year program. Plus, Jonathan Bates joins the podcast to breakdown the big matches this week and project what players are likely going to get snubbed from national awards this season.
Marrying a coach, Hawai’i on the road and Big West mascot
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In this week’s episode, Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes interviews Stephanie Hosack about being married to a NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball head coach. Stephanie is the wife of George Mason coach Jay Hosack. Plus, Brandon Johnson and Jonathan Bates join the podcast to breakdown the big matches this weekend and the best mascot in the Big West.
Nickie Sanlin, conference play is here and volleyball Oscars
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In this week’s episode, Nickie Sanlin discusses her coaching journey and how see was able turn McKendree into a program that’s on the cusp of being nationally ranked. Plus, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson breakdown the big upcoming matches this weekend.
Riley Salmon, BYU vs. UCSB and National Player of Year front-runners
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In this week’s episode, Riley Salmon discusses starting a college men’s volleyball program in North Dakota and overcoming addiction. Plus, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson help breakdown the top matches this weekend and who’s in the running for National Player of the Year.
Pav, UC Irvine’s big match and board games
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In this week’s episode of And Off the Block, Penn State coach Mark Pavlik joins the podcast to discuss his coaching journey. Plus, Brandon Johnson and Jonathan Bates breakdown the big college men’s volleyball matches to follow this week.
Lloy Ball, Hawai’i going on the road and EIVA mascots
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Off the Block editor Vinnie Lopes interviews Lloy Ball about what makes a great setter. Plus, Brandon Johnson and Jonathan Bates join the podcast to breakdown the upcoming matches this weekend
George Mason, BYU and ConfCarolinas mascots, Oh My!
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George Mason coach Jay Hosack joins the show to discuss the school hosting the NCAA Tournament. Plus, the Jonathan Bates, Brandon Johnson and Tiff Wells preview this weekends matches and debate the best ConfCarolinas mascots.
The Season Preview
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Stanford coach John Kosty joins the show to preview the season. Plus, Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson join Vinnie Lopes to preview each college men’s volleyball conference.