CASR Columns contributor

A lot has changed in a day.

But, the blog is back to preview the best B Teams in the west.

Following the first post previewing college roundnet’s C Teams in the West, the blog has rebranded to the “CASR Columns” and added a mysterious 11th pollster to the voting – their identity has yet to be uncovered, but rest assured, we are doing the very least to get to the bottom of this.

As such, the way the results will be presented has been modified slightly – even while the methods themselves have not. The methods themselves are identified in yesterday's blog (column?) post.

The teams outlined have a slightly different range of possible outcomes than the C Teams we reviewed yesterday. While most of the C Teams are hoping to breakout onto the college roundnet scenes via sneaky upsets and fast progression, many of the B Teams represent a fork in the road between their A and C counterparts.

Many B teams will continue to progress to become A teams in their own right and are even expected to win more games than they don’t in their individual and squad matchups. However, should they stagnate in their ascension, they may remain perpetual B-Team players or fall off completely due to losing the drive that fuels C-Team players to grow their games.

In the next few sections, we’ll find many teams lie at this intersection with their choices having drastic impacts on their Squad’s ability to win.

The Results

Speaking of things which haven’t changed, Cal Poly SLO and Grand Canyon University remain atop the standings. However, today the Mustangs (Zach Dunkelberger/Cade Zorio) usurped the ‘Lopes (Harry Hohimer/Ryan McCargar) to take the top spot in the B Team Rankings.

As the rankings panned out today, the voting appears to have separated the teams into four tiers: The Bangers!, The Breadwinners, The Bumpy, and The Blurry.

The Bangers! (Cal Poly SLO, Grand Canyon)

The etymology of the word “bang” supposedly derives from a Scandinavian dialect akin to Old Norse in the 16th century meaning a “heavy, resounding blow.” But as those in the modern era of roundnet know, the word has taken on a whole new aura thanks to its onomotopoetic use in the midwest.

There, roundnetters exclaim “BANG!” after a strong serve or other outstanding play. Likewise, the two teams in this tier, Cal Poly SLO (8 S-tier votes) and Grand Canyon (5 S-tier votes) have massive serve potential and solid all-around games which all but seem to “force” mistakes from their opponents.

Three of the players in this tier were on the scene prior to the COVID-19 shutdowns to go along with Ryan McCargar, a newly crowned Premier player – one of two in this tier – and freshman at Grand Canyon.

Cal Poly SLO Zach Dunkelberger/Cade Zorio (8 S-tier votes, S+)

The other Premier player in this tier, Cade Zorio, remains part of the core that has kept SLO on the map nationally since his freshman year. In his final year at Cal Poly, Zorio and his projected partner Zach Dunkelberger will hope to reinvent the success Zorio saw as early as his freshman year.

Zorio’s accolades include finishing top-4 in both the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 Sectionals and even 1st at the Fall 2020 Sectional – over teammates Warren Foote and Jacob Payer, the projected A Team for the Mustangs at that tournament.

Zorio features a strong, consistent cut serve to pair with his clean offensive game as a setter and hitter and his good defensive positioning on defense. As he has shown, Zorio’s ceiling – arguably even his floor – could be on the podium at any college tournament he attends.

Nonetheless, there are some warning signs for the top-ranked Zorio and Dunkelberger. For one, both were mostly absent from the game in 2020 and haven’t made many appearances at Cal Poly pickups nor any at Spikeball Roundnet Association/California Roundnet Open tournaments in 2021.

While Dunkelberger has remained radio silent for the most part, Zorio has actively expressed his disdain with the lack of rallies in Roundnet. Clearly, both will need to return to the scene to justify the “clout” they’ve accrued.

There are signs that Zorio at least is doing just that, however. He and Benjamin Banuelos will be playing in the Premier division at the SRA California Tour Stop in Mission Viejo on September 18th.

Grand Canyon Harry Hohimer/Ryan McCargar (5 S-tier votes, S)

Like Zorio, Harry Hohimer and McCargar will both be playing the SRA California Tour Stop, albeit separately. Hohimer, a returner for Grand Canyon, and McCargar are playing in the Contender and Premier divisions, respectively.

For Hohimer, a strong server who makes few mistakes, there is a chance to qualify for the SRA’s highest division and give the ‘Lope four players and two full teams with the distinction – to go along with Trey Bowman and Dylan Bricker of GCU’s A Team. McCargar, on the other hand, earned Premier at the Utah Roundnet Association’s Lake Tahoe tournament on July 31, 2021, and will hope to continue making a name for himself on the California roundnet scene.

McCargar has a wide cut serve with good break potential, but needs to clean up other parts of his game to take the next step in his progression. If he does that – and all signs point to this being possible given how fast he’s gotten so good – he could challenge for a spot on Grand Canyon’s A Team.

The ‘Lopes are poised to breakout at least as far as the Squads podium this fall, and Hohimer and McCargar are a big reason why.

The Breadwinners (Washington, Nevada)

Both Washington (3 S-tier votes, 3 A-tier votes) and Nevada (4 A-tier votes, 3 B-tier votes) repeat in the second-highest tier of the Team Rankings and should prove to bring home lots of bread – where bread is wins in this analogy – for their Squads thanks to their overall sound gameplay.

Both teams have good chances to jump tiers throughout the season due to their lack of a reputation that players in the tier above them mostly have. Look for both schools’ teams to make a splash in the CRWS.

Washington Ryan Slaughter/Kevin Zhu (3 S-tier votes, 3 A-tier votes, A+)

Washington’s Ryan Slaughter and Kevin Zhu have been active on the roundnet scene, traveling to Costa Mesa for the URA’s June tournament and competing in the SRA Seattle Tour Stop where they finished 3rd in Contender to qualify for Premier.

With Washington’s A Team in Malachi Espinola and Evan Denny also both being Premier, the Huskies are the only team competing in the CRWS to have two all-Premier teams on their Squad.

If the distinctions they’ve earned are any indication, Slaughter and Zhu should be ranked higher. Look for the duo to go far in the CRWS and maybe even top the next rendition of the B-Team Rankings.

Nevada Zach Reuter/Connor Ritchie (4 A-tier votes, 3 B-tier votes A)

Nevada’s Reuter and Ritchie garnered 4 A-tier votes but also 3 B-tier votes to land in this tier. However, Nevada also has changed their teams since the poll was first released. Instead of Franz Castillo (Nevada A-team) and Manny Reyes as the Wolf Pack’s B Team, captain Jack Stinson said Reuter and Ritchie will compete as the Squad’s second team.

As such, Reuter’s and Ritchie’s ranking should be taken with a grain of salt, considering that Castillo and Reyes were an injured-knee away from a chance at Premier in Lake Tahoe. Reyes suffered a knee injury in the quarterfinal match and was forced to forfeit their semifinal matchup.

Nonetheless, Stinson says the Reuter/Ritchie replacement combo will be formidable themselves.

“(Ritchie’s) off the net hitting separates him from most other players,” Stinson said. “Over the summer he won two tournaments in the Advanced division but quickly made the switch to the new (No Hit Zone) in Tahoe.”

Ritchie, who played with Stinson, in Lake Tahoe lost in the round of 16 to Ethan Zehr and Karah Hui of Yip Yip before Zehr and Hui fell to Castillo and Reyes in the quarter finals.

Ritchie will hope to progress with another member of the Nevada squad who will also be adjusting to the NHZ in the CRWS, Reuter.

“(Reuter’s) doesn’t go to many tournaments, but his athleticism is unmatched,” Stinson said. “His speed brings a new dimension to the team’s defense and he has great serves from both sides.”

Until the duo prove they can handle the NHZ, expectations should be tempered for their A-tier grade amongst the B Teams. For now, they should be viewed as a team with upset potential rather than one on the cusp of excellence like many expected of Castillo and Reyes when the poll first rolled out.

The Bumpy (UCSB, UCLA, USC)

This tier contains many volatile veterans who have been on the college scene for a while. Most of the members from the B Teams of UCSB (3 S-tier votes, 2 B-tier votes), UCLA (5 B-tier votes), and USC (6 B-tier votes) are returning to the college scene.

Moreover, most are looking to avoid stagnation which may have been amplified by the lack of college roundnet in 2020 to push the group to their limits. Many are juniors in college and missed a vital year of development that comes in one’s time as an underclassmen.

UCSB Ryan Chung/Grant McCargar (3 S-tier votes, 2 B-tier votes, A-)

The Gauchos fared well in the rankings represented by juniors Ryan Chung and Grant McCargar.

After finishing first in UCSB’s intrasquad “The Fall Classic” tournament in October 2019, Chung and McCargar have progressed well, becoming core members of Santa Barbara’s Squad.

Chung features a fast cut serve and McCargar’s length allows him to get many defensive touches when combined with his smart defensive positioning.

To be honest, I got all of this information from @ucsbroundnet ‘s Instagram, but those lucky enough to be more well-endowed with knowledge about these two clearly believe they can perform admirably against other B-squads.

UCLA Sam Alsup, Oscar O’Brien (5 B-tier votes, B)

Another pair of juniors headline UCLA’s B Team in Sam Alsup and Oscar O’Brien. The roommates bring a nice blend of chemistry and backgrounds that typically lead to success in roundnet.

O’Brien, a left-handed pitcher in high school, fires off cut serves that range from incredibly fast to flat-out unreturnable. If he can clean up some of his tendencies to double fault and the other aspects of his game while tapping into the superpowers that can come with being a lanky lefty, O’Brien could easily break out onto the college scene in 2021.

Alsup on the other hand is from SLO, which speaks for itself as a predictor of success. He also has a deceptive drop serve that compliments his low, speedy serve well. His off-the-net setting and ability to read the defense while hitting exemplify that of a solid volleyball player, which he dabbles in on his free time.

Alsup and O’Brien need to compete more and make fewer mistakes to take the next step – like many of their other Bruin teammates both above and below them on the rungs of their Squad’s ladder – but perhaps have the highest ceiling of anyone at UCLA to succeed.

USC Andy Carter/Tucker Judkins (6 B-tier votes)

There may be no other team that epitomizes the up-and-down nature of the B Teams as a whole than Southern California led by Tucker Judkins and Andy Carter. Judkins, the Trojans team captain, has said that USC often finds up to 100 players to play recreationally at the beginning of the term, but is a figure that has dwindled to 6 consistent players once exams roll around in the past.

Judkins took most of 2020 off competitively after being close to qualifying for Premier at the SRA Salt Lake City Tour Stop in 2019 with Cade McClean. Accordingly, he has spent most of 2021 shaking off the rust that he had accrued in 2020.

But, he has risen to his 2020 form and shows signs of surpassing his former ceiling and into the Premier division. Judkins features some serves that can cut wide right and left when he’s on. The problem is that Judkins can go through dry spells where breaks are unlikely to come for his team when he’s at the serving line.

Luckily for him and Carter, Judkins has incredibly quick hands and puts himself in a good position to get defensive ups. He has a keen ability to read the offensive tendencies of his opponents which can create breaks even if his serves aren’t there.

The Blurry (Chico State, Oregon)

The final tier consists of the last two teams to qualify for the B Team rankings, in Oregon (4 total votes) and Chico State (4 total votes). Oregon earned 1 B-tier vote, 1 C-tier vote, 2 D-tier votes and 7 UNKNOWN votes, while Chico State, a late addition to the rankings garnered 1 A-tier vote, 1 B-tier vote, 2 D-tier votes and 2 UNKNOWN votes.

These teams aren’t expected to beat many other B-teams ranked above them as the polling indicates, but that doesn’t mean they can’t.

Chico State Jaden Hughes/Nick Ramos (1 A-tier vote, 1 B-tier vote, 2 D-tier votes, B-)

Chico State’s Jaden Hughes and Nick Ramos are new to the college roundnet scene, similar to the Chico State team as a whole which is hoping to make a resurgence in 2021.

Team captain Jake Howhannesian says the pair should compete against many B teams based on their participation in the Contender division in SRA Open tournaments.

“(Ramos) is playing high-Contender,” Howhannesian said. “He is starting to hit consistent cuts, but is new to college roundnet. Jaden is Contender and has a strong serve and sets. He’s new to college roundnet but is progressing fast.”

Despite being in the same tier as Oregon, they did have a lower rate of UNKNOWN votes. If the duo continue to compete in tournaments, they could make a name for themselves in the CRWS.

Oregon Ken Pflaum Aidan Potts (1 B-tier vote, 1 C-tier vote, 2 D-tier votes, C+)

Oregon’s Ken Pflaum and Aidan Potts are a new team for the Ducks who have long been successful as a team in the Pacific Northwest.

“(Potts) was previously on the A Team and won (PNW) Sectionals in 2018,” said team captain Zach Duffy. “But, he took some time off and is getting back into it again. Ken is a very powerful, and streaky player, where when he is on, he has premier level serves.

Clearly both members must remain dedicated to their team in order to return to or ascend to a respectable level on the college roundnet circuit. However, as Duffy has indicated, this isn’t out of reach for Pflaum and Potts who he says both have very high ceilings as players.

Unranked (Gonzaga, Northern Arizona, Pepperdine).

Each of Gonzaga, Northern Arizona, and Pepperdine received two votes, but didn’t qualify for the rankings based on the required threshold of three known votes.

Northern Arizona received 18 points, Gonzaga received 8 points, and Pepperdine received 4 points.

The A-Team Rankings will be posted tomorrow (9/4) followed by the Overall-Squad rankings (9/5).

You can contact Will with questions or comments on Instagram @will.foote.