Waves Back in First-Place Tie with Eight to Play
March 23, 2009
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PEPPERDINE (12-2 MPSF, 14-2 overall) escaped No. 4 USC, 3-2, last Thursday in an important MPSF road win. The Waves hit .338 on the night, while Paul Carroll slammed 31 kills (6.20 K/S) and picked up a career-high 18 digs to lead the team back into a first-place tie. Matt McKee added 19 kills (.429) and 10 digs, and Rodnei Santos had nine kills and eight blocks. Pepperdine hosts UC San Diego Thursday (Mar. 26) and Long Beach State Saturday (Mar. 28).
BYU (9-5 MPSF, 13-8 overall) won its second and third-straight matches over a higher-ranked opponent, 3-2 twice over No. 5 Long Beach State. The Cougars were down 2-1 in sets Friday, as Kent Tuttle recorded 18 kills and Futi Tavana picked up his first career double-double on 11 kills and 11 blocks. Saturday, BYU hit .424, led by Tuttle's 23 kills (.385) and Tavana's 14 for 22 errorless attack (.636). He also had 13 blocks. UCLA visits Provo for two this weekend.
LONG BEACH STATE (7-8 MPSF, 10-10 overall) dropped a pair of five-set matches at No. 8 BYU. Dean Bittner was the story. In one of the most impressive efforts in the rally-scoring era, he totaled 69 kills on the week (6.9 K/S), including 42 on the second night (8.4 K/S) while hitting .478. The 49ers are at USC Thursday and Pepperdine Saturday.
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (12-3 MPSF, 19-3 overall) won three non-conference home matches last week, taking out New Jersey Tech, Lees-McRae, and Hope International all in three sets. Shane Nelson had 15 kills (.333) vs. NJIT, while Eric Vance recorded 14 kills (.500) vs. LMC. The Matadors find themselves within a half-match of first-place with seven to play, beginning at Stanford and Pacific this weekend.
HAWAII (3-11 MPSF, 6-13 overall) defeated New Jersey Tech twice over the weekend in Honolulu, 3-0. Josh Walker led the way on the first night with 11 kills (.333) while Brennon Dyer added 10 (.444). Each player also had 10 kills on night two. Two and a half out of the final playoff spot, the Warriors travel to UC Irvine for a pair this week.
USC (9-5 MPSF, 13-6 overall) was edged at home in five sets by No. 3 Pepperdine. Murphy Troy recorded 29 kills (.357) and nine digs, while Austin Zahn had 17 kills (.667). The Trojans sit in fourth-place with eight conference matches remaining, as Long Beach State and UC San Diego visit this week (Mar. 26 & 28).
PACIFIC (0-13 MPSF, 3-19 overall) fell in four sets at home to Cal Baptist Friday. Sean Daley had 11 kills in 20 errorless swings (.550) along with five blocks. Joe Forbes also tallied 11 kills (.435). The Tigers now prepare for MPSF action for the first time in March, hosting UCSB and CS Northridge this weekend (Mar. 27-28).
STANFORD (7-6 MPSF, 14-8 overall) was defeated 3-0 by Cal Baptist at home Saturday. Spencer McLachlin recorded 10 kills. The Cardinal host CS Northridge and UC Santa Barbara this weekend as MPSF action resumes.
UC IRVINE (12-2 MPSF, 17-3 overall) was on break last week for final exams and returns to the court at home Thursday and Friday (Mar. 26-27) for two against Hawaii. With eight matches left, the Anteaters are in a first-place tie with Pepperdine entering the week.
UC SAN DIEGO (6-9 MPSF, 10-10 overall) was off last week for finals, and will hit the road for the final time in the regular season this week, visiting Pepperdine Thursday and USC Saturday. The Tritons are coming off their first-ever wins against Hawaii and currently hold the eighth and last MPSF playoff ticket.
UCLA (5-9 MPSF, 9-12 overall) was off last week for finals and visits BYU this week for two, Thursday and Friday (Mar. 26-27). The Bruins are within a half-match of entering the playoff picture as eight matches are still forthcoming.
UC SANTA BARBARA (3-12 MPSF, 6-13 overall) was off this past week for final exams and returns to the court Tuesday (Mar. 24) at home vs. Cal Baptist. The Gauchos will then head north for MPSF action against Pacific Friday (Mar. 27) and Stanford Saturday (Mar. 28).
TAVANA AND McKEE MPSF MOLTEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Woodland, Calif. - BYU freshman middle blocker Futi Tavana (Kalaheo, HI/Kauai HS) picked up his first two career double-doubles this past weekend, as the Cougars upset No. 5 Long Beach State twice in five sets. Friday, he posted 11 kills and 11 blocks, before tallying a 14-kill/13-block outing on Saturday. Tavana totaled 25 kills on 42 swings, with just one error (.571), along with 24 blocks (2.40 B/S) on the weekend. The 13 blocks on the second night was one shy of the 2009 MPSF single-match high.
Woodland, Calif. - Pepperdine senior outside hitter Matt McKee (Aurora, IL/Aurora West HS) contributed 19 kills, 10 digs, and four blocks, while hitting .429 as the No. 3 Waves won a crucial MPSF road contest at No. 4 USC last Thursday. His .429 clip was his second-highest of the year, as was his 19 kills. This was McKee's most effective match since the second week of the season.