April Begins with Top-Five Battles

3/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

March 30, 2009

PEPPERDINE (14-2 MPSF, 16-2 overall) remained in a first-place tie with two home wins, 3-0 over UC San Diego last Thursday and 3-1 over Long Beach State Saturday. Paul Carroll had 22 kills (.349) against the 49ers, as Pepperdine hit .351 on the night. Rodnei Santos added 12 kills (.786). One-and-a-half ahead of CS Northridge atop the MPSF, the Waves visit the third-place Matadors Wednesday (Apr. 1), before heading to UCSB Saturday (Apr. 4).

UC IRVINE (14-2 MPSF, 19-3 overall) picked up a pair of 3-0 home wins over Hawaii to stay in a first-place tie with six remaining. Taylor Wilson delivered 15 kills and three aces on night one. Carson Clark pounded 20 kills while Austin D'Amore added a career-high 10 (.562) on night two. UCI held Hawaii to .125 hitting each match. The Anteaters take a seven-match win streak to BYU this week for two, Thursday and Friday.

STANFORD (9-6 MPSF, 16-8 overall) shocked No. 2 CS Northridge in four sets, before defeating UCSB also in four. In the upset, Evan Romero's 17 kills set the all-time school record with 1,155. Brad Lawson had 18 kills that night. Romero led four players in double-digit kills vs. UCSB with 19. Stanford has three conference matches this week, Tuesday (Mar. 31) at home vs. Pacific, and visits to Long Beach State Friday and UC San Diego Saturday.

UCLA (6-10 MPSF, 10-13 overall) took an important step towards the postseason with a 3-1 upset at No. 5 BYU last Friday. Four Bruins' were in double-digit kills, led by Jack Polales' 16. Kevin Ker earned a double-double with 56 assists (14 A/S) and 10 digs, along with six blocks. With six to play, UCLA holds the final MPSF playoff spot by one-half match.

USC (11-5 MPSF, 15-6 overall) won two at home, 3-1 over Long Beach State and 3-0 over UC San Diego. Steve Shandrick tallied eight kills and 11 blocks off the bench against the 49ers, before adding five blocks vs. the Tritons. Murphy Troy came close to a triple-double vs. LBSU with 20 kills, 12 digs, and eight blocks. The Trojans have clinched a postseason appearance, and visit UC Santa Barbara Wednesday and CS Northridge Friday.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (13-4 MPSF, 20-4 overall) split two in Northern California, upset by Stanford in four and defeating Pacific three. The Matadors hit .402 in the win, led by Eric Vance' 15 kills (.542). Kevin McKniff registered seven blocks. CSUN attempts to pull closer in the MPSF race Wednesday (Apr. 1) as first-place Pepperdine visits.

BYU (10-6 MPSF, 14-9 overall) split a pair at home with UCLA, losing in four on Friday and winning in four on Saturday. Kevin Sagers had 16 kills and Mat Taylor added 14 in the win. On the verge of clinching a postseason appearance, the Cougars host top-ranked UC Irvine Thursday and Friday.

UC SANTA BARBARA (4-13 MPSF, 8-14 overall) split two last weekend, winning 3-0 at Pacific and falling 3-1 at Stanford. Jake Rosener recorded 18 kills in the win. Cullen Irons had 17 kills and 14 digs in the loss. USC and Pepperdine visit this week, Wednesday and Saturday respectively.

LONG BEACH STATE (7-10 MPSF, 10-12 overall) dropped two on the road, 3-1 at Pepperdine and USC. Dean Bittner led the 49ers with 26 kills (.380) and nine blocks in Malibu, while Dan Alexander chipped in 10 kills (.500) and eight blocks. Long Beach plays its first conference home matches in a month when Stanford and Pacific visit this week.

UC SAN DIEGO (6-11 MPSF, 10-12 overall) dropped two on the road, 3-0 at USC and Pepperdine. Gerald Houseman was 10 for 17 without an error (.588) vs. the Trojans. One-half match out of the last conference playoff spot, the Tritons host Pacific and Stanford this week (Apr. 3 & 4).

HAWAII (3-13 MPSF, 6-15 overall) dropped two at top-ranked UC Irvine last week, 3-0. Sean Carney was in double-digits each night with 11 and 10 kills. The Warriors stay on the road this week, facing UCLA Thursday and Friday.

PACIFIC (0-15 MPSF, 3-21 overall) fell in three sets at home to UCSB and Pacific. Jeff Hendershot recorded a team-high 14 kills vs. the Gauchos. The Tigers play their next five MPSF matches on the road, beginning with three this week at Stanford, Long Beach State, and UC San Diego.

ROMERO AND KRIDER MPSF MOLTEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Woodland, Calif. - Stanford junior opposite Evan Romero (Miami Lakes, FL/Pace HS) broke the school's record for kills in the rally-scoring era (since 2001) with 17 (.302) in an upset win over No. 2 CS Northridge. He also recorded six blocks that night. Romero added 19 kills (.359) in the 3-1 win over UCSB.

Woodland, Calif. -Pepperdine sophomore setter Kasey Crider (Granite Bay, CA/Granite Bay HS) led his team to a pair of wins over No. 9 UCSD and No. 6 Long Beach State. He guided the Waves to a .475 attack vs. the Tritons and recorded 36 assists and four blocks. Against the 49ers, Crider dished out 55 assists in leading the team to a .351 hitting clip. His averages for the week were 13 assists, 1.14 blocks, setting a team hitting percentage of .402.

Also Nominated: Ryan Ammerman (UCI), Steven Shandrick (USC)