Pepperdine-UCI Saturday; Two Playoff Spots Open
April 7, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
PEPPERDINE (16-2 MPSF, 18-2 overall) took a one-match lead for first-place in the MPSF with two road wins last week, 3-2 at CS Northridge and 3-0 at UC Santa Barbara. Paul Carroll combined for 53 kills in eight sets, while Matt McKee posted a double-double at CSUN with 16 kills and 11 digs. The Waves are at UCLA Wednesday and UC Irvine Saturday, where two wins this week would lock up a No. 1 seed in the MPSF Tournament.
UC IRVINE (15-3 MPSF, 20-4 overall) split a two-match series at BYU, taking the second match in four sets. UCI had 18.5 blocks in the win and held the Cougars to a .141 attack. Carson Clark recorded 21 kills and Jordan DuFault chipped in a double-double on 11 kills and 13 digs. One match behind Pepperdine with four to play, the Anteaters host both USC and the Waves this week.
STANFORD (12-6 MPSF, 19-8 overall) won three MPSF matches this past week, 3-0 at home over Pacific, 3-2 at Long Beach State Friday (20-18 set five), and 3-1 at UC San Diego Saturday. Evan Romero had 20 kills in Long Beach and Brad Lawson had 19. Romero added 21 in La Jolla with three aces. BYU visits Stanford for two this week. The Cardinal is tied for fourth in the MPSF, vying for the final home court in the quarterfinals with four to play.
UCLA (8-10 MPSF, 12-13 overall) defeated Hawaii 3-2 and 3-1 at home. Sean O'Malley combined for 27 kills (.355) and eight blocks over the two nights. Garrett Muagututia slammed 20 kills (.459) on night two. On and a half ahead of UCSD for the final playoff spot with four to play, the Bruins host Pepperdine and USC this week.
BYU (11-7 MPSF, 15-10 overall) upset top-ranked UC Irvine last Thursday, 3-1, holding the Anteaters to .185 hitting. Andrew Stewart recorded 15 kills. BYU tallied 15.5 blocks that night. The Cougars play their final four matches on the road, two at Stanford and Pepperdine, and are one match out of the top-four behind the Cardinal and USC.
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (14-5 MPSF, 21-5 overall) split two at home, edged by Pepperdine in five and winning in four over USC. Eric Vance pounded 26 kills (.431) in the win and 33 kills (.518) and 12 digs in the loss. The Matadors are on the road for their final three, at UC San Diego, Long Beach State, and UCSB. Two and a half out of first-place, CSUN sits in third and holds tiebreakers over UCI, Pepperdine, USC, and BYU.
USC (12-6 MPSF, 16-7 overall) split two on the road, coming back to top UCSB in five, before dropping a 3-1 decision at CS Northridge. Murphy Troy recorded 25 kills in the loss and 19 kills in the win. Tied for fourth, and holding the tiebreaker over Stanford for quarterfinal home court, the Trojans visit UC Irvine and UCLA this week.
LONG BEACH STATE (8-11 MPSF, 11-13 overall) was involved in a pair of five-set marathons at home, edged by Stanford and defeating Pacific. Dean Bittner recorded 20 kills (.318), two aces in the win and 36 kills (.375), four aces in the loss. With three matches remaining, the 49ers are one ahead of UCSD for the final postseason spot and currently hold tiebreakers over the Tritons as well as UCLA. CS Northridge and UCSB visit the Pyramid this week.
UC SAN DIEGO (7-12 MPSF, 11-13 overall) won 3-0 over Pacific before falling 3-1 to Stanford. The Tritons hit .434 vs. the Tigers, led by 11 kills from Jason Spangler (.471). UCSD is one match out of the final postseason spot in the MPSF with three on the horizon. CS Northridge and UCSB visit this week.
UC SANTA BARBARA (4-15 MPSF, 8-16 overall) lost 3-2 to USC and 3-0 to Pepperdine at home. Cullen Irons had 32 kills (.333) vs. USC and 18 (.520) vs. Pepperdine. The Gauchos head to Long Beach State and UC San Diego. HAWAII (3-15 MPSF, 6-17 overall) fell 3-2 and 3-1 at UCLA. Steven Hunt had a career-high 28 kills (.512) in the five-setter. The Warriors play their final four matches at home, with Pacific twice this week and USC twice next week.
PACIFIC (0-18 MPSF, 3-24 overall) lost matches to Stanford (3-0), UC San Diego (3-0), and Long Beach State (3-2). Jeff Hendershot had 22 kills and Sean Daley added 19 in Long Beach. The Tigers visit Hawaii twice this week.
VANCE AND SANTOS MPSF MOLTEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Woodland, Calif. - CS Northridge senior outside hitter Eric Vance (Camarillo, CA/Camarillo HS) turned in another monumental week as the Matadors pushed No. 2 Pepperdine to five sets before defeating No. 4 USC in four. Against the Waves, he had a season-high 33 kills (.518) and 12 digs, while accounting for about one-third of the team's total points (33.5 of 101). Vance added 26 kills (.431), three aces, and seven digs vs. USC. He averaged 6.56 kills and 7.00 points, with a .477 hitting attack last week.
Woodland, Calif. -Pepperdine junior middle blocker Rodnei Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil/BYU) played a large role in a key MPSF win at No. 3 CS Northridge last Wednesday. He delivered the winning ace in the second set and blocked three balls and picked up five digs later on. Santos added one block in the first set lifting the Waves to a 30-28 win. He totaled 16 kills with a .542 hitting percentage for the week, helping Pepperdine to sole possession of first-place.