Stanford Leads with Six to Play

3/29/2010 12:00:00 AM

March 29, 2010

STANFORD (12-4 MPSF, 15-4 overall) took over sole possession of first-place with a pair of 3-0 wins at UC San Diego and Long Beach State. Kawika Shoji dished 50 assists while guiding a .420 team attack in the Pyramid. Brad Lawson (.484) and Evan Romero (.438) each tallied 18 kills. Both players had 12 kills in RIMAC, with Lawson at .625 and Romero at .526. Stanford enters April one match on top with six to play, beginning at Northridge and UCSB this weekend.

HAWAII (11-7 MPSF, 15-8 overall) freshman Jonas Umlauft slammed 21 kills (.429) in a stunning 3-0 win at then MPSF-leading Pepperdine on Saturday. Nejc Zemljak collected 42 assists and two aces, as the Warriors hit an even .400 in two of the three sets. Hawaii totaled 14 blocks, led by Matt Rawson's eight. Umlauft had 20 kills (.359) in Friday's 3-0 loss. Fifth-place UH has four remaining, hosting UC San Diego this week and visiting UCSB to end the regular season.

BYU (12-6 MPSF, 16-7 overall) held a huge block party Saturday to finish off two 3-1 home wins over UC Santa Barbara. Futi Tavana knocked down an all-time BYU record 15 blocks on night two, also a 2010 conference-high, while the Cougars totaled an all-time program record 24.5. Andrew Stewart added 11 kills and 10 stuffs. Robb Stowell hit .407 (15-4-27) Saturday and .385 Friday (22-7-39). One match out of first with four to go, BYU heads to Long Beach State.

UCLA (9-7 MPSF, 14-9 overall) took an important step towards the postseason with a 3-2 win at UC Irvine, snapping a five-match skid to the Anteaters. The Bruins fought off four separate set points in the third, winning 35-33, and a match point in the fifth, winning 17-15. Thomas Amberg turned in a career-night on 23 kills (.500). Garrett Muagututia and Jack Polales each had a double-double. UCLA continues its five-match road trip at Pepperdine and USC this week.

PEPPERDINE (11-5 MPSF, 13-6 overall) split two 3-0 outcomes at home with Hawaii, following a bye week. Cory Riecks combined for 31 kills (.385) in the six sets. JD Schleppenbach tallied 13 kills each night, hitting .526 in the win, while Tyler Jaynes registered eight blocks. One match behind Stanford with six to play, the Waves host UCLA Wednesday (Mar. 31) and UC Irvine Saturday (Apr. 3).

LONG BEACH STATE (8-8 MPSF, 12-11 overall) hit .433 as a team in a 3-0 home win over Pacific last Friday. Jim Baughman had 14 kills (.500) and a pair of aces. Dean Bittner recorded 15 kills in the loss to Stanford. Tied for seventh with USC, The 49ers host BYU Thursday and Friday (Apr. 1-2).

UC SAN DIEGO (4-12 MPSF, 8-15 overall) won 3-0 at home over Pacific, following the loss to conference-leading Stanford. The Tritons hit .398 in the win, led by Frank Fritsch's 15 kills (.500) along with a pair of aces. UCSD travels to Hawaii for two, Friday and Saturday.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (11-6 MPSF, 16-7 overall) split a pair of 3-0 decisions at Ball State. Kevin McKniff accumulated 13 kills (.632) and four aces in Friday's win, followed by a. 438 (7-0-16) and three-ace effort in Saturday's loss. The Matadors hold the No. 4 spot in the standings entering the week. Five MPSF matches remain, as Stanford and Pacific visit this weekend to begin the April schedule.

USC (8-8 MPSF, 11-9 overall) swept Grand Canyon at home last Thursday in the lone match of the week. Sean Dennis hit .579 (12-1-19) and Steven Shandrick hit .476 (11-1-21). Jon Hackett added 10 kills and Ian Wright tallied nine blocks. The Trojans are tied for seventh with six remaining, beginning at home with UC Irvine Thursday and UCLA Saturday.

UC SANTA BARBARA (7-10 MPSF, 10-13 overall) lost 3-1 twice at BYU. Jeff Menzel put away a match-high 23 kills on Saturday and Jake Rosener had 15 kills (.455) on Friday. The Gauchos, one and a half behind the eighth and final ticket to the postseason, host Pacific and Stanford this weekend. UCSB defeated both on the road in late January.

UC IRVINE (6-10 MPSF, 11-12 overall) was edged in five sets at home by UCLA, following a 17-day layoff. Carson Clark had a double-double on 17 kills and 11 digs and Austin D'Amore totaled a match-high eight blocks. The Anteaters enter the week two matches out of the final postseason bid with six to play, starting at USC and Pepperdine.

PACIFIC (0-16 MPSF, 8-16 overall) fell in three at Long Beach State and UC San Diego this past weekend, and stays on the road this week against UC Santa Barbara and CS Northridge. Florian Gornik had 10 kills each night and Taylor Hughes collected 14 kills and four blocks vs. the Tritons.

LAWSON AND UMLAUFT MPSF MOLTEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Stanford sophomore outside hitter Brad Lawson (Honolulu, HI/Iolani School) combined for 30 kills in six sets (5.00 K/S) while hitting .532, as the Cardinal took over sole possession of first-place with a pair of 3-0 wins at Long Beach State and UC San Diego. He added 12 digs (2.00 D/S), six assists, and four blocks (three solo) over the weekend. 18 kills in the Pyramid and 12 kills in RIMAC Arena were both match-highs.

Hawaii freshman opposite Jonas Umlauft (Stadtbergen, Germany) repeats this honor by combining for 41 kills in six sets (6.83 K/S) while hitting .395, as the Warriors split with then MPSF-leading Pepperdine on the road. He had a match-high in kills each night, including 21 at a .429 clip, in addition to one ace and two blocks in the 3-0 win. Umlauft averaged 7.33 points per set for the weekend.

Also Nominated: Thomas Amberg (UCLA); Robb Stowell (BYU)