Stanford Leads by One-Half Game

3/8/2010 12:00:00 AM

March 8, 2010

STANFORD (10-4 MPSF, 12-4 overall) has a three week layoff from the MPSF, though took over the top of the standings by one-half match following 3-1 home wins over UC San Diego and Long Beach State. Stanford hit .412 against LBSU, with Brad Lawson recording 18 kills and Evan Romero adding 16. Lawson also delivered 18 kills (.552) vs. UCSD. The Cardinal has won nine of 10 following a 3-3 start, and is off until a Mar. 20 home match vs. Cal Baptist.

PEPPERDINE (9-4 MPSF, 10-5 overall) split at BYU, falling in four before a quick recovery and winning in three. Kasey Crider accumulated 47 assists in the win (15.67 A/S), while guiding a .362 team attack. Rodnei Santos was 8 for 12 with no errors (.667) along with eight blocks. Maurice Torres registered a match-high 14 kills (.300). The Waves return home Thursday (Mar. 11) for Ball State and UC Santa Barbara Saturday (Mar. 13).

HAWAII (7-5 MPSF, 11-6 overall) won two of three last week, with a pair of sweeps over BYU at home and at CS Northridge. Josh Walker combined for 39 kills in eight sets on the road, hitting .387 (39-10-75), adding three aces and six blocks in the win over No. 3 CSUN. The Warriors continue their road stretch at USC Monday and Tuesday.

BYU (8-6 MPSF, 10-7 overall) split at home with top-ranked Pepperdine, winning in four and losing in three. Friday, the Cougars snapped the Waves' eight-match win streak in front of 4,168 in Provo. Sophomore Rob Stowell recorded 22 kills and Russell Lavaja hit a career-high .714 on 11 kills, while the team hit .441 on the night. BYU heads to the Long Beach Tournament to face St. Francis (PA) and Penn State this weekend.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (10-6 MPSF, 13-6 overall) blocker Jacek Ratajczak turned in a monster weekend in a split with Hawaii. In the 3-2 win, he pounded 30 kills in 41 errorless swings (.732) from the middle. Jack added nine kills (.333) in the three-set loss, and served four aces over the two-match series. Kevin McKniff recorded 13 kills and nine blocks in the win. The Matadors are at UCSB Wednesday and at home vs. Loyola-Chicago Saturday.

USC (7-5 MPSF, 9-6 overall) received 24 kills from Murphy Troy and 12 kills apiece from Steven Shandrick and Hunter Current in a 3-1 home win over UC Santa Barbara last Friday. Shandrick took 18 errorless swings for a .667 clip along with five blocks, while Current hit .524 (12-1-21) and served three aces. The Trojans host Hawaii for two.

UC SANTA BARBARA (7-6 MPSF, 10-9 overall) split a pair of four-set conference matches, winning at home over UC Irvine and losing at USC. Jeff Menzel recorded 22 kills and 11 digs in the win. Scott Slaughter hit .521 for the week (28-3-48) with 14 kills each night. The Gauchos host Northridge Wednesday (and visit Pepperdine Saturday.

UC IRVINE (6-9 MPSF, 10-10 overall) split a pair of 3-1 outcomes with a home loss to UC Santa Barbara and a road upset win at No. 5. Jordan DuFault put away 25 kills (.439) against the Gauchos and 20 kills (.457) against the Bruins. Cole Reinholm had 19 kills (.405) off the bench and Austin D'Amore tallied nine blocks in Westwood. The Anteaters step outside of the conference this week, hosting Lewis Monday and Penn State Wednesday.

LONG BEACH STATE (7-5 MPSF, 9-7 overall) split a pair of 3-1 outcomes in Northern California, defeating Pacific and falling to MPSF-leading Stanford. Dean Bittner recorded 24 kills (.405) and Antwain Aguillard added 13 kills (.524) in the loss. Aguillard took 18 errorless swings in the win, hitting .722, while Bittner added 14 kills. The 49ers host the Loyola-Chicago, St. Francis (PA), and Penn State in three non-conference matches this week.

UC SAN DIEGO (3-11 MPSF, 6-13 overall) won in four sets at Pacific, following the four-set loss at Stanford. Four Tritons' were in double-figure kills in Stockton, led by 19 from Frank Fritsch at .400. Adrian Guthals and Jason Spangler both hit.550 with 13 kills, and Cyrus Kiani added 12 (.647). UCSD travels to Lewis for two this weekend.

UCLA (8-7 MPSF, 10-9 overall) won 3-0 over Lewis before a 3-1 loss to UC Irvine in a pair of home matches last week. Jack Polales combined for 39 kills (.307) for the week, with a team-high each night, along with a career-high 10 digs vs. UCI. The eight-match homestand continues with Ball State Wednesday and Loyola-Chicago Friday. PACIFIC (0-14 MPSF, 6-14 overall) lost 3-1 at home to Long Beach State and UC San Diego, and is off this week. Florian Gornik had 23 kills (.452) vs. the Tritons and 16 (.393) vs. the 49ers. Taylor Hughes tallied a 33-kill week.

WALKER AND RATAJCZAK: MPSF MOLTEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Hawaii junior outside hitter Josh Walker (Virginia Beach, VA/Tallwood HS) led his team to wins over No. 4 BYU and No. 3 CS Northridge. He had 15 kills (.417) and two aces in a 3-0 win over the Cougars, and 16 kills (.364) and three aces in a 3-0 win at CSUN. Walker added 23 kills (.405) and 13 digs in the 3-2 loss at CSUN. He averaged 4.91 kills at .394 hitting, 0.55 aces, and 2.45 digs per set, as the Warriors jumped to fourth in the standings.

CS Northridge senior middle blocker Jacek Ratajczak (Warsaw, Poland/Bryant HS) turned in one of the more dominating middle performances in MPSF history this past Friday against Hawaii. He was 30 for 41 without an error, good for a .732 clip. The 30 kills were the most in the conference for a middle man this year, while.732 was tops for the amount of swings. For the week, Jack hit .585 (39-1-65) and picked up four aces and seven blocks. Nominated: Steven Shandrick (USC); Rodnei Santos (PEP); Brad Lawson (STAN); Jordan DuFault (UCI)