MPSF Quarterfinal Hosts Set
April 11, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format
USC (18-2 MPSF, 19-2 Overall) split at Hawaii this past weekend, edged in five and winning in three. Riley McKibbin had 43 assists, seven digs, and two aces in the win. The Trojans have long since clinched the regular season conference title and MPSF Tournament top seed, hosting No. 8 UCLA in the quarterfinals, April 23. There are two home matches to be played prior to that date, Thursday (Apr. 14) against UCLA and Saturday (Apr. 16) against UC Santa Barbara.
BYU (16-6 MPSF, 20-7 Overall) solidified the No. 2 tournament seed with a pair of wins this past weekend at Pepperdine, in four and three sets. Taylor Sander combined for 33 kills in the series while attacking at .509 (33-6-53), along with three aces. Otavio Souza accumulated a .552 clip (18-2-29). The Cougars hit .357 as a team throughout the seven sets. BYU has completed its regular season, and like last year, awaits the No. 7 seed in Provo for the quarters.
STANFORD (14-7 MPSF, 18-8 Overall) wrapped up quarterfinal home court advantage with a 3-0 decision at UCLA. Brian Cook was errorless on 14 swings in Westwood, hitting .571 (8-0-14). Eric Mochalski was errorless the entire weekend, including the 3-1 loss at UCSB, combining for a .594 middle clip (19-0-32). The Cardinal visits Pacific to end the regular season Saturday, before taking on the No. 6 seed (Hawaii, UCSB, or Long Beach State) in Palo Alto.
UC IRVINE (13-8 MPSF, 17-11 Overall) became the fourth and final team to lock up a quarterfinal home court by virtue of Saturday's 3-0 win at Northridge, and owning a tiebreaker over Hawaii and UCSB should one occur. Cory Yoder hit .556 (11-1-18) at CSN, and remains the only non-middle man in the conference to be ranked amongst the top hitters (7th/.411). The Anteaters travel to UC San Diego Saturday, prior to hosting No. 5 seed Hawaii or UCSB next week.
HAWAII (13-9 MPSF, 15-12 Overall) upset No. 1 USC last Friday in Honolulu, coming back to win the final two sets. Jonas Umlauft recorded 26 kills at .388 hitting, and collected seven digs. Josh Walker added 19 kills and five blocks. Umlauft added 15 kills in the loss, thus averaging 5.13 per set for the weekend. The Warriors have completed their regular season, and would be the five seed if UCSB lost once this week, as UH does not hold that tiebreaker.
UC SANTA BARBARA (11-9 MPSF, 14-12 Overall) hit .491 with Vince Devany dishing 58 assists (14.50 A/S) in defeating Stanford last Friday in four sets. Jeff Menzel recorded 26 kills (.583), while Cullen Irons added 23 kills (.541). The Gaucho middles hit a collective .722 (14-1-18). UCSB travels to Pepperdine and USC to close the regular season this week, where a pair of wins would result in a No. 5 tournament seed. UCSB would otherwise be the six or seven.
LONG BEACH STATE (11-10 MPSF, 13-13 Overall) came back from a first set loss at home to UC San Diego to take it in four. Taylor Crabb posted a double-double on 13 kills (.360) and 12 digs. The 49ers host CS Northridge Saturday to end the regular schedule. Entering the week in the seven slot, a win against the Matadors coupled with one UCSB loss bumps Long Beach up to the six seed.
UCLA (9-11 MPSF, 16-12 Overall) was the final MPSF team to punch a ticket into the postseason. The Bruins won 3-0 over Pacific this past Friday, backed by the serve-receive game. Gonzalo Quiroga served six of the 12 team aces, while Robart Page added four. Quiroga also had 16 kills on a .682 attack. The Bruins are the No. 8 quarterfinal seed, though have two remaining in the regular season at USC and Pepperdine this week.
PEPPERDINE (5-15 MPSF, 9-15 Overall) dropped a pair at home to BYU, 3-1 and 3-0. Maurice Torres totaled 27 kills on the weekend (3.86 K/S). Matt Pollock was errorless over the seven sets on a .524 middle attack (11-0-21). The Waves end their season this week with two at home, UC Santa Barbara Thursday (Apr. 14) and UCLA Saturday (Apr. 16).
PACIFIC (5-16 MPSF, 11-18 Overall) pulled out a 3-2 upset at No. 6 UC Santa Barbara last Friday, winning deuce sets in each of the second, third, and fifth. Taylor Hughes slammed 26 kills while attacking at .396, and picked up 10 digs for the double-double. He hit .333 at UCLA (8-2-18), while Florian Gornik had a team-high 11. The Tigers host Stanford Saturday (Apr. 16) to complete their season.
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (5-16 MPSF, 7-21 Overall) won 3-0 at home over No. 11 UC San Diego last Thursday. The Matadors had just six hitting errors all night as a team (35-6-90), hitting .322. Matt Stork recorded 17 kills on a .382 attack, adding seven digs and two aces. He repeated that 17-kill effort (.324) against UC Irvine. CS Northridge plays its season finale at Long Beach State Saturday.
UC SAN DIEGO (5-16 MPSF, 9-19 Overall) fell 3-0 at CS Northridge and 3-1 at Long Beach State last week. Carl Eberts tallied a match-high 15 kills in Long Beach and Sebastian Brady had a seven-block night. Shane Veiga and Calvin Ross combined for an errorless .607 attack (17-0-28) in the Matadome. The Tritons wrap up the season at home Saturday against UC Irvine.
JEFF MENZEL MPSF MOLTEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UC Santa Barbara senior outside hitter Jeff Menzel (Santa Barbara, CA/San Marcos HS) dominated the floor in leading the Gauchos to an upset over No. 3 Stanford, piling up a match and season-high 26 kills on 36 attacks (.583). He also chipped in 6 digs and a service ace. Additionally, Menzel tallied 20 kills, a season-high five blocks, and an ace the night before against Pacific. Also Nominated: Steven Shandrick (USC); Jonas Umlauft (UH); Taylor Crabb (LBSU); Cory Yoder (UCI); Spencer McLachlin (STAN)