MPSF Unbeaten Visits No. 2 UCI

1/23/2012 12:00:00 AM

Jan. 23, 2012

PEPPERDINE (4-0 MPSF, 5-1 Overall) extended its win streak to five with a pair of four-set home outcomes over Hawaii. Friday saw Josh Taylor record 18 kills (.419), while the Waves held a 14-3 blocking edge. Matt West set a .355 Wave attack Saturday, with 55 assists. Matt Pollock was errorless all weekend, hitting .724 (21-0-29). Pepperdine, one of three unbeaten in MPSF matches, takes its first 4-0 conference start since '09 to UC Irvine Wednesday (Jan. 25).

BYU (4-0 MPSF, 6-1 Overall) claimed two home wins over USC, 3-1 and 3-2. Taylor Sander combined for a .400 attack over nine sets (48-12-90), averaging 5.33 kills per set. Robb Stowell recorded 21 kills (.375) and 11 digs for a night two double-double. Joe Kauliakamoa dished 62 assists in leading a .348 team clip in the five-setter, including a .545 display in the fifth. The Cougars totaled 28 team blocks for the week (3.11 B/S). Winners of six straight, BYU is off this week.

UCLA (2-0 MPSF, 7-1 Overall) is on a 14-set and five-match win streak following a pair of 3-0 MPSF openers over Stanford and Pacific. Kyle Caldwell set the Bruins to hitting attacks of .376 against the Cardinal and .442 against the Tigers. Gonzalo Quiroga recorded clips of .538 (16-2-26) and an errorless .333 (7-0-21). UCLA also controlled the weekend block, 13.5-3.0 total. The homestand continues with Northridge and UCSB this week.

UC IRVINE (1-2 MPSF, 5-2 Overall) is in the win column in the MPSF after a straight-set home outcome over UC San Diego last Saturday. Carson Clark delivered 13 kills (.600) and three aces, leading all players in both categories. The Anteaters attacked at a rate of .469 (36-6-64) as a team, guided by Daniel Stork's 34 assists. UC Irvine hosts Pepperdine Wednesday (Jan. 25) and USC Friday (Jan. 27).

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (1-2 MPSF, 2-4 Overall) rallied from a 2-1 set deficit for its first MPSF win last Friday, edging Long Beach State at home. Through the comeback, LBSU was held to .019 hitting in the final two sets (12-11-54). Julius Hoefer posted match-highs of 21 kills (.286), seven blocks, and three aces. Matt Stork added 17 kills (.293). The Matadors visit UCLA Wednesday before stepping outside the conference to host Cal Baptist Friday.

STANFORD (2-1 MPSF, 4-1 Overall) bounced back from the UCLA loss with a 3-1 decision over UCSB, hitting .421 as a team. The Cardinal also took charge at the net, 11.5-2.0 on block. Brian Cook hit .682 in the win (17-2-22) and Steven Irvin hit .471 (10-2-17). Irvin served four aces in Westwood. The 10-match road swing continues vs. Penn State and Ohio State this weekend in Columbus, OH.

PACIFIC (1-2 MPSF, 3-3 Overall) split on the road this past weekend, winning in four over UC Santa Barbara and losing in three at UCLA. The Tigers controlled the hitting (.357-.141) and blocking (19-4) in the win. Florian Gornik posted a double-double on 13 kills (.522) and 13 digs, while Taylor Hughes added 13 kills and six blocks. Sean Daley led with 10 stuffs. Pacific travels to Columbus, OH, to face defending NCAA Champion Ohio State Friday and Penn State Saturday.

USC (2-2 MPSF, 3-2 Overall) Tony Ciarelli posted a match-high 26 kills (.364), in the second match at BYU, following an 18-kill (.351) first match. Steven Mochalski had 13 kills (.348) and Steven Shandrick added 10 (.500) in the 3-1 match. The Trojans head to UC Irvine and UC San Diego this weekend.

UC SAN DIEGO (1-2 MPSF, 2-4 Overall) Greg Smith hit an errorless .615 (8-0-13) and Vaun Lennon recorded a team high nine kills in the loss at UC Irvine Saturday. The Tritons' conference home openers are this weekend against Pepperdine and USC.

HAWAII (1-3 MPSF, 2-5 Overall) lost in four both nights at Pepperdine. Steven Hunt and JP Marks registered 15 kills apiece on night two, while Jarod Lofy had eight blocks. Hunt put away 20 kills (.333) on Friday. The Warriors return home this week to face Grand Canyon for two, Friday and Saturday.

UC SANTA BARBARA (0-2 MPSF, 2-4 Overall) dropped two at home, 3-1 to both Pacific and Stanford. Miles Evans had a pair of match-highs of 16 kills vs. the Tigers and 20 kills vs. the Cardinal (.438). Evan Licht had a .529 clip in the Stanford match (12-3-17), along with two aces. UCSB visits UCLA Friday.

LONG BEACH STATE (0-3 MPSF, 2-4 Overall) fell 3-2 at CS Northridge last Friday, as Brad Hemmerling recorded his second double-double this year on 11 kills and 11 digs. Jim Baughman and Taylor Crabb had 12 kills, with the former serving a match-high three aces. Jeff Ornee had six blocks. The 49ers host Cal Baptist Wednesday.

TAYLOR SANDER MPSF MOLTEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BYU sophomore outside hitter Taylor Sander (Norco, CA/Norco HS) repeats this honor from last week, leading two more MPSF wins over top-five competition, this time against fifth-ranked USC. Sander hit .400 in the two-match series (48-12-90), averaging 5.33 kills over nine sets. He totaled seven blocks, and series-highs of three aces and 54.5 points (6.06 P/S) over the weekend ...

Also Nominated: Gonzalo Quiroga (UCLA); Matt Pollock (PEP); Carson Clark (UCI)