Third-Lagest Crowd Watches UCI Win Third NCAA Title
May 7, 2012
MPSF Men's Volleyball Weekly Release - 5/7/12
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP:
Only the 1998 scene in Honolulu (9,822) and the 1984 scene in Westwood (9,809) can say they had more in attendance for an NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship than USC's Galen Center had this past Saturday (May 5). Carson Clark delivered a match-high 22 kills while hitting .465 to lead No. 1 seed UC Irvine to a 25-22, 34-32, 26-24 sweep over No. 2 seed USC in the 2012 NCAA Championship before an electric 9,612. It was the third NCAA crown for UCI (26-5), all in the last six years, following titles in 2007 and 2009. It was also the 15th NCAA Title for the MPSF in men's volleyball in the last 20 years, in addition to the 68th overall NCAA Championship for the conference over its 11 sports. In a script played out multiple times this postseason, the Anteaters were lights out when their backs were against the wall. The 'Eaters overcame a seven-point deficit midway through the second set (14-7), and would fight off three set points against them (24-23, 27-26, 30-29). UCI also was in danger of going to a fourth when down in set three, 24-23. Following a Trojan attack error and a Clark kill, Dan McDonnell fired the second of his two aces out of a time out to commence the UCI celebration. Clark, who was named the Most Outstanding Player on the NCAA All-Tournament team, also had eight digs and three of the six team aces. Teammate Connor Hughes added 13 kills (hitting .357), Kevin Tillie had 11 kills and eight digs, and Chris Austin had a match-high 15 digs to go with his 48 assists. Hughes, Tillie and Austin joined Clark on the NCAA All-Tournament team. For USC, AVCA National Player of the Year and all-tournament selection Tony Ciarelli had 18 kills and eight digs, while Tanner Jansen had 10 kills (.500), along with seven digs. J.B. Green had 11 digs.
NCAA SEMIFINAL # 2:
National Player of the Year Tony Ciarelli had match highs of 18 kills and 10 digs to help No. 1 USC hold off a charging Lewis squad, 25-18, 25-12, 18-25, 27-25, in the second NCAA Semifinal match Thursday (May 3) before 4,375 fans in the Galen Center. The Flyers led 17-12 in set four, but the Trojans' ensuing 8-3 run tied it at 20 on their way to avoiding a fifth set. Steven Shandrick added 15 kills, while hitting .700, while Tanner Jansen and Steven Mochalski each had nine kills. USC hit .345 in the match to Lewis' .228. The Trojans had six aces and 10 blocks.
NCAA SEMIFINAL # 1:
All-American Kevin Tillie had 21 kills while hitting .500, along with eight digs to help No. 1 seed UC Irvine come back from an opening set loss to post an 18-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-19 win over EIVA Champion Penn State. The Anteaters also came back from 15-11 down in set four to tie it at 17, taking the lead for good at 21-18. UCI hit .351 overall in the match and had nine aces (three in the fourth set comeback). Penn State hit .246. Connor Hughes added 10 kills for UCI, while teammate Carson Clark had nine kills, five aces and seven digs. Libero Michael Brinkley had 15 digs.