CSUN Evens MPSF Mark With Two Upsets

2/11/2013 12:00:00 AM

Feb. 11, 2013

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (4-4 MPSF, 6-4 Overall) John Baker recorded back-to-back career nights last week, posting 22 kills (.543) against USC and 24 (.327) against Pepperdine, as the Matadors evened up their MPSF mark. Brandon Lebrock had 18 kills vs. the Trojans with a .571 clip, as CSUN hit .471 as a team which was the second best team hitting performance amongst all conference matches this year. Drew Staker delivered a 10-block night vs. Pepperdine, including the match-winner. Stanford and Pacific visit the Matadome this weekend.

UC IRVINE (7-3 MPSF, 10-3 Overall) extended its win streak to six matches, a 2013 MPSF-High, with road outcomes over Stanford (3-1) and Pacific (3-0) this past weekend. Kevin Tillie hit a collective .458 (32-5-59) on the trip, while Collin Mehring, Daniel Stork, and Scott Kevorken each totaled nine blocks over the seven sets (1.29 B/S). Mehring is the overall MPSF hitting leader, swinging at a .550 rate. Tied for second, the Anteaters host UCSB and visit UC San Diego this week.

BYU (7-1 MPSF, 8-2 Overall) closed out the longest homestand in the conference this year of 10 matches with wins over UCSB (3-2) and UCLA (3-0). Taylor Sander hit .431 for the week (31-6-58). First-place BYU is the top hitting (.344) and blocking (3.19 B/S) team in the MPSF as it hits the road for the first time this year, facing Pepperdine and USC this week. Russ Lavaja also owns a conference-high 1.46 blocks per set.

CAL BAPTIST (3-3 MPSF, 6-5 Overall) After four straight deuce sets last Friday against UCLA, the Lancers pulled out a 15-12 set five win to even up their MPSF mark one-quarter through their inaugural season in the conference. The contest marked the first time any CBU program had hosted UCLA, which drew a capacity crowd of 1,185, just 190 shy of the all-time Van Dyne Gym record. Levi Cabral had 21 kills, nine digs, and served a conference season-high tying five aces. Guilherme Koepp had 22 kills in that match, as well as a 21-kill (.455), 11-dig double-double at UCSB. CBU hits the road this week, visiting Pepperdine and USC.

LONG BEACH STATE (7-3 MPSF, 9-4 Overall) bounced back from the loss to Pepperdine with a 3-1 win over USC, as Taylor Crabb delivered a 20-kill (.341) evening. He hit .500 vs. the Waves (13-1-24). Pacific and Stanford visit the Walter Pyramid this weekend to wrap up the 49ers' first-half of the conference schedule.

PEPPERDINE (5-4 MPSF, 5-4 Overall) recorded a straight-set victory at Long Beach State last Wednesday, led by Maurice Torres' 16 kills and three aces. Josh Taylor hit a career-high .632 (13-1-19). Matt West dished 41 assists in guiding a .425 team offense. Torres added 21 kills in the loss at CSUN, while Paker Kalmbach collected his first career double-double on 13 kills and 10 blocks. The Waves served 10 team aces. Pepperdine is at home the rest of February, beginning with Cal Baptist and BYU.

UC SANTA BARBARA (3-6 MPSF, 5-8 Overall) edged Cal Baptist at home last Tuesday in five sets. Dylan Davis hit .571 in the middle (13-1-21) and had seven blocks. Miles Evans had 21 kills (.300) at BYU. The Gauchos continue their seven-match road swings at UC Irvine and UC San Diego this week.

PACIFIC (3-4 MPSF, 5-4 Overall) split at home last week with a win coming over UC San Diego in four sets. Javier Caceres, who leads the MPSF with 3.03 digs per set, picked up 15 more. The Tigers now head to Long Beach State and CS Northridge.

STANFORD (5-4 MPSF, 8-4 Overall) earned a three-set home win over UC San Diego this past Saturday, as Brian Cook and Steven Irvin were in double-digit kills. The Cardinal has won 11 straight matches in Maples Pavilion, and travels to CS Northridge and Long Beach State this week. Stanford has allowed a conference-best .224 opponent attack this year.

UCLA (4-5 MPSF, 8-7 Overall) dropped road matches at Cal Baptist and BYU, and returns home for two against Hawaii. Gonzalo Quiroga recorded 24 kills, while hitting .500 against the Lancers. He owns a conference-high 26 aces on the year.

USC (2-5 MPSF, 2-5 Overall) dropped a pair of four-set matches at CS Northridge and Long Beach State. Tanner Jansen recorded a match-high 24 kills at CSUN, hitting .475. Robert Feathers leads the conference-only stats with a .490 middle attack. The Trojans host four straight matches, beginning with Cal Baptist and BYU this week.

UC SAN DIEGO (2-8 MPSF, 4-10 Overall) dropped two in Northern California to Pacific and Stanford, and returns home for UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine this week. Carl Eberts averages 3.15 kills and 1.69 digs per set.

HAWAII (3-5 MPSF, 4-7 Overall) comes off a bye week as it heads to UCLA this weekend. The Warriors fought off two match points on Feb. 2 to earn a split at home with Stanford. Brook Sedore has served an MPSF-High 16 aces in conference matches.

JOHN BAKER MPSF MOLTEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK

CS Northridge senior opposite John Baker (Racine, WI/Washington Park HS) led the Matadors to upset wins over No. 8 USC in four sets and No. 5 Pepperdine in five. He had a then career-high 22 kills and just three errors for a match-high .543 vs. USC, also matching his career-high with three aces. Baker then established another career-high with 24 kills against the Waves, hitting .327, and adding two aces and four blocks. He averaged 5.11 kills per set for the week with a .414 clip. Also Nominated: Kevin Tillie (UCI); Brian Cook (STAN); Taylor Sander (BYU); Taylor Crabb (LBSU); Miles Evans (UCSB)...