Hot Hitting Extends BYU Win Streak To Nine
March 25, 2013
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BYU (16-2 MPSF, 17-3 Overall) was a 3-0 winner at Northridge and Long Beach this past weekend, and have come out on top in nine straight matches, and 15 of its last 16 sets. Ryan Boyce accumulated 73 assists (12.17 A/S), leading a .311 team attack at CSN and .434 at LBSU. Ben Patch (.483) and Taylor Sander (.400) combined for 34 of the 44 team kills at CSN, while five Cougars' hit at least .364 at LBSU. Six to play, BYU has a magic number of 3 to clinch the No. 1 seed for the MPSF Tournament.
USC (5-13 MPSF, 5-13 Overall) came back from a set one loss to defeat No. 3 Pepperdine, 3-1, snapping a five-match losing streak and winning for the seventh time in the last nine meetings in the series. The Trojans served 12 aces, second most in the conference this year, led by Micah Christianson's five. Robert Feathers hit .632 in the middle (13-1-19). Three matches back in the MPSF Playoff race with six to play, USC visits Cal Baptist and BYU this week (Mar. 28 & 30).
HAWAII (8-12 MPSF, 9-14 Overall) came up with a pair of four-set home victories over Pacific this past weekend. Brook Sedore had a career-high 21 of his 37 series kills in the second match. Taylor Averill hit a combined .533 (19-3-30), including an errorless .786 in the first win (11-0-14). The Warriors stay home this weekend for two matches with UC Santa Barbara.
LONG BEACH STATE (13-6 MPSF, 17-7 Overall) split at home last week, picking up a five-set win over Cal Baptist. Taylor Crabb led with 20 kills (.318), while Dalton Ammerman recorded a 12-kill, 12-dig double-double. Taylor Gregory posted a career-high 11 blocks. A win at either Pacific or Stanford this weekend, or a Cal Baptist loss on Thursday, and the 49ers officially become the third MPSF team to secure a postseason bid.
CAL BAPTIST (8-10 MPSF, 12-12 Overall) Guilherme Koepp posted a 22-kill (.366), 10-dig double-double in a comeback road win at CS Northridge. Aaron McCalmont hit .633 (21-2-33) and was one of four Lancers with seven blocks. In a three-way tie for seventh with six matches remaining, Cal Baptist hosts USC and Pepperdine this week. PACIFIC (3-14 MPSF, 6-15 Overall) Christian Ahlin and Taylor Hughes had a series-high 10 blocks each over two matches at Hawaii. Hughes had a 13-kill, 12-dig night two double-double. The Tigers host Long Beach St and CS Northridge this week.
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (8-10 MPSF, 10-10 Overall) John Baker had match-highs of 23 kills (.477) and 10 digs in the Cal Baptist match. The Matadors are on the road for the remainder of the schedule, beginning at Stanford and Pacific. PEPPERDINE (11-7 MPSF, 12-7 Overall) Maurice Torres recorded a match-high 21 kills with a .351 hitting clip at USC. With six to play and tied for fourth, the Waves travel to BYU and Cal Baptist this week
UCLA (11-7 MPSF, 15-9 Overall) returns to action this weekend at UC San Diego and UC Irvine. The Bruins pulled off two comeback road victories on Mar. 13 & 15, both in five sets, once down 2-0 at Long Beach State and 2-1 at CS Northridge. The Bruins were errorless in the fifth set in each contest, hitting a collective .706 (24-0-34). Dane Worley had a career-high 26 kills (.404) in the Walter Pyramid and Gonzalo Quiroga hit .576 at CSUN (22-3-33). The Bruins are tied for fourth with six to go.
UC SANTA BARBARA (8-10 MPSF, 11-12 Overall) has won six of seven after wins over CS Northridge and Harvard (Mar. 13 & 15). Dylan Davis hit an errorless .867 (13-0-15) in the MPSF win, the highest individual clip the conference has seen in over a year (min. 12 kills), along with 10 blocks. Tied for seventh, UCSB hosts Concordia and travels to Hawaii this week.
UC IRVINE (14-5 MPSF, 17-5 Overall) hosts UCLA and UC San Diego this weekend (Mar. 30 & 31). The second-place Anteaters are at home the rest of the regular season with five conference matches to play. Jeremy Dejno had 12 kills, while Kevin Tillie added 10 along with nine digs in a 3-0 win in the last match at USC, Mar. 15.
UC SAN DIEGO (4-14 MPSF, 7-16 Overall) Carl Eberts had a match-high 17 kills (.375) and Cheyne Hayes recorded 11 blocks (2013 MPSF T-4th) as the Tritons won their first MPSF road match at USC (Mar. 16), also sweeping the season series for the first time. UCSD also had 20 team blocks, third most in the conference this year. UCSD hosts UCLA and visits UCI this week.
STANFORD (9-8 MPSF, 12-8 Overall) has been on a 19-day break from competition, returning to action this weekend at home against CS Northridge and Long Beach State. The Cardinal has seven to play, 1.5 back in the race to host quarterfinals.
RYAN BOYCE MPSF MOLTEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BYU senior setter Ryan Boyce (Huntington Beach, CA/HBHS) led the Cougars to straight-set wins at No. 9 CS Northridge and No. 4 Long Beach State. Boyce dished 38 assists on the first night, for a 12.67 average, while adding six digs, two blocks and an ace. BYU hit .311 (44-16-90) on the night. Against the 49ers, Boyce handed out 35 assists as every Cougar in the lineup hit at least .364, and a collective .434 (44-8-83) as a team. He added a team-high seven digs along with four blocks. Boyce averaged 12.17 assists, 2.17 digs, and 1.67 blocks per set for the week. Also Nominated: Brook Sedore (UH); Robert Feathers (USC)...