Beach Wins 50th UCSB/Asics Invitational
Jan. 6, 2014
MPSF Men's Volleyball PDF Release # 1
LONG BEACH STATE (0-0 MPSF/1-0 Overall) defeated Harvard in four sets in the championship match of the 50th Annual UC Santa Barbara/Asics Invitational this past Saturday. The 49ers won all four of their Friday pool play matches to reach the final. Against Harvard in the official season opener, Taylor Crabb delivered 19 kills with a .429 clip, followed by tournament MVP Dalton Ammerman's 18-kill effort at .353. Connor Olbright dished 55 assists in leading a .381 team attack. Andrew Sato picked up a match-high 14 digs. Long Beach State hits the road to open MPSF action this week, visiting Cal Baptist and BYU.
USC (0-0 MPSF/1-0 Overall) posted a four-set win at No. 7 Loyola-Chicago last Saturday to begin the season. Lucas Yoder, in his first collegiate match, recorded a .609 hitting percentage (16-2-23). Micah Christenson dished 46 assists and picked up 10 digs, as the team hit .328. The Trojans host UC San Diego Friday (Jan. 10) in the MPSF opener.
UC SANTA BARBARA (0-0 MPSF, 1-0 Overall) All-UCSB/Asics Tournament selection Matt Hanley led with double-digit kills in the 3-0 third-place win over UC San Diego, posting 10 kills (.333) and nine digs. Setter Jonah Seif served a career-high four of the 10 team aces and recorded seven blocks. The Gauchos host UC Santa Cruz and Concordia (CA) this week.
STANFORD (0-0 MPSF/1-0 Overall) claimed the seventh-place match at UCSB with a 3-1 season-opening win over UCLA, hitting .433 for the match. Four players registered double-digit kills and hit over .350, led by Brian Cook's 16 (.367). Steven Irvin added 14 kills at .387, while Daniel Tublin hit .381 with 12 kills. Conrad Kaminski recorded a team-high .769 attack percentage, accumulating 11 kills and five blocks. Grant Delgado picked up an MPSF-High 18 digs. Lewis and Grand Canyon visit this week.
UC IRVINE (0-0 MPSF/3-1 Overall) has won three of four road matches to begin 2014. The back-to-back defending national champs knocked off Concordia (3-0), Lewis (3-1), and Ball State (3-0). Zack La Cavera recorded 19 kills at Concordia in the season opener, 14 at Lewis, 11 at Loyola, and 18 at Ball State, for 62 kills in 13 sets (4.77 K/S). The Anteaters visit Pepperdine Friday (Jan. 10) in the MPSF opener.
PACIFIC (0-0 MPSF/1-0 Overall) Thomas Hodges collected 18 kills on .421 hitting to lead the Tigers to a four-set season-opening win over CS Northridge in Santa Barbara. Hodges added 13 blocks, while Pacific totaled 22 as a team. The Tigers hit an errorless .600 in set four (12-0-20). The home openers are this week with Grand Canyon and Lewis visiting.
UC SAN DIEGO (0-0 MPSF/0-1 Overall) took fourth at UCSB, matching its best finish at the event from last year, as Joel Awerkamp was named to the all-tournament team.
CAL BAPTIST (0-0 MPSF/0-1 Overall) All-Tournament Kristopher Johnson was 10 for an errorless 16 (.625), while Johannes Brink hit .441 (19-4-34) with seven digs in the fifth-place game against Indiana-Purdue Ft. Wayne. The Lancers hit .490, guided by Brett Anderson setting 55 assists. Cal Bap visits Northridge and hosts Long Beach this week as MPSF begins.
UCLA (0-0 MPSF/0-1 Overall) Gonzalo Quiroga recorded 14 kills and Mitch Stahl tallied 12 in the season opener against Stanford. The Bruins travel to the Hawaii Outrigger Hotels Invitational this week, facing Penn State, Ohio State, and Hawaii.
CS NORTHRIDGE (0-0 MPSF/0-1 Overall) Brian O'Gorman had seven blocks in the season opener vs. Pacific. MPSF action begins Wednesday (Jan. 8) as Cal Baptist comes to town.
BYU (0-0 MPSF/0-2 Overall) Taylor Sander combined for 26 kills (.268) in the losses at Loyola-Chicago and Lewis. He served four aces against the Flyers. The Cougars host CS Northridge and Long Beach State to begin MPSF play this week.
PEPPERDINE (0-0 MPSF, 0-0 Overall) plays its 2014 openers at home this week, as UC Irvine and UC San Diego visit for conference matches.
HAWAII (0-0 MPSF/0-0 Overall) opens its season this week by hosting the Outrigger Hotels Invitational this weekend (Jan. 9-11). The Warriors take on Ohio State, Penn State, and UCLA in non-conference action.