Lone MPSF Unbeaten UCLA Visits Pepperdine, USC
Feb. 3, 2014
MPSF Volleyball Release 5
UCLA (6-0 MPSF/9-1 Overall) has the only zero in the MPSF loss column through the first month, as the Bruins will take nine straight wins to Pepperdine Wednesday (Feb. 5), followed by a Pac-12 Network Sunday night (Feb. 9) rivalry renewal at USC. Gonzalo Quiroga hit .329 for the week (36-12-73), including a total of 29 kills at .382 in the two matches against UC Irvine. He had a 15-kill, 12-dig double-double at UCI, and served four of his eight aces for the week in that match. Quiroga leads the MPSF with 0.54 aces per set entering this week, while Robart Page leads the team with 4.19 kills and 4.74 points per set.
PEPPERDINE (5-1 MPSF, 5-1 Overall) was involved in a hard fought, top-of-the-standings home battle with BYU last Friday, won by the Waves in five sets. Pepp was down 6-3 in the fifth, coming back to win 15-11. Josh Taylor recorded 21 kills and four blocks, while Parker Kalmbach put away 17 balls with a .406 clip. Nikola Antonijevic recorded eight blocks, and leads the conference entering the week with 1.60 per set.
LONG BEACH STATE (5-3 MPSF/6-3 Overall) had yet another stellar weekend from Taylor Crabb over two road victories against Stanford and Pacific. The senior recorded a 2014 MPSF single-match high 29 kills (.324) in Palo Alto last Friday, as the 49ers fought off a two-set deficit, the first team in the MPSF to do so this year. Crabb's 12 digs completed a double-double, while also pitching in a pair of aces and blocks. LBSU came back the next night to win at Pacific in three, as Crabb hit .400 (15-3-30) with seven digs.
UC SANTA BARBARA (4-2 MPSF, 5-2 Overall) won two at home over Hawaii, 3-0 and 3-2. Jake Staahl recorded a .440 series hitting clip (15-4-25). Evan Licht accumulated a team-high 29 kills over the nine sets, while Ryan Thompson totaled a series-high 14 blocks (1.56 B/S). The Gauchos are two back in the standings with 3/4 of the schedule to be played.
BYU (7-1 MPSF/7-3 Overall) split two on the road over the weekend, and remains in Southern California to face Cal Baptist Monday (Feb. 3). The Cougars erased a 2-1 set deficit at USC to win in five, following their first conference loss of the year at Pepperdine. Carson Heninger had a career-high five blocks each match, and had 17 kills (.367) vs. the Waves. BYU had a season-high 15 blocks at Pepperdine, and 28.5 for the weekend.
USC (4-3 MPSF/5-3 Overall) setter Micah Christenson had a 42-assist, 12-dig double-double, along with three aces, in a 3-1 home win over Cal Baptist last Wednesday. Lucas Yoder had 15 kills (.333) that night, and followed up with 23 (.298) vs. BYU, and was named Off The Block/Springbak, Inc. National Freshman of the Week. Andy Benesh carries an MPSF-High .517 hitting clip this year, while Henry Cassiday pops up a conference-best 3.19 digs per set.
STANFORD (2-4 MPSF/5-4 Overall) split a pair at home, defeating CS Northridge in three, as Steven Irvin had his second double-double for the week on 10 kills and 11 digs. Eric Mochalski posted a .688 hitting clip (11-0-16) and fired three aces. Irvin had 14 kills, 11 digs, and three aces vs. Long Beach State. The Cardinal hosts UC Irvine Saturday on Pac-12 Networks.
UC IRVINE (3-5 MPSF/6-6 Overall) outside hitter Jeremy Dejno had 15 kills with a .619 hitting clip (15-2-21) as the Anteaters took a 3-0 home win over UC San Diego. Scott Kevorken was six for an errorless nine (.667) with three straight aces early in set one.
CS NORTHRIDGE (3-3 MPSF/3-4 Overall) came back from 2-1 down at Pacific to win in five, as Andrew Freiha hit .400 (11-3-20). The Matadors hit .450 (11-2-20) as a team in set five. Travis Magorien fired off four of the Matadors' 10 aces.
CAL BAPTIST (2-6 MPSF/2-7 Overall) earned a sweep at home over Princeton last Tuesday. Jonathan Tuttle accumulated 22 kills, four aces, and seven blocks in seven sets last week, including a 14-kill, 10-dig double-double at USC.
PACIFIC (0-6 MPSF/1-8 Overall) put on a block party in the home match against CS Northridge. The Tigers recorded 24 team blocks, the most for any MPSF team since BYU had 24.5 on March 27, 2010. Tommy Carmody's 15 stuffs tied three former players for the MPSF rally-scoring single-match block record this past Friday (Futi Tavana, Tom Hulse, Nils Daubers).
HAWAII (3-3 MPSF/5-4 Overall) outside hitter Brook Sedore compiled a series-high 34 kills (3.78 K/S), while Taylor Averill had 12 blocks (1.33 B/S) and a .375 hitting clip, in the two matches at UCSB.
UC SAN DIEGO (0-8 MPSF/0-9 Overall) hitter Mike Brunsting went for a .400 clip vs. No. 1 UCLA (11-3-20) and had two aces and six digs.