Beach Stays Hot; Stanford Posts Big Week
March 10, 2014
MPSF Volleyball Release 10
LONG BEACH STATE (12-4 MPSF/13-4 Overall) made it six consecutive wins, and 10 of 11, with 3-1 and 3-0 victories at home last week over BYU and Cal Baptist. Taylor Crabb collected his sixth double-double on the year with 21 kills (.429) and 13 digs in the key win over the Cougars, one which narrowed the gap at the top of the standings. Crabb went on for a .408 clip (35-6-71) for the week, following a 14-kill outing against the Lancers. The second-place 49ers have pulled to within 1.5 matches of BYU with eight to play.
STANFORD (9-7 MPSF/12-7 Overall) setter James Shaw guided two impressive road victories last week to keep the Cardinal within top-eight of the standings with eight to play. The Cardinal won at Pepperdine in four sets and USC in three, as Shaw averaged 14 assists in setting the team to a .441 overall attack. Stanford's team clip of .527 at USC was its second-highest in the rally-scoring era, and a 2014 MPSF season-best. He was also eight for an errorless 11 swinging in that win. Stanford hosts Hawaii for two this weekend.
UC SANTA BARBARA (11-5 MPSF/12-5 Overall) Weston Nielsen accumulated 25 kills on a .579 hitting clip (25-3-38) through 3-0 home wins over UCLA and UC San Diego. The straight-set outcome over the Bruins marked the Gauchos' first such feat in the rally-scoring era. Tied for third with eight to play, UCSB hosts USC and Pepperdine this week.
UC IRVINE (10-7 MPSF/13-8 Overall) became the lone team this year to win twice at Hawaii, also extending their streak in the series to nine straight matches, with 3-1 and 3-2 wins. Jeremy Dejno recorded a season-high 21 kills with a .350 hitting clip, while tying his career-high 10 digs in the five-set match. Zack La Cavera served six aces in the second match. The Anteaters fought off two separate match points to pull it out 18-16 in the fifth. UCI visits Cal Baptist and BYU this week.
BYU (13-2 MPSF/13-4 Overall) managed a split on the road with a four-set win at CS Northridge last Saturday. Taylor Sander moved into second-place in the rally-scoring era at BYU with 1,521 career kills, following 37 last week. He recorded a 24-kill, 11-dig double-double in Long Beach, while hitting .345. The first-place Cougars host UC Irvine and UC San Diego this weekend on BYU TV.
CS NORTHRIDGE (6-10 MPSF/6-11 Overall) Sam Holt delivered 2014 MPSF-Highs of 32 kills and 34 points in just four sets against first-place BYU this past Saturday in the Matadome. Holt's kill total was the most for a Matador since Eric Vance in 2009. Holt hit .393 on the night and served two aces, and also had a 22-kill match in a 3-0 win at Cal Baptist. For the week, he averaged 7.17 kills per set with a .408 clip
PEPPERDINE (10-5 MPSF/10-5 Overall) recorded a straight-set home win over Pacific last Saturday. Matt Tarantino was 11 for an errorless 15 (.733), while Josh Taylor went for 12 kills, nine digs, and five aces. The Waves head to UCLA and UCSB this week.
USC (10-7 MPSF/11-7 Overall) won in straight sets at home over Pacific last Friday, as Lucas Yoder hit .548 (19-2-31) and Henry Cassiday collected 19 digs (6.33 D/S). The Trojans, tied for sixth with seven to play in the conference, visit UCSB and UCLA this week.
UCLA (11-5 MPSF/14-6 Overall) split two last week, defeating UC San Diego, 3-0, at home Saturday. The Bruins host Pepperdine Tuesday (Mar. 11) and USC Saturday (Mar. 15), both televised by Pac-12 Networks. Gonzalo Quiroga hit a collective .342 last week (21-8-38) at UCSB and vs. UCSD. He served four aces vs. the Tritons.
CAL BAPTIST (2-13 MPSF/4-14 Overall) Kristopher Johnson hit a cumulative .643 for the week (30-3-42) in three matches against St. Francis, Northridge, and Long Beach State. He hit .667 (10-1-15) with three blocks in the win over SFU. The Lancers host UC Irvine Wednesday and visit UC San Diego Thursday, before non-conference opponent Erskine visits Saturday.
HAWAII (9-7 MPSF/11-8 Overall) travels to Stanford for two this weekend, followed by Pacific for two early next week. The Warriors play six of their final eight on the road, currently tied in the eighth and final position for an MPSF Playoff spot.
UC SAN DIEGO (0-17 MPSF/1-18 Overall) hosts Cal Baptist Thursday (Mar. 13), before traveling to BYU Saturday (Mar. 15). The Tritons are coming off a pair of road matches at UCSB and UCLA last week.
PACIFIC (1-15 MPSF/2-17 Overall) hosts Hawaii in a Monday-Tuesday series next week (Mar. 17-18). The Tigers played at USC and Pepperdine last week.