Waves Extend Home Win Streak to 17
March 23, 2015 MPSF Volleyball Release 12
PEPPERDINE (12-4 MPSF/17-4 Overall) extended its home winning streak to 17 matches with three wins this past week, 3-1 over Harvard, followed by 3-2 and 3-1 over BYU in conference action. Matt Tarantino had an errorless series through all nine sets against the Cougars, hitting .640 (16-0-25). Josh Taylor recorded a series-high 44 kills with an efficient .402 attack. MPSF kill leader Parker Kalmbach accumulated 40 kills (4.44 K/S) at .326, along with 26 digs (2.89 D/S), posting a double-double each night. Scott Rhein tallied 15 kills (.429) and 16 digs in the four-setter. In the five-set comeback win, the Waves hit .667 through the fourth and fifth frames (27-1-39). Pepperdine hit a collective .405 through the weekend, guided by Matt West's 126 assists (14.00 A/S).
CSUN (5-10 MPSF/8-13 Overall) made it three-straight wins with home decisions over USC in four and Cal Baptist in five. The Matadors enter the week 1.5 matches out of the final postseason spot with seven to play. Jakub Ciesla tallied a line of 20 kills, 12 digs, five blocks, and three aces vs. the Trojans. Bradley Sakaida hit .478 (12-1-23) in that win. Ciesla proceeded for a 22-kill, 19-dig evening against the Lancers. CSUN remains home for Stanford and Pepperdine this weekend (Mar. 27-28).
USC (10-6 MPSF/12-7 Overall) Larry Tuileta had a double-double at CSUN on 17 kills (.469) and 10 digs, while also serving three aces, before posting a second double-double with 11 kills and digs in the five-set win at Long Beach State. Christopher Orenic had 19 kills (.359) in the win, and Micah Christenson set 45 assists and collected 12 digs.
LONG BEACH STATE (8-9 MPSF/12-10 Overall) Taylor Gregory had eight blocks against both Cal Baptist (Mar. 18) and USC (Mar. 20). John La Rusch tallied 17 kills (.324) and nine digs in the USC match and 10 in the win over CBU. Entering the week in the seven slot with five to play, the 49ers host Pepperdine Thursday (Mar 26) and Stanford Saturday (Mar. 28).
BYU (10-6 MPSF/13-7 Overall) Jake Langlois had 18 kills (.350) in the five-set match at Pepperdine, while setter Tyler Heap led a .350 offense with a 46-assist, 11-dig double-double. Langlois added 16 kills (.300) in the four-setter. Phil Fuchs had 22 kills at .422, and picked up nine digs on night two. Michael Hatch was a collective .480 through the series (13-1-25). The Cougars, tied for fourth entering the week, host second-place UC Irvine for two this weekend (Mar. 27-28).
CAL BAPTIST (2-14 MPSF/6-16 Overall) Kevin Kustura picked up 17 digs in just three sets (5.67 D/S) at Long Beach State. Zachary Melcher tallied 35 assists, 10 digs, and seven blocks at CSUN. The Lancers host UCLA and UCSB this week.
UC SANTA BARBARA (9-7 MPSF/13-7 Overall) Weston Nielsen had 12 kills (.300) and eight digs in a 3-1 home win over UCLA (Mar. 13) in the Gauchos' most recent contest. Kevin Donohue tallied 11 kills and served two of his three aces late in set four. Jonah Seif led a .340 team attack, while collecting 37 assists, 10 digs, and six blocks. Gaucho middles Jake Staahl and Ryan Hardy were errorless on the night (14-0-23; .609), as they were the first meeting against UCLA on the road. UCSB, who allows opponents to hit just .194, hosts Concordia (Mar. 25), before visiting USC (Mar. 27) and Cal Baptist (Mar. 28).
HAWAII (12-2 MPSF/17-3 Overall) is the nation's new top-ranked team after extending its win streak to 10 with 3-0 and 3-1 home decisions over Hope International (Mar. 13-14). The Warriors have four on the road, at UC San Diego and UCLA twice each. Taylor Averill continues to sit as the MPSF hitting leader (.494). Jennings Franciskovic (10.96 A/S) and Kolby Kanetake (2.96 D/S) have taken over the conference lead in their respective categories.
STANFORD (6-8 MPSF/9-11 Overall) won its fourth straight with a 3-0 home result over UC San Diego (Mar. 13), pulling into a tie for the final MPSF playoff spot with eight to play. It was the first straight-set win in MPSF play for the Cardinal. Conrad Kaminski hit .583 with nine kills. Gabriel Vega recorded 10 kills and five digs, and Madison Hayden had nine kills, eight digs, and two aces. Stanford visits CSUN and Long Beach State (Mar. 27-28).
UC IRVINE (12-3 MPSF/18-4 Overall) had its nine-match win streak snapped at Pepperdine (Mar. 14), while also dropping a road match for the first time this year. Zack La Cavera tallied 18 kills, three aces, and nine digs. Tamir Hershko added 15 kills and three aces, and Michael Brinkley picked up a match-high 15 digs. Hershko ranks second in the MPSF in kill (3.79 K/S) and point average (4.42 P/S). The Anteaters, who travel to BYU for two this weekend, are the top hitting (.356) and serving (1.63 A/S) team in the conference.
UCLA (6-8 MPSF/10-8 Overall) Christian Hessenauer had a match-high 17 kills along with seven digs at UCSB (Mar. 13). JT Hatch had a 13-kill, 10-dig double-double. The Bruins, tied for the final playoff spot with eight to play, visit Cal Baptist (Mar. 26) and USC (Mar. 28) this week.
UC SAN DIEGO (0-15 MPSF/2-19 Overall) Bryan Zhu posted 10 blocks and Tanner Syftestad eight in three sets at Stanford (Mar. 13). Zhu's 10 blocks were the second-most this year in the MPSF for a three-set match. It was also a UCSD rally-scoring record for three sets. The Tritons won the team block that night, 14-4. UCSD hosts Hawaii, Mar. 27-28.