Eight Unbeaten Through Opening Week
Jan. 11, 2016 MPSF Volleyball Release 1
CSUN (0-0 MPSF/4-0 Overall) is 4-0 for the first time since 2010, defeating Charleston at home (3-0), followed by Sacred Heart (3-2), Lindenwood (3-0), and NJIT (3-0) at the UCSB/Asics Invitational. Eric Chance hit .425 (21-4-40) through his first collegiate week, while Sam Porter set the Matadors to .335 hitting through the four wins (.443 in his debut vs. Charleston).
CAL BAPTIST (0-0 MPSF/3-0 Overall) opened up the Derek Schmitt era with wins over NJIT (3-1), Quincy (3-2), and Lindenwood (3-0) at UCSB, and is thus off to its first 3-0 start in school history. Rocky DeLyon led the Lancers with nine kills in the sweep.
LONG BEACH STATE (0-0 MPSF/3-0 Overall) went undefeated at the UCSB/Asics Invitational for the third year in a row as it swept Lindenwood and Sacred Heart, as well as posting a four-set win over Quincy. Kyle Ensing (.419) and TJ DeFalco each recorded 17 kills in Saturday's four-setter, with the former adding 10 digs for the double-double. Taylor Gregory was eight for an errorless nine in that match (.889).
HAWAII (0-0 MPSF/3-0 Overall) is 3-0 for the first time since 2003, after sweeping through its own Outrigger Resorts Invitational to begin the season, defeating King, Harvard, and Lewis all in straight sets. Jennings Franciskovic set the Warriors to a remarkable .406 attack through the three wins, while UH also served 18 team aces. Stijin van Tilburg hit .519 (47-7-77) in the invitational, averaging an MPSF second-best 5.22 kills per set during opening week, en route to Most Outstanding Player honors. Kolby Kanetake picked up an MPSF-high 32 digs in nine sets (3.56 D/S).
UCLA (0-0 MPSF/3-0 Overall) opened with road wins at George Mason (3-0) and Penn State (3-2), as well as a four-set win over Ohio State at University Park, PA. The Bruins hit .366 for the week, including a week one conference-high .538 (34-6-52) at GMU. UCLA also recorded an MPSF single-match best 16.5 blocks in the Penn State win. Mitch Stahl hit a collective .619 (29-3-42) with 17 blocks (1.42 B/S) on the road trip.
BYU (0-0 MPSF/2-0 Overall) hosted the AVCA Showcase to swing into the Shawn Olmstead era, defeating George Mason and Loyola-Chicago in four sets. Ben Patch, in his first match back from a two-year absence, put away 21 kills at .462 against the two-time defending national champs. BYU out-hit its two opponents by a combined .344-.164, while averaging a conference-best 3.38 blocks per set in opening week. Michael Hatch led the effort at the net with 14 blocks (1.75 B/S).
STANFORD (0-0 MPSF/2-0 Overall) won two road matches in MIVA country, 3-0 at Ball State and 3-1 at IPFW. Madison Hayden posted an 18-kill, 10-dig double-double against the Mastodons, while hitting .429. Gabriel Vega added 16 kills and nine digs in that win, and Conrad Kaminski was 10 for an errorless 13 (.769) with seven blocks. James Shaw guided a .465 team offense in the opener over the Cardinals, while serving four aces. Hayden had 13 kills (.428).
PEPPERDINE (0-0 MPSF/1-0 Overall) swept Concordia (CA) in its home opener Sunday (Jan. 10), as the Waves dominated the hitting (.431-.061) and serving (11-2 aces). Colby Harriman posted a match-high 10 kills with a blistering .571 clip, and served four aces.
UC SANTA BARBARA (0-0 MPSF/4-1 Overall) won all three matches as it hosted the annual UCSB/Asics Invitational. The Gauchos defeated NJIT and Sacred Heart in straight sets, while outlasting Quincy in five. Matt Marsh totaled 35 kills with a robust .443 attack through the invitational. Against NJIT, he hit .591 (16-3-22) with seven digs.
UC IRVINE (0-0 MPSF/1-1 Overall) split two in Provo as part of the season-opening AVCA Showcase. The Anteaters picked up their win in straight sets over George Mason in the first match. Tamir Hershko had 11 kills and Michael Saeta four aces in the win. Hershko recorded a 15-kill, 13-dig double-double and Jason Agopian hit .643 (10-1-14) in the five-set loss to Loyola-Chicago.
UC SAN DIEGO (0-0 MPSF/1-1 Overall) earned an opening day sweep over Charleston in La Jolla (Jan. 8), its first opening day win in three years, hitting .418 and serving eight aces. Kirill Rudenko hit a career-high tying .474 (11-2-19) in the win, and finished the week with 19 kills at .342.
USC (0-0 MPSF/0-2 Overall) opened the Jeff Nygaard era at University Park, PA, dropping 3-0 matches against Penn State and Ohio State. Jon Rivera posted 14 kills (.462) against the host Lions.