MPSF Volleyball Update, Jan. 20
Jan. 20, 2017 *UCSB 3, Cal Baptist 0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-16)
Recap by UCSB
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Behind 15 kills from senior outside hitter Jacob Delson and 13 more from sophomore opposite Corey Chavers, No. 12 UC Santa Barbara closed out a seven-match homestand on a high note with a three-set sweep of visiting Cal Baptist on Friday night at Rob Gym, 25-12, 25-22, 25-16. It was the third straight victory and sixth in the last seven games for the Gauchos (6-1, 3-1 MPSF), who outhit the Lancers by almost 300 points, .359 to .091. "Any time you get a little winning streak like this going in our conference, that's a good thing," said UCSB head coach Rick McLaughlin. "I thought our passing was the difference tonight, and Delson had another strong game to lead us. He's been playing great every night." Against a strong-serving team, the key for UCSB was effective passing. Due in part to the work of the serve receive trio of Delson and the Boehle brothers (Parker and Hayden), the Gauchos held Cal Baptist to just one ace on the night and were able to stay in system most of the night. Freshman setter Casey McGarry did not squander the consistent passing, totaling 27 assists through two-plus games of action and running the offense without a single hitting error until the second set. On the receiving end of most of McGarry's sets was Delson, who hit an outstanding .522 on the night, his third over-.500 performance of the young season. He was especially effective in the second as the Gauchos had to claw back from an early 4-0 deficit. UCSB was relatively untested in the first and third frames, hitting .565 and .370 respectively. The Gauchos were especially strong at the net in the first, notching six of the team's nine blocks for the evening. The blue-and-gold were temporarily stymied by an improved Lancer block in the final game, but eventually pushed through via five kills apiece from Delson and Chavers. Cal Baptist put up their best fight in the second, parlaying four straight UCSB attack errors into a 4-0 lead to start the set. A McLaughlin timeout -- and three straight kills from Delson -- swung the pendulum back the Gauchos way, and they would eventually tie it at 12-12 before going ahead for good on a right-side spike down the line from Chavers that made it 16-15. A 4-0 serving run kicked off by an ace from Hayden Boehle extended UCSB's lead to 23-18, setting up Delson to clinch the set with a push-spike through the block. The Gauchos face their toughest test of the season so far next week with a home-and-home series with No. 2 UCLA. UCSB plays its first road match of the season in Westwood at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, before welcoming the Bruins to Rob Gym on Friday night, Jan. 27.
*LONG BEACH STATE 3, Hawaii 0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-18)
Recap by LBSU
LONG BEACH -- The fourth-ranked Long Beach State men's volleyball team turned in a stellar performance Friday night as the Beach swept No. 5 Hawaii (25-19, 25-14, 25-18) while never committing a reception error in the contest. Additionally, the Beach hit .534 and limited the Warriors to just .191 hitting in the match. Long Beach State is now 6-1 on the year and 3-1 in MPSF action, while Hawaii falls to 5-2 overall and 0-2 in league play. The Warriors' only two losses on the season have been to LBSU. The Beach were on point the entire match as they committed just three attack errors (one in each set) en route to hitting .534 (34-4-58) in the contest. In addition to their hot hitting, LBSU was solid defensively as the Beach was perfect in the backrow collecting 40 receptions without a miscue for a 1.000 reception percentage. Additionally, Long Beach State posted 10.0 team blocks, while Hawaii was unable to record a block throughout the match. The sophomore trio of Kyle Ensing, TJ DeFalco and Josh Tuaniga set the tone in the match with their top-notch level of play and intensity. Ensing led all scorers with 11 kills on 19 attempts without committing an attack error for a .579 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, DeFalco hit .438 registering seven kills on 16 attempts without an error. Completing the trifecta was Tuaniga who posted an attack percentage of .750 (3-0-4) and also did not commit an attack error in the match. Tuaniga added 26 assists and four blocks, while DeFalco knocked down five service aces, while recording 12 receptions in the backrow. The defense was led by senior libero Andrew Sato who recorded five digs and 17 receptions without an error. At the net, senior Amir Lugo-Rodriguez led the team once again with five block assists, while Tuaniga added four and Bjarne Huus put up three as well as a solo stop. Huus was also solid in the backrow with 11 receptions to help pace the Beach. The first set started off with the conference foes trading points until they were deadlocked at 18. However, a 6-0 run by LBSU broke the tie as the Beach went on to win 25-19. In the frame, Long Beach State hit .600 (13-1-20) as Ensing led the way with four kills and Tuaniga dished out nine assists. The Beach dominated the second set, out-hitting Hawaii .400 to -.087 with a sideout percentage of 73 as they cruised to a 25-14 win. DeFalco notched a pair of service aces in the frame to bring his total to four, while Ensing knocked down four kills. The third and final set saw Hawaii try to get back in the game as the Warriors hit .360 (13-4-25) for their best offensive performance of the night. However, the 49ers countered with a .565 attack percentage as they knocked down 14 kills on 23 attempts with just one error. Long Beach State and Hawaii saw half a dozen ties early on, but the Beach went on a 4-0 run, highlighted by an Ensing kill, to jump out in front 10-6. With the lead, the 49ers never allowed the Warriors to come closer than two points, before the Beach closed out the set and match with a 25-18 victory. Hawaii struggled offensively as the Warriors only had one scorer reach double-figures in Stijn van Tilburg (10 kills). Patrick Gasman led the team with a .727 attack percentage (9-1-11), while Jennings Franciskovic (19 assists) and James Anastassiades (14 assists) split setter duties. The Beach has a week to prepare for a pair of matches in Columbus, Ohio as Long Beach State will take on Saint Francis (Pa.) on Friday, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m., in a neutral site contest, before going head-to-head with top-ranked Ohio State on the Buckeyes' home turf on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m.
*Stanford 3, PEPPERDINE 1 (29-27, 25-16, 13-25, 26-24)
Recap by Stanford
MALIBU, Calif. -- Behind a career-high 21 kills from Jordan Ewert, the No. 10 Stanford men's volleyball team went on the road and opened MPSF play with a 3-1 (29-27, 25-16, 13-25, 26-24) win over No. 7 Pepperdine, Friday, at Firestone Fieldhouse.
To go with his 21 kills, Ewert collected seven digs, two blocks and two aces while hitting .234. Redshirt junior Kevin Rakestraw tallied 11 kills on 18 swings with just one error (.556) and recorded a match-high five blocks. Sophomore opposite Matt Klassen was also in double-figures with 10 kills.
Freshman setter Paul Bischoff turned in his first career double-double with a career-highs of 45 assists and 11 digs. He directed the Cardinal offense to a .252 team hitting percentage, while the Waves were held to a .207 clip.
Junior libero Evan Enriques, a first team All-American last season, racked-up a season-best 13 digs to anchor the defense. Redshirt senior outside hitter Gabriel Vega added six digs and eight kills for the Cardinal.
Despite being out hit .368 to .286 in the opening set, Stanford stole the first as Vega came on late to give the Cardinal the 27-26 lead and later at set point.
The Cardinal picked up its defense, posting 46 digs to just 30 by the Waves. Stanford hit .300 in the second set, while Pepperdine was -.030. Ewert was on fire in the second frame, posting nine of his 21 kills.
Pepperdine avoided the sweep in the third, hitting .421 as Stanford was limited to a .069 team hitting percentage with nine attack errors.
The Cardinal regained its continuity on offense in the fourth, limiting itself to five attack errors. Stanford held a 22-19 lead late in the set, but allowed a 3-0 run by the Waves to tie it up. After going back-and-forth, Stanford sealed the win with a kill by Rakestraw and a block by Ewert and freshman Stephen Moye.
Pepperdine was led by Michael Wexter's 13 kills, five digs and five blocks. David Wieczorek added 12 kills on .222 hitting and six digs.
Stanford returns to The Farm next week to play host to USC on Thursday, Jan. 26 and Cal Baptist on Friday, Jan. 27. Both matches will be played in Maples Pavilion with Thursday's match being televised on Pac-12 Network
*# UCLA 3, Usc 1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 25-22)
Recap by UCLA
No. 2-ranked UCLA won its fourth straight match to open Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) play on Friday night, handing crosstown rival USC a 3-1 setback in Pauley Pavilion before a crowd of over 2,000. Scores of the match were 25-20, 23-25, 25-20, 25-22. Junior Jake Arnitz became the first Bruin of the season to crack the 20-kill mark and led the Bruin attack with 20 kills and a .450 hitting percentage. UCLA, now 6-1 overall and 4-0 in MPSF action, will play next on Wednesday night at home in Pauley Pavilion against No. 12 UC Santa Barbara at 7:30 p.m.
Three kills from Arnitz helped break open set one after the score was tied at 9-all. His fourth kill of the set lifted the Bruins into a 14-11 advantage. USC cut the gap to two on several occasions down the stretch before a kill and a block by Mitch Stahl took the Bruins to set point. A Trojan error resulted in a 25-20 win. UCLA hit .524 for the set.
The Trojans broke a 5-all tie in set two with a scoring run to take a 6-11 edge. UCLA cut the deficit to 10-11 after an Arnitz kill and then evened the score at 18s on a JT Hatch kill. Kills by Arnitz tied the score again at 19 and 23 before USC tallied the final two points for a 23-25 decision.
UCLA stormed out to a 6-0 lead in set three behind the strong serve of Stahl who registered a couple of aces. After the Trojans sliced into the margin at 10-7, Stahl put down a couple of kills to restore order. UCLA led 14-8 after a Hatch kill and went on to post a 25-20 win.
In set four, the teams battled back-and-forth to a tie score at 15-all. Stahl then teamed up with Arnitz on a block for a 16-15 lead. UCLA led 18-15 after kill number 19 from Arnitz. USC closed to two twice down the stretch before Christian Hessenauer delivered match point with an off-balance kill for a 25-22 win.
Arnitz' 20 kills was one shy of his career high, set in a match last season against CSUN. He added five blocks and six digs. Daenan Gyiman had 10 kills (.444) and three blocks. Stahl, who had three aces, registered eight block assists and moved past Nick Vogel into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time UCLA block assist list (rally scoring era 2001-present) during the contest. He also moved past Jamie Difenbach into seventh place on the all-time school list for total blocks (now with 290). Jackson Bantle totaled 14 digs. Hagen Smith had 24 set assists and seven digs. UCLA hit .309 for the match to .208 for the Trojans. UCLA outblocked USC 13.0 to 7.0.
*Byu 3, CSUN 1 (26-24, 25-15, 22-25, 26-24)
Recap by BYU
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -- Libero Mitchel Worthington's defense helped No. 3 BYU men's volleyball beat No. 14 CSUN in four sets (26-24, 25-15, 22-25, 26-24) Friday night at the Matadome. "We had another great team win tonight," BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "Each one of these guys showed a ton of heart and fight. I'm proud of the way they battled back to take the first and fourth sets." Worthington collected a career-high 14 digs in the win. Ben Patch led the Cougars with 24 kills while hitting at a .415 clip. Joseph Grosh and Price Jarman each had three blocks. Leo Durkin contributed 47 assists and Brenden Sander had a season-high 15 kills on the night. A pair of Patch kills helped BYU (6-1, 2-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) take a 3-2 lead in the first set against CSUN (6-3, 1-3 MPSF). A pair of Kiril Meretev kills helped the Cougars on a 5-0 run to go up 8-5, but a Matador block eventually tied the set at 12-all. A 3-1 CSUN run then prompted BYU to take a timeout, trailing 17-15. Another 4-1 rally by the Matadors quickly pushed them ahead 22-18, but three-straight CSUN errors put the Cougars within a point, down 22-21. BYU ended the set on a 5-0 run as a Grosh kill followed by a Sander kill won the close set 26-24. A Jarman kill put the Cougars up 5-3 to begin the second set. A Durkin and Jarman block extended the BYU advantage at 13-8, forcing a Matador timeout. A kill from Patch kept the Cougars up 19-13, and BYU finished the set on a 6-1 run to easily win by double digits, 25-15. The two teams remained close to start the third set, as a Sander kill gave the Cougars a 6-5 edge. A Meretev kill extended the lead to three at 10-7, but CSUN rallied with a 5-1 run to take a 12-11 lead. The teams were tied 16-all after a Patch kill, and another Sander kill put BYU up 20-19. The Matadors then scored the next four of five points to take a 23-21 advantage before winning the set 25-22 on a kill. CSUN took a quick 6-1 lead to start the fourth set after several Cougar miscues. BYU clawed its way back to tie the set at 9-9 following a Durkin kill. A 3-0 Matador rally put them ahead 13-10, but a Patch and Jarman block capped off a 5-1 Cougar run to put their team up 16-15. BYU took a 22-20 lead after a couple of quick points, but CSUN countered with a 4-1 rally to collect set point, 24-23. The Cougars turned things around, however, as three-straight points gave BYU a 26-24 set four win. The Cougars return home next week, facing UC Irvine Friday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. MST. The match will be broadcast live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio. Links to live stats and video/audio feeds can be found on the BYU men's volleyball schedule page. ​
*UC Irvine 3, UC SAN DIEGO 2 (25-22, 25-19, 26-28, 23-25, 17-15)
Recap by UCI
LA JOLLA, Calif. -- Sixth-ranked UC Irvine needed five sets to beat UC San Diego, 3-2 (25-22, 25-19, 26-28, 23-25, 17-15) at RIMAC Arena Friday. The Anteaters trailed 4-8 and again 11-13 in the final set, but battled back using a Triton service error and a block by Andrew Benz and Thomas Hodges to secure the 17-15 victory. UCI improves to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the MPSF and will battle No. 5 Hawaii (5-2, 0-2) tomorrow at the Bren Events Center beginning at 7:00 p.m. Seniors Tamir Hershko and Thomas Hodges led UCI with a season-high 15 kills apiece. The middle was effective as Benz had a season-best 11 kills and four blocks and Scott Stadick added nine kills and three blocks. Senior Michael Saeta had five kills, 48 set assists and three aces, while sophomore Karl Apfelbach recorded seven kills in four sets. Libero Dillon Hoffman tallied a team-high 11 digs. UCSD's Tanner Syftestad had a match-high 23 kills and three aces. Devin Pontigon had 11 kills and Alec Flowers had 10 kills in the loss. The Tritons fall to 0-5 on the year and 0-4 in conference action. In the first set, UCI used an 8-3 run which included two kills and an ace by Thomas Hodges to take a 10-5 lead. A pair of Triton errors and kills by Karl Apfelbach and Michael Saeta gave UCI an important cushion, 21-15. UCSD pulled within 24-22, before Scott Stadick put away the set winner in the middle 25-22. In the second set, Hershko had two kills and served tough to push the Anteaters out to an 11-5 advantage. A 5-0 spurt that was capped by an Andrew Benz kill on an overpass extended the lead to 21-13. The Anteaters would go on to take the set 25-19. UC San Diego controlled the beginning of the third set, leading 10-7 before the Anteaters scrapped back and tied the set at 11-11 on a Saeta ace. An ace by Apfelbach was followed by a kill by Stadick, putting UCI ahead 14-12. With UCI leading 23-20, UCSD wouldn't go away as Tanner Syftestad took over for the Tritons recording back-to-back aces and two kills to take a 24-23 lead. The teams would trade points until a UCI service error was followed by another Syftestad kill to give the Tritons the 28-26 victory. The teams would not be more than two points apart in the fourth set with UCSD taking an important 22-20 advantage on a UCI service error and an ace. The Anteaters rallied on back-to-back kills by Hodges and Tucker Pikula to tie it up 23-23. UCSD would use a Syftestad kill and a UCI attack error to force a fifth set, 25-23. The set featured 18 ties and eight lead changes. Another untimely service error followed by a Triton kill and an Anteater attack error gave UCSD an 8-4 lead. UC San Diego was on top 11-8 then UCI had a kill by Hershko, a Triton error and a kill by Hodges to knot the score at 11 all. UCSD would record two kills to take the 13-11 advantage, but once again UCI answered with a pair of Hershko kills, 13-13. Each squad would record two points each before the Anteaters secured the victory on two UCSD errors.