MPSF Unbeatens UCLA, Stanford Hit the Road

1/30/2017 12:00:00 AM

Jan. 30, 2017

UCLA (6-0 MPSF/9-1 Overall) won all nine sets last week, sweeping a pair of conference matches over UCSB (Jan. 25-27), as well as against Princeton (Jan. 29). JT Hatch hit .348 for the week (30-7-66). Mitch Stahl served five aces at UCSB, becoming the second Bruin in the rally scoring era (since 2001) to reach a career total of 100. He enters the week with 105. Daenen Gyimah is third nationally with a .563 hitting clip, while UCLA's .357 team clip is No. 2 in the nation. UCLA is also the MPSF's No. 1 blocking team with 2.63 per set (NCAA No. 2), and leads the conference in opponent hitting (.197). The Bruins take a seven-match win streak to BYU for a pair of MPSF contests this weekend (Feb. 3-4).

STANFORD (3-0 MPSF/6-2 Overall) swept both of its home matches this past week over USC and Cal Baptist, thus remaining as one of two MPSF unbeatens. Middle Kevin Rakestraw recorded nine kills and six blocks in each win, hitting .571 through the six sets (18-2-28). He is at the top of the conference in hitting (.570, No. 2 NCAA) and blocking (1.23 B/S, No. 4 NCAA) this year. Stanford leads the MPSF with 1.85 aces per set (NCAA No. 3), ranks second in opponent hitting (.209), and third in blocks (2.42 B/S). The Cardinal travels to CSUN (Feb. 3) and Long Beach State (Feb. 4) this week.

UC IRVINE (4-2 MPSF/7-3 Overall) won a five-set MPSF battle at BYU last Friday (Jan. 27). UCI fought off five consecutive set points in the second frame, down 24-19, to win 28-26. Tamir Hershko tallied 19 kills (.263), three aces, and four blocks that night. Entering the week, Scott Stadick leads the MPSF in total blocks (41). Michael Saeta ranks third in aces (28), as does Matthew Younggren in hitting (.525) and Dillon Hoffman in digs per set (2.53 D/S). UCI hosts USC Friday (Feb. 3).

LONG BEACH STATE (3-1 MPSF/7-2 Overall) split a pair of four-set matches in Columbus, OH this past weekend, beating St. Francis and falling to No. 1 Ohio State. Libero Andrew Sato collected a career-high and 2017 NCAA-high 23 digs in the win. He upped his career total to 811, ranking third all-time at Long Beach State. He is second in the MPSF with 2.69 digs per set. Josh Tuaniga ia at the top of the NCAA in assists per set (11.33 A/S), while Amir Lugo-Rodriguez is second in the MPSF in blocks (1.22 B/S, NCAA No. 5). The 49ers return home this week to face Pepperdine (Feb. 2) and Stanford (Feb. 4).

BYU (2-1 MPSF/7-2 Overall) split a pair of home matches with UC Irvine (Jan. 27-28), dropping the conference tilt in five sets, before sweeping in non-conference play the next night. Jake Langlois hit .407 in the series (29-7-54), combining for five aces, seven blocks, and nine digs. Ben Patch continues to lead the NCAA in kill average (4.75 per set) and the MPSF in point average (5.25 per set, NCAA No. 2). The Cougars host first-place UCLA for two MPSF matches this weekend (Feb. 3-4). Friday will be televised by BYUtv, while the W.TV will carry Saturday.

PEPPERDINE (2-1 MPSF/4-2 Overall) won a pair of MPSF home matches last week, 3-0 over Cal Baptist (Jan. 25) and 3-2 over USC (Jan. 28). In the latter match, the Waves stormed back from 2-1 down in sets to win in five. Michael Wexler had 19 kills on .444 hitting, along with nine digs, and David Wieczorek added 17 kills with a career-best .536 clip. Wieczorek also had a 15-kill night (.314) against the Lancers, and finished the week with five aces. Pepperdine visits Long Beach State Thursday (Feb. 2).

CSUN (1-3 MPSF/8-3 Overall) swept a pair of non-conference home matches last week over Cal Lutheran and Hope International. Dimitar Kalchev hit .647 through the six sets (37-4-51), served six aces, and picked up 11 digs. He is the MPSF ace leader with 31 (NCAA-best 0.82 per set), while owning a high of 193.5 total points. CSUN is hitting a conference-best .392 as a team. The Matadors host Stanford Friday (Feb. 3) to wrap-up a five-match homestand.

UC SAN DIEGO (0-4 MPSF/2-5 Overall) Tanner Syftestad put down a match-and career-high 31 kills in a home win over Hope International (Jan. 28), while also picking up nine digs and five blocks. Twelve of his kills came in the fourth set as the Tritons again rallied from a pair of one-set deficits for their second straight five-set victory. The individual effort marked the most kills by a Triton since 2009. Ryan Lew had 20 digs, and leads the conference with 2.74 digs per set (NCAA No. 3). UCSD hosts Princeton Wednesday (Feb. 1), before returning to the MPSF at USC Saturday (Feb. 4).

HAWAII (1-2 MPSF/8-2 Overall) won a two-match non-conference home series with NAIA No. 1 Grand View (Jan. 27-29), 3-0 and 3-1. Stijn van Tilburg had 10 kills at. 444, along with seven digs in the four-set win. He had 10 kills in just two sets in Friday's sweep. Riding an 11-match home win streak, the Warriors host UCSB for two MPSF matches this weekend (Feb. 3-4).

UC SANTA BARBARA (3-3 MPSF/6-3 Overall) dropped a pair of 3-0 results to UCLA last week. Jacob Delson recorded a pair of double-digit kill efforts with 13 and 11, and continues to lead the team in every match this year. He is third in the conference with 4.18 kills per set. The Gauchos travel to Hawaii for two (Feb. 3-4).

USC (1-5 MPSF/2-7 Overall) dropped a pair of conference road matches last week, 3-0 at Stanford and 3-2 Pepperdine. Gianluca Grasso, in just his second match after transferring to USC, had 18 kills and eight digs in Malibu. Andy Benesh added 12 kills ( .455) and Woody Cook had a double-double on 11 kills and 11 digs. Lucas Yoder is No. 2 in the NCAA with 4.69 kills per set. The Trojans visit UC Irvine Friday and host UC San Diego Saturday.

CAL BAPTIST (1-5 MPSF/2-7 Overall) dropped a pair of road matches last week, 3-1 at Pepperdine and 3-0 at Stanford. Luis Palos had 11 kills in Malibu, followed by Rohit Paul with 10, and Enrique Garcia with eight along with four blocks. The Lancers host UC Irvine Wednesday and Grand Canyon Friday.