First-Place 49ers Take Streak Into UCSB, UCLA
Feb. 13, 2017 MPSF Volleyball Release 6
LONG BEACH STATE (7-1 MPSF/11-2 Overall) swept MPSF road matches at UC Irvine (Feb. 10) and UC San Diego (Feb. 11) to stay at the top of the standings. With conference winning streaks of 18 straight sets and seven straight matches, the 49ers head to UCSB (Feb. 15) and UCLA (Feb. 18) this week in the only regular season meeting against those teams. TJ DeFalco hit .481 (30-5-52) with five kills per set last week. Amir Lugo-Rodriguez and Bryce Yould share the MPSF's top ranking in hitting (.491), while the former is also No. 1 in the nation in blocks per set (1.27). Andrew Sato collects an MPSF-best 2.77 digs per set. Josh Tuaniga has led the top offense within conference matches on 11.32 assists per set, guiding a .382 team clip.
STANFORD (5-2 MPSF/8-4 Overall) jumped into a third-place tie with marathon home wins over UCLA (Feb. 9) and UCSB (Feb.11). Seven of the 10 sets played by the Cardinal last week were decided by two points, five of which went extra points. Jordan Ewert recorded 4.80 kills per set on .301 hitting over the two matches. He set a career-high with 22 kills on .439 hitting against UCLA, before topping that career-best with 26 kills to go with nine digs and three blocks against UCSB. Kevin Rakestraw is third nationally in hitting percentage (.466). Stanford wraps the first-half of its MPSF schedule this week at USC (Feb. 16, 6 pm--Pac-12 Networks) and Cal Baptist (Feb. 18).
HAWAII (5-2 MPSF/12-2 Overall) is off to its best 14-match start since 2005 at 12-2, extending its win streak to an MPSF season-high tying seven straight matches after 3-0 results at UC San Diego (Feb. 10) and Cal Baptist (Feb. 11). Brett Rosenmeier tallied a .368 hitting clip (19-5-38) with four aces over the two wins. He recorded his first career double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs at CBU. Stijn Van Tilburg ranks fifth in the MPSF in kills per set (4.12). Hawaii leads the conference in opponent hitting (.207) and the nation in team blocking (2.64 B/S). The Warriors travel to McKendree (Feb. 14) and Lindenwood (Feb. 15) this week.
BYU (5-1 MPSF/10-2 Overall) posted a straight-set road win at USC (Feb. 10), minus the services of Ben Patch. Tim Dobbert hit .500 with 11 kills, six digs, and four blocks in just his second start of the year. Jake Langlois recorded a team-high 12 kills and Erik Sikes picked up a season-high 12 digs. BYU held a .352-.168 hitting advantage. Patch is second in the NCAA in kills per set (4.83) and third in points per set (5.26). The Cougars host UC San Diego for two this weekend (Feb. 17-18)
UCLA (7-3 MPSF/10-4 Overall) picked up an MPSF road split, coming from behind to win a five-set match at Pepperdine (Feb. 11). JT Hatch tallied a 24-kill and career-high 16-dig double-double, while hitting .340 in the win. He hit .321 for the week with four aces. Daenan Gyimah is fourth in the nation in hitting (.464). The Bruins host CSUN Wednesday (Feb. 15, 7:30 pm-Pac-12 Networks) and first-place Long Beach State Saturday (Feb. 18).
UC IRVINE (6-4 MPSF/9-5 Overall) won a five-set home match over CSUN (Feb. 11), bouncing back from a 3-0 loss the night prior to Long Beach State. The Anteaters are off this week, next in action at home on Feb. 24 vs. UCLA and Feb. 25 vs. UCSB. Michael Saeta has served an MPSF-high 38 aces on the year.
PEPPERDINE (3-3 MPSF/5-4 Overall) split two home matches last week, earning a four-set win over UCSB (Feb. 8). Five of the nine sets were decided by two points. Pepperdine recorded a 2017 MPSF-high 17 blocks in the UCLA match, led by Mitchell Penning's conference season-high tying nine. The Waves are on the road for four straight, beginning with Cal Baptist (Feb. 16) and USC (Feb. 18) this week.
UC SAN DIEGO (2-6 MPSF/5-7 Overall) picked up a second-straight conference win last Wednesday (Feb. 8) over CSUN, after dropping its previous 49. Tanner Syftestad, who is fourth in the MPSF and fifth in the NCAA in kill average (4.21 K/S), had 14 kills with a .571 clip along with four aces. Drew Sloane ranks second in the conference in blocks per set (1.14). The Tritons travel to BYU for two this weekend (Feb. 17-18).
UC SANTA BARBARA (3-7 MPSF/6-7 Overall) was edged twice on the road last week, 3-1 at Pepperdine and 3-2 at Stanford. Six of the Gauchos' nine sets last week were decided by two points, also going into extra points four times. UCSB's 43-41 set two win at Stanford is tied for the fourth longest set in MPSF history, and was the first such score since the 2008 conference semifinals (Pepperdine d. LBSU). Connor Drake hit .524 (12-1-21) with seven blocks at Stanford. Jacob Delson ranks third in the MPSF and fourth nationally with 4.41 kills per set. UCSB hosts Long Beach State and CSUN this week.
CSUN (2-5 MPSF/9-5 Overall) dropped two MPSF road matches last week, 3-0 at UC San Diego (Feb. 8) and 3-2 at UC Irvine (Feb. 11). Arvis Greene, who ranks third within conference matches with 4.30 kills per set, had 17 (.297) at UCI. CSUN stays on the road at UCLA Wednesday (Feb. 15) and UCSB Friday (Feb. 17). The Matadors are the MPSF's top overall hitting team, and No. 2 in the nation at .372. Dimitar Kalchev has served an NCAA second-best 0.71 aces per set.
USC (2-7 MPSF/3-9 Overall) fell 3-0 at home to BYU (Feb. 10), as Lucas Yoder tallied a match-high 15 kills and Matt Douglas 10 digs. The Trojans were without Gianluca Grasso. Yoder is the NCAA leader in kills per set (5.00) and is second in points per set (5.28). USC hosts Stanford (Feb. 16, 6 pm on Pac-12 Networks) and Pepperdine Saturday (Feb. 18) this week.
CAL BAPTIST (1-7 MPSF/3-9 Overall) was defeated at home by Hawaii, 3-0 (Feb. 11). The Lancers host Pepperdine Thursday (Feb. 16) and Stanford Saturday (Feb. 18).