MPSF Volleyball Update, Feb. 3
Feb. 3, 2017 *CSUN 3, Stanford 0 (31-29, 25-16, 25-18)
Recap by CSUN
NORTHRIDGE, CA - Junior opposite Arvis Greene pounded a career-high 26 kills, hitting .615 to lead the 14th-ranked CSUN Matadors to a 31-29, 25-16, 25-18upset over No. 7 Stanford in an MPSF match Friday at The Matadome.
Greene, who's previous career-high was 21 kills against Long Beach State last season, was virtually unstoppable the entire match, committing just a pair of hitting errors on 39 attacks. The junior from Los Angeles also added four digs and three digs.
"Arvis had one of the best nights I've ever seen an opposite have," said CSUN head coach Jeff Campbell. "It felt like we were setting him every other ball and it was just kill after kill after kill. They were keying on him but there wasn't much they could do, he was just in a zone."
Fellow junior Josiah Byers also had a solid night with eight kills on .727 hitting with five blocks and sophomore Dimitar Kalchev also chipped in eight kills despite a rare off night hitting .077. Kalchevdid add seven digs and three aces. Sophomore Eric Chance added four kills on four errorless swings.
CSUN out-hit the visiting Cardinal .417 to .115 behind Sam Porter's 44 assists. The Matadors also had a sizable 35-26 advantage in digs as senior liberoCJ Suarez had a match-high 14 digs.
In defeating Stanford for just the third time in the last 11 matches, CSUN improved to 9-3 overall and 2-3 in the MPSF.
The Matadors overcame an early 12-8 deficit in set one, finally taking their first lead at 18-17 on a Kalchev kill. A 3-0 Stanford run forced a CSUN timeout at 20-18 before the Matadors forged a 22-22 tie on a Greene kill.
A Cardinal hitting error gave CSUN its first set point at 24-23 but the visitors saved one set point and three others before ultimately taking set point at 29-28. The Matadors staved off a Stanford win as a pair of Greene kills followed by a set-clinching kill from Jakub Ciesla capped a 3-0 run.
With the score tied at 11 in set two, the Matadors rolled off five straight points, highlighted by kills from Byers, Kalchev, Greene and Ciesla. Stanford pulled within three at 17-14 but could get no closer and CSUN won going away 25-15.
The Matadors continued the momentum into the final set as they claimed eight of the first 10 points and maintained at least a four-point lead the rest of the way.
Jordan Ewert led Stanford (6-3, 3-1 MPSF) with 10 kills (.154) while Gabriel Vega added seven kills (.095).
The Matadors open up a four-match road trip next Wednesday (Feb. 8) at UC San Diego.
CAL BAPTIST 3, Grand Canyon 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-19)
Recap by CBU
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Taking a break from conference, California Baptist University grabbed a three-set sweep over Grand Canyon University (25-20, 25-18, 25-19) Friday night.
The Lancers improve to 3-8 overall, while GCU - which is receiving votes in the latest AVCApoll - drops to 4-5 on the season.
Enrique de Diego Garcia had a near-perfect match, going 10-for-12 in hitting attempts, without committing a single error. He was a perfect 9-for-9 until the final set, finishing with 10 kills and an .833 attacking percentage.
Kevin Vaz also posted 10 kills and a solo stuff on the night, followed by Luis Palos with seven kills and three blocks. Palos and Garcia each grabbed two aces, while Cody Jackson earned one to go along with his 33 assists.
The Lancers came out strong in the first set, maintaining a significant lead over the Lopes for the duration of the set. Vaz came up big in the game, posting five kills while Garcia and Caleb Miller notched three apiece in the 25-20 openingwin.
CBU kept up its dominant performance to boast an early, comfortable lead in the second and keep the Lopes' offense at a standstill. Kills from Vaz and Miller put the Lancers in front 23-10, looking like the home team was unstoppable.
GCU managed to battle back into the set, but a Lope service error handed the Lancers the 25-18 win.
An ace by Jackson carried momentum over from the seven-point second set win to the third. GCU couldn't catch its footing, using its timeouts early and giving the Lancers a free point as a Lope was handed a red card.
The Lancers, on the other hand, kept their composure and closed out the set. Blocks by Garcia and Jackson Burge held up the defensive end in the third to put CBU within match point, 24-16.
GCU tried to stay alive, but Vaz powered down a kill to seal the three-set victory.
The Lancers remain at home and return to Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action on Feb. 11 in the Van Dyne Gym, hosting the University of Hawaii at 7 p.m.
*Usc 3, UC IRVINE 1 (25-23, 40-42, 25-23, 25-23)
Recap by USC
Lucas Yoder and Gianluca Grasso combined for 53 kills to help the USC men's volleyball team snap a 5-match losing streak and upset No. 7 UC Irvine, 25-23, 40-42, 25-23, 25-23, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match on Friday (Feb. 3) in Irvine.
The points in the second set were both the most ever scored by USC and surrendered by the Trojans in a set in program history dating to 1970. It also was the most total points in any MPSF set since 2008, when Pepperdine beat Long Beach State, 43-41, in the third set of a conference tournament semifinal match.
USC improved to 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the MPSF. The Trojans, playing the last contest of its 5-match MPSF road trip, also ended a 4-match losing skid to the Anteaters.
UCI fell to 8-4 overall and 5-3 in MPSF play.
Yoder, who missed the past 2 matches with an ankle sprain, had a match-high 29 kills while hitting .360 and he added 8 digs. Grasso, in just his third match after transferring mid-season to USC from a junior college, had 24 kills (hitting .354), 6 digs and 3 blocks. Andy Benesh had a match-best 6 blocks, Matt Douglas had 10 digs and Gert Lisha had 9 digs.
UC Irvine was led by Michael Saeta, who moved from setter to outside hitter in second set and ended up with 21 kills (hitting .444), 4 aces and 5 digs. Scott Stadick added 12 kills while hitting .450, David Parker and Reid Dominguez each had 8 kills, Matthew Younggren had 5 blocks and Dillon Hoffman had a match-leading 11 digs.
USC hit .285 in the match to UCI's .259 and the Trojans had more digs (39-33) and blocks (9.0 to 6.0). But the Anteaters served 6 aces to USC's 1.
In the first set, USC held a 13-9 mid-set lead and then a late 23-21 edge, but UCI then scored 2 in a row before USC got the final 2 points. USC battled from an early 3-point deficit in the second set by scoring 9 out of 10 points to build an 18-10 lead before the Anteaters closed fast, overcoming a 23-20 Trojan margin before sending the set into extra time and staving off 13 set points before scoring the last 2. USC held a quick 5-1 lead in the third set before UCI tied it at 8-8, then the set seesawed before USC scored back-to-back points to go up 24-22, all the margin it needed while hitting .476. USC used a 3-0 run to jump out to a quick 6-3 lead in the fourth set and then pulled away to a 21-13 edge before UCI once again fought back, scoring 5 straight points to tie it at 23-23 before the Trojans tallied the match's final 2 points (USC hit .440 in the set).
USC now returns home to the Galen Center to host UC San Diego in an MPSF match on Saturday (Feb. 4) at 7 p.m. PT. At that match, Troy will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its first NCAA title in men's volleyball, with 1977 squad members honored on the court prior to first serve.
*BYU 3, Ucla 2 (28-26, 25-23, 13-25, 22-25, 18-16)
Recap by BYU
PROVO, Utah -- Ben Patch's second-career double-double pushed No. 4 BYU men's volleyball to a five-set victory (28-26, 25-23, 13-25, 22-25, 18-16) over No. 2 UCLA at the Smith Fieldhouse Friday night. "It is exciting. I'm happy for our guys," BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "They served well and they served aggressively. Today we were confident at the service line. It's hard to see some of the tough moments the guys went though. I have to figure out why we go through those moments." After UCLA came back down two sets to none, BYU jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth set. However, UCLA responded with four-straight points to take the 6-5 advantage. Coming out of a timeout, Patch killed the ball down the line to even the score at 6-6. He took over the fifth set for the Cougars, scoring six of eight points, including a stuff block to tie the game 13-13. BYU fought off UCLA's match point at 14-13, battling to its own match point at 16-15. The teams traded points until Price Jarman sealed the victory with a solo block, taking the set 18-16. The Cougars handed the Bruins their first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation loss. Despite trailing UCLA (9-2, 6-1 MPSF) in every category except total attacks, BYU (8-2, 3-1 MPSF) won the 11th straight-home match against the conference rivals. This is the second five-set match for BYU this year, the first win. Patch led all players with a season-high 28 kills on a .422 clip. He also tied his career high in digs with 11 for a double-double. His only other double-double came in his freshman season in the MPSF Championship game against Long Beach State. Jake Langlois and Brenden Sander also reached double-digit kills with 13 and 12, respectively. Leo Durkin dished out 48 assists, while libero Erik Sikes matched Patch's dig total with 11. In the first set, the Cougars' first five points were all scored off of the Bruins' service errors. After an ace from Durkin tied the set, BYU won a long rally to lead for the first time, 8-7. Capped off with an ace from Sander, BYU went on a 5-1 run to push the lead to 20-16 and force a UCLA timeout. A couple in a row for the visiting team then tied the game at 23-23. The Cougars had two set points, but the Bruins scored two in a row to make it set point for them, 26-25. A kill from Patch sparked the home squad to a 3-0 run to take set one 28-26, winning the set with a block from Langlois and Jarman. UCLA led early in the second set, but a 5-1 run gave BYU the advantage. Two kills from Langlois at the end of that run forced the Bruin timeout with the Cougars up 11-9. The two teams stayed within one or two of each other for the rest of the set. UCLA got back on top 17-16, but BYU responded. A pair of kills from Patch pushed the Cougars to a 21-18 lead after putting together four points in a row. A rally lasting about 51 seconds resulted in a point for the home team after Patch tooled it off the Bruin block, giving BYU set point, 24-21. Despite UCLA battling back within one, Langlois drilled an attack out of the back row to win the second set 25-23. Behind two aces, the Bruins opened up the third set strong, taking an early 3-0 lead. Olmstead called a timeout with UCLA leading 8-3. Sander killed the ball on the end line out of the timeout, but the Bruins kept the pressure coming. They went up 13-6, forcing Olmstead to call the final timeout to regroup. However, the Cougars were never able to bounce back, dropping the set 25-13. BYU came out firing in the fourth set. The Bruins stayed one or two points ahead of BYU for the first half of the set, never pulling away. The Cougars finally made a move after Durkin slammed home an overpass kill. That sparked BYU on a 4-1 run to take its first lead of the game, 15-14. Tough serving from UCLA's Micah Ma'a scored four straight for the away team, taking the 20-16 advantage. Kiril Meretev came off the bench, firing away two kills to get the Cougars within two points. However, it was not enough as the Bruins took the fourth set 25-22, forcing the decisive fifth set. The two teams will play again Saturday night at the Smith Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be streamed live on theW.tv.
*HAWAII 3, Ucsb 0 (25-22, 30-28, 25-23)
Recap by UH
HONOLULU - The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team were pushed to the limit in all three sets of a straight-set win over No. 11 UC Santa Barbara, Friday in the first of two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches at the Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 25-22, 30-28, 25-23.
The fifth-ranked Rainbow Warriors (9-2, 2-2 MPSF) extended their home win streak to 12 straight dating back to last season and have won three straight over the Gauchos (6-4, 3-4) in Honolulu.
The teams play again on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
UH opposite Stijn van Tilburg had a match-high 15 kills, hitting .300 and was the only Warrior in double digits. Middle blocker Hendrik Mol tallied six of the team's 12 blocks. Senior outside hitter Kupono Fey added six kills while sophomore Brett Rosenmeier came off the bench and steadied the UH passing game and finished with three kills, four digs, and three blocks.
UCSB's Jacob Delson had 14 kills while Corey Chavers added 10 kills and five digs.
Off the serve of Patrick Gasman, the Warriors reeled off six straight points for a 14-13 lead in Set 1. UH regained the lead at 21-18 before the Gauchos tied it at 22. From the there, Hawai'i's block came alive with back-to-back solo stuffs by Mol and setter Jennings Franciskovic to close it out as the Warriors scored the final three points to take the set.
UH trailed for much of Set 2 before taking a 16-15 lead with a 5-1 run. The teams then traded leads with the Gauchos surging ahead 21-20 with a block of van Tilburg. But van Tilburg answered back, helping Hawai'i regain the lead after a solo stuff and again on his 10th. His 11th kill gave UH set point but UCSB stuffed him again to tie it at 24. Hawai'i had four more set points but the Gauchos erased each one until UH's seventh try when van Tilburg put away his 13th kill.
In Set 3, Hawai'i took a three-point lead at 9-6 and maintained that cushion until the Gauchos blocked Kupono Fey to tie it at 16. UH took a 20-18 lead after a triple block and Rosenmeier's ace trickled off the tape for a 23-20 advantage. Initially, Denson hit long on match point but UCSB challenged the play and was reversed in the Gauchos favor. However, after a UH timeout, Hayden Boehle served into the net ending the match.