Daenan Gyimah (16) ranks second in the nation in aces per set.
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
MVB On the Road for Three Matches
January 08, 2019 | Men's Volleyball
MATCH DAY: Wednesday, Jan. 9
No. 2 UCLA (2-0) at No. 12 CSUN (2-1)
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Matadome
Live Stats: https://gomatadors.com/sidearmstats/mvball/summary
Live Video: http://bigwest.sidearmstreaming.com/watch/?Live=1702
MATCH DAY: Friday, Jan. 11
No. 2 UCLA (2-0) at McKendree (0-0)
Time: 5:00 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/mckendree/mvball
Live Video: https://www.glvcsn.com/mckendree/
MATCH DAY: Saturday, Jan. 12
No. 2 UCLA (2-0) at Lindenwood (0-0)
Time: 5:30 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/lindenwood/mvball
Live Video: https://www.themiaanetwork.com/lindenwoodlions/
No. 2 UCLA (2-0) will travel to No. 12 CSUN (2-1) for a non-league match on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. On Friday, the Bruins will head east to take on McKendree University (0-0) from Lebanon, Ill. on Friday at 5:00 p.m. PT and Lindenwood University (0-0) from St. Charles, Mo. on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT. Both opponents compete in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA).
UCLA opened up the 2019 season with a sweep of Princeton of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) and a four-set win over UC San Diego from the Big West Conference. This year's schedule features non-league matchups against teams which have captured the past five NCAA Championships - 2018 Long Beach State (home and home), 2017 and 2016 Ohio State (at P12 Big Ten Challenge hosted by USC), 2015 and 2014 Loyola-Chicago (road only). The Bruins will also go up against a pair of EIVA teams from Princeton and Penn State. In addition to No. 7 Ohio State and No. 8 Loyola, UCLA will be challenged by three other teams from the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) - No. 9 Lewis, McKendree and Lindenwood. Teams from the Big West Conference on this year's slate include UC San Diego, No. 12 CSUN, No. 10 UC Santa Barbara as well as the defending national champion and number one-ranked 49ers.
Five Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) teams remained ranked in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll -- No. 2 UCLA, No. 5 BYU, No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 11 Stanford, No. 15 Grand Canyon. USC and Concordia are unranked.
WHO'S BACK -- The Bruins return a pair of 2018 first-team AVCA All-America selections in setter Micah Ma'a (56 aces last season, while guiding the Bruins to a .350 hitting percentage which ranked second in the NCAA last season) and middle blocker Daenan Gyimah (led the NCAA in hitting % at .528, placed third in NCAA in blocks/set at 1.22 and won the Ryan Millar Award as the nation's top middle attacker). Starting outside hitter Dylan Missry (second-team All-MPSF, who had multiple aces in 12 matches last season, with high of six vs. Long Beach State in NCAA championship match) also returns.
NEWCOMERS -- The Bruins roster features a talented group of freshmen and three transfers -- OH Austin Matautia (hit .349 with 1.9 kills/set mark and 24 aces in 25 matches last season for Hawai'i), OPP. Brandon Rattray (hit .356 with 2.0 kills/set average in 12 matches last season for Hawai'i) and MB Matt Younggren (hit .327 with a 0.7 blocks/set average in 18 matches last season for UC Irvine). Libero Cole Pender was the first true freshman to see the court with an appearance against UC San Diego.
NCAA STATS -- UCLA is ranked second nationally in aces/set (2.86); fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.144), fifth in hitting percentage (.372) and sixth in blocks per set (2.29). Daenan Gyimah ranks second nationally in aces per set (1.00) and blocks per set (1.43). Brandon Rattray is sixth in the nation in kills per set (4.00). Micah Ma'a is ranked seventh in the country in aces per set (0.7)
BY THE NUMBERS
• UCLA is 2-0 at home this season after posting a 19-2 record in its home venues of Pauley Pavilion, presented by Wescom (13-2) and in the Wooden Center (6-0) last season ... It was the most home wins ever by the Bruins, one more than the 18 home wins in the 1987 season ... the Bruins lost just 17 sets at home and recorded 10 sweeps. UCLA went 6-6 in true road matches in 2018.
• UCLA went 14-7 last season vs. teams ranked in the AVCA poll at the time of the match.
• UCLA has won the ace battle in both matches this season ... Last season it was out aced in just five matches, loss to Long Beach State (7-9), loss at BYU (5-6), loss to Pepperdine (3-5), loss at BYU (1-3), win over Ohio State (2-4).
• The Bruins held UCSD to a .066 hitting percentage in match two ... Last season, it held 12 opponents under .200 and posted a 12-0 mark.
• The Bruins tied the school record with 15 aces in the match last season against Princeton.
• UCLA is 2-0 this season and was 26-2 last season when it hit for a higher percentage than the opponent - lost to Long Beach State (.328 to .325) and loss at USC (.384 to .272) ... UCLA hit .370 in home matches last season to .215 for opponents.
• Freshman Cole Pender (libero) saw his first career action against UC San Diego.
• MB Daenan Gyimah led the NCAA in 2018 with a .528 hitting percentage last season and his 1.22 blocks/set average third in NCAA.
• MB Daenan Gyimah had three aces vs. UCSD ... Last season, he led the team with seven matches in which he recorded at least three aces ... Micah Ma'a had six such matches in 2018.
• OH Dylan Missry is ninth on the all-time school list for career aces with 77 (rally scoring era of 2001 to the present).
• S Micah Ma'a ranks second on the all-time school list for aces and is fourth on the all-time school list for set assists.
• L Garland Peed saw action in 18 matches last season and had at least five digs in 11 contests - high of 12 digs vs. Ohio State ... He played on the U.S. Junior National Team at the NORCECA Men's U21 Continental Championships in the summer of 2018 in Havana, Cuba
• Opp Brandon Rattray appeared in 12 matches last season for Hawai'i, with one start (2.0 kills/set; 0.8 digs/ 0.55 blocks per set)
• MB Grant Maleski made his initial start in the middle against USSD last week ...He saw action in eight matches last season at OH, with two starts.
• OH Austin Matautia played in 25 matches, with nine starts, at Hawai'i last season (1.9 kills per set/ 24 aces / 0.3 blocks per set).
• MB Matt Younggren saw action in 18 matches last season for UC Irvine (1.3 kills per set / six aces / 0.7 blocks per set) ... He started in the season-opening win over Princeton.
• Last season, UCLA ranked 2nd in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.350), 3rd in NCAA in kills per set (13.08) and set assists per set (12.24), 5th in service aces per set (1.70), 8th in blocks per set (2.42).
• UCLA's 26 wins in 2018 were the most since the 2006 team also posted 26 wins.
• John Speraw directed the U.S. Men's National Team to its first FIVB World Championship medal in 24 years last summer (bronze)
• John Hawks was an assistant coach for the U.S. Men's Pan Am Cup team which finished seventh and featured three Bruins (Mitch Stahl, JT Hatch, Jake Arnitz) this past summer in Mexico.
AVCA Poll -- Jan. 7
1. Long Beach St. (16) 240 3-0
2. UCLA 215 2-0
3. UC Irvine 205 2-0
4. Hawai'i 198 0-0
5. BYU 170 0-0
5. Pepperdine 170 2-0
7. Ohio State 136 2-0
8. Loyola-Chicago 121 1-1
9. Lewis 113 1-1
10. UC Santa Barbara 107 3-0
11. Stanford 69 2-0
12. CSUN 51 2-1
13. Purdue Fort Wayne 45 2-0
14. Ball State 34 2-0
15. Grand Canyon 27 1-2
rec. votes - Concordia, George Mason
No. 2 UCLA (2-0) at No. 12 CSUN (2-1)
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Matadome
Live Stats: https://gomatadors.com/sidearmstats/mvball/summary
Live Video: http://bigwest.sidearmstreaming.com/watch/?Live=1702
MATCH DAY: Friday, Jan. 11
No. 2 UCLA (2-0) at McKendree (0-0)
Time: 5:00 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/mckendree/mvball
Live Video: https://www.glvcsn.com/mckendree/
MATCH DAY: Saturday, Jan. 12
No. 2 UCLA (2-0) at Lindenwood (0-0)
Time: 5:30 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/lindenwood/mvball
Live Video: https://www.themiaanetwork.com/lindenwoodlions/
No. 2 UCLA (2-0) will travel to No. 12 CSUN (2-1) for a non-league match on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. On Friday, the Bruins will head east to take on McKendree University (0-0) from Lebanon, Ill. on Friday at 5:00 p.m. PT and Lindenwood University (0-0) from St. Charles, Mo. on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT. Both opponents compete in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA).
UCLA opened up the 2019 season with a sweep of Princeton of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) and a four-set win over UC San Diego from the Big West Conference. This year's schedule features non-league matchups against teams which have captured the past five NCAA Championships - 2018 Long Beach State (home and home), 2017 and 2016 Ohio State (at P12 Big Ten Challenge hosted by USC), 2015 and 2014 Loyola-Chicago (road only). The Bruins will also go up against a pair of EIVA teams from Princeton and Penn State. In addition to No. 7 Ohio State and No. 8 Loyola, UCLA will be challenged by three other teams from the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) - No. 9 Lewis, McKendree and Lindenwood. Teams from the Big West Conference on this year's slate include UC San Diego, No. 12 CSUN, No. 10 UC Santa Barbara as well as the defending national champion and number one-ranked 49ers.
Five Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) teams remained ranked in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll -- No. 2 UCLA, No. 5 BYU, No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 11 Stanford, No. 15 Grand Canyon. USC and Concordia are unranked.
WHO'S BACK -- The Bruins return a pair of 2018 first-team AVCA All-America selections in setter Micah Ma'a (56 aces last season, while guiding the Bruins to a .350 hitting percentage which ranked second in the NCAA last season) and middle blocker Daenan Gyimah (led the NCAA in hitting % at .528, placed third in NCAA in blocks/set at 1.22 and won the Ryan Millar Award as the nation's top middle attacker). Starting outside hitter Dylan Missry (second-team All-MPSF, who had multiple aces in 12 matches last season, with high of six vs. Long Beach State in NCAA championship match) also returns.
NEWCOMERS -- The Bruins roster features a talented group of freshmen and three transfers -- OH Austin Matautia (hit .349 with 1.9 kills/set mark and 24 aces in 25 matches last season for Hawai'i), OPP. Brandon Rattray (hit .356 with 2.0 kills/set average in 12 matches last season for Hawai'i) and MB Matt Younggren (hit .327 with a 0.7 blocks/set average in 18 matches last season for UC Irvine). Libero Cole Pender was the first true freshman to see the court with an appearance against UC San Diego.
NCAA STATS -- UCLA is ranked second nationally in aces/set (2.86); fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.144), fifth in hitting percentage (.372) and sixth in blocks per set (2.29). Daenan Gyimah ranks second nationally in aces per set (1.00) and blocks per set (1.43). Brandon Rattray is sixth in the nation in kills per set (4.00). Micah Ma'a is ranked seventh in the country in aces per set (0.7)
BY THE NUMBERS
• UCLA is 2-0 at home this season after posting a 19-2 record in its home venues of Pauley Pavilion, presented by Wescom (13-2) and in the Wooden Center (6-0) last season ... It was the most home wins ever by the Bruins, one more than the 18 home wins in the 1987 season ... the Bruins lost just 17 sets at home and recorded 10 sweeps. UCLA went 6-6 in true road matches in 2018.
• UCLA went 14-7 last season vs. teams ranked in the AVCA poll at the time of the match.
• UCLA has won the ace battle in both matches this season ... Last season it was out aced in just five matches, loss to Long Beach State (7-9), loss at BYU (5-6), loss to Pepperdine (3-5), loss at BYU (1-3), win over Ohio State (2-4).
• The Bruins held UCSD to a .066 hitting percentage in match two ... Last season, it held 12 opponents under .200 and posted a 12-0 mark.
• The Bruins tied the school record with 15 aces in the match last season against Princeton.
• UCLA is 2-0 this season and was 26-2 last season when it hit for a higher percentage than the opponent - lost to Long Beach State (.328 to .325) and loss at USC (.384 to .272) ... UCLA hit .370 in home matches last season to .215 for opponents.
• Freshman Cole Pender (libero) saw his first career action against UC San Diego.
• MB Daenan Gyimah led the NCAA in 2018 with a .528 hitting percentage last season and his 1.22 blocks/set average third in NCAA.
• MB Daenan Gyimah had three aces vs. UCSD ... Last season, he led the team with seven matches in which he recorded at least three aces ... Micah Ma'a had six such matches in 2018.
• OH Dylan Missry is ninth on the all-time school list for career aces with 77 (rally scoring era of 2001 to the present).
• S Micah Ma'a ranks second on the all-time school list for aces and is fourth on the all-time school list for set assists.
• L Garland Peed saw action in 18 matches last season and had at least five digs in 11 contests - high of 12 digs vs. Ohio State ... He played on the U.S. Junior National Team at the NORCECA Men's U21 Continental Championships in the summer of 2018 in Havana, Cuba
• Opp Brandon Rattray appeared in 12 matches last season for Hawai'i, with one start (2.0 kills/set; 0.8 digs/ 0.55 blocks per set)
• MB Grant Maleski made his initial start in the middle against USSD last week ...He saw action in eight matches last season at OH, with two starts.
• OH Austin Matautia played in 25 matches, with nine starts, at Hawai'i last season (1.9 kills per set/ 24 aces / 0.3 blocks per set).
• MB Matt Younggren saw action in 18 matches last season for UC Irvine (1.3 kills per set / six aces / 0.7 blocks per set) ... He started in the season-opening win over Princeton.
• Last season, UCLA ranked 2nd in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.350), 3rd in NCAA in kills per set (13.08) and set assists per set (12.24), 5th in service aces per set (1.70), 8th in blocks per set (2.42).
• UCLA's 26 wins in 2018 were the most since the 2006 team also posted 26 wins.
• John Speraw directed the U.S. Men's National Team to its first FIVB World Championship medal in 24 years last summer (bronze)
• John Hawks was an assistant coach for the U.S. Men's Pan Am Cup team which finished seventh and featured three Bruins (Mitch Stahl, JT Hatch, Jake Arnitz) this past summer in Mexico.
AVCA Poll -- Jan. 7
1. Long Beach St. (16) 240 3-0
2. UCLA 215 2-0
3. UC Irvine 205 2-0
4. Hawai'i 198 0-0
5. BYU 170 0-0
5. Pepperdine 170 2-0
7. Ohio State 136 2-0
8. Loyola-Chicago 121 1-1
9. Lewis 113 1-1
10. UC Santa Barbara 107 3-0
11. Stanford 69 2-0
12. CSUN 51 2-1
13. Purdue Fort Wayne 45 2-0
14. Ball State 34 2-0
15. Grand Canyon 27 1-2
rec. votes - Concordia, George Mason
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's Volleyball
L/OH
/ Men's Volleyball
Opp
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
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