Grant Maleski cranks one down the line against Long Beach State.
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
MVB Hits Road for a Pair of Matches
February 12, 2019 | Men's Volleyball
No. 4 UCLA (10-2), winners of five straight, will play on Wednesday at No. 6 UC Santa Barbara (11-3) and on Saturday at No. 1 Long Beach State (12-0) in a pair of non-league matches against Big West Conference teams. Since UCSB lost at UCLA on Jan. 16, the Gauchos have won eight straight matches, with six coming against ranked teams. The 49ers have won 32 straight home matches since losing to UCLA in the Pyramid on Mar. 26, 2016 (25-22, 25-22, 25-22). These opponents will be the fifth and sixth straight ranked teams to battle the Bruins.
MATCH DAY: Wednesday, Feb. 13
No. 4 UCLA (10-2) at No. 6 UC Santa Barbara (11-3) - Rob Gym
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-volley/2018-19/boxscores/20190213_97z5.xml
Live Video: http://bigwest.sidearmstreaming.com/watch/
MATCH DAY: Saturday, Feb. 16
No. 4 UCLA at No. 1 Long Beach State (12-0) - Walter Pyramid
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=lbst
Live Video: http://bigwest.sidearmstreaming.com/watch/?Live=1775
Last week, the Bruins rallied to defeat No. 9 Stanford in five sets (21-25, 25-14, 16-25, 26-24, 15-10) on Thursday in the MPSF opener for both teams. Daenan Gyimah recorded a career-best 25 kills in the win. The last Bruin player with more kills in a match was Robart Page who had 26 in a 2014 contest against Stanford. Austin Matautia, who hit .450 over the final three sets with just one error on 20 swings, added season-highs of 12 kills, eight digs and four blocks in the win over the Cardinal. Matautia followed up with a season-best 13 kills in Saturday's 16-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-18 victory over No. 7 BYU.
LAST MEETING -- The Bruins defeated UCSB (25-20 25-16, 25-21) on Jan. 16 in Pauley. UCLA hit .475 for the match to .183 for the Gauchos. Daenan Gyimah hit .714 to lead the Bruin attack (10 kills and no errors). UCLA lost to Long Beach State (29-27, 25-22, 25-17) in Pauley on Jan. 19. Gyimah hit .500 in that match with seven kills. The Beach outhit the Bruins .429 to .210 and won the blocking battle 11.5 to 2.0. UCLA had an 8 ace (Micah Ma'a-4) to 3 advantage.
ON THE ROAD -- UCLA is 5-1 on the road this season (loss at CSUN), including wins against ranked teams from Loyola and Lewis; the Bruins were 6-6 in true road matches in 2018.
NCAA STATS -- UCLA began the week third in the nation in aces/set (1.93) and hitting % (.343) ... It is sixth in kills/set (13.19) and set assist average (12.28). Daenan Gyimah leads the nation in hitting % (.547) ... Micah Ma'a rated 3rd nationally in aces (0.69 per set).
BY THE NUMBERS
• Daenan Gyimah's .739 hitting percentage in the win at Loyola-Chicago is the highest of any player in the country this season (min. 20 att.) ... His school-record .917 hitting percentage at McKendree is tied for 2nd-highest by a player this season (min. 10 att.).
• UCLA is 5-2 this year vs. teams ranked in the AVCA poll at the time of the match, after going 14-7 last season.
• Daenan Gyimah began the week leading the MPSF in hitting percentage at .547 ... Micah Ma'a topped the league in aces/set average at 0.70 ... The Bruins were first in the MPSF in hitting % (.343) and aces/set (1.93) ... Gyimah has hit .500 or better in 8 matches this season ... Over last 9 matches, Gyimah is hitting .595 (102k-11e-153ta) ... Last season, Gyimah led the NCAA in 2018 with a .528 mark.
• Micah Ma'a has totaled at least three aces in 6 matches this season at Loyola-3, at UCSD-3, UCSD-3, Long Beach-4, BYU-5 and Lindenwood-5.
• Micah Ma'a, who is third in the NCAA in aces/set (0.70) this season, has 24 aces in the last 8 matches and has recorded multiple aces in 8 matches with at least one ace in 11 of the 12 matches this year ... Ma'a ranks second on the all-time school list for aces, is fourth on the all-time school list for set assists and sixth on digs list.
• Austin Matautia had a season-best 13 kills last week in the win over BYU after putting down 12 vs. Stanford ... He shifted over to libero for a couple of sets in wins at Loyola and Lewis ... Last year, Matautia played in 25 matches, with nine starts, at Hawai'i (1.9 kills per set/ 24 aces).
• MB Grant Maleski, who had a career-best 7 block assists in the win over Stanford, has moved inside this season to middle blocker after seeing action in eight matches last season at OH, with two starts. Maleski has led or tied for the lead in block assists in 3 of last 4 matches.
• MB Matt Younggren, who posted season-high six block assists in back-to-back matches last week vs. BYU and Stanford, saw action in 18 matches a season ago for UC Irvine (1.3 kills per set / six aces / 0.7 blocks per set).
• UCLA has won the ace battle in its 8 of its 10 wins this season; it has come up short this season (7-9) in win at Loyola and (2-4) in the loss at CSUN and was equal at Lewis (3-3).
• The Bruins are now 3-0 in 2019 when holding the opponent to .200 or below hitting % after limiting BYU to a .118 mark last week. It held UCSD to a .066 hitting percentage and UCSB to .183 earlier this season ... Last season, it limited 12 opponents under the .200 mark and won each match.
• The Bruins rebounded from a season-low .200 hitting percentage at CSUN to hit a season-best .475 in the win at McKendree ... Daenan Gyimah recorded a school record .917 % (11k-0-12att) in that win (old mark was .900 held by several players, the last was Allan Vince in 2005 v. UCI).
• UCLA has hit over .400 (.475 vs. UCSB and McKendree; .449 at UCSD, .407 at Loyola) four times (4-0) in 2019 ...Last season, UCLA hit at least .400 in 12 matches, all wins ... CSUN (.417) and Long Beach (.429) each hit over .400 in defeating UCLA this season ... UCLA's .200 hitting % at CSUN was the lowest since .191 in a loss at Long Beach State a year ago.
• The Bruins equaled the school mark with seven aces in a set (second set) in this year's home match against UC San Diego on Jan. 5.
• UCLA is 10-0 in 2019 (26-2 last season) when it hits for a higher % than the opponent ... UCLA hit .370 in home matches last season to .215 for opponents - In 6 home matches in 2019, UCLA is swinging at a.312 clip vs. .210 for opponents ... In six away matches - UCLA is hitting .373 to .268 for opponents.
AVCA Coaches Poll - Feb. 11
1. Long Beach State 240 12-0
2. Hawaii 223 8-0
3. UC Irvine 204 12-2
4. UCLA 185 10-2
5. Pepperdine 182 8-2
6. UCSB 161 11-3
7. Loyola-Chicago 135 9-3
8. BYU 118 4-4
9. Stanford 115 7-5
10. Lewis 106 9-4
11. CSUN 77 7-5
12. Ball State 59 7-5
13. George Mason 49 8-2
14. USC 43 7-4
15. Purdue Fort Wayne 17 8-5
MATCH DAY: Wednesday, Feb. 13
No. 4 UCLA (10-2) at No. 6 UC Santa Barbara (11-3) - Rob Gym
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-volley/2018-19/boxscores/20190213_97z5.xml
Live Video: http://bigwest.sidearmstreaming.com/watch/
MATCH DAY: Saturday, Feb. 16
No. 4 UCLA at No. 1 Long Beach State (12-0) - Walter Pyramid
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=lbst
Live Video: http://bigwest.sidearmstreaming.com/watch/?Live=1775
Last week, the Bruins rallied to defeat No. 9 Stanford in five sets (21-25, 25-14, 16-25, 26-24, 15-10) on Thursday in the MPSF opener for both teams. Daenan Gyimah recorded a career-best 25 kills in the win. The last Bruin player with more kills in a match was Robart Page who had 26 in a 2014 contest against Stanford. Austin Matautia, who hit .450 over the final three sets with just one error on 20 swings, added season-highs of 12 kills, eight digs and four blocks in the win over the Cardinal. Matautia followed up with a season-best 13 kills in Saturday's 16-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-18 victory over No. 7 BYU.
LAST MEETING -- The Bruins defeated UCSB (25-20 25-16, 25-21) on Jan. 16 in Pauley. UCLA hit .475 for the match to .183 for the Gauchos. Daenan Gyimah hit .714 to lead the Bruin attack (10 kills and no errors). UCLA lost to Long Beach State (29-27, 25-22, 25-17) in Pauley on Jan. 19. Gyimah hit .500 in that match with seven kills. The Beach outhit the Bruins .429 to .210 and won the blocking battle 11.5 to 2.0. UCLA had an 8 ace (Micah Ma'a-4) to 3 advantage.
ON THE ROAD -- UCLA is 5-1 on the road this season (loss at CSUN), including wins against ranked teams from Loyola and Lewis; the Bruins were 6-6 in true road matches in 2018.
NCAA STATS -- UCLA began the week third in the nation in aces/set (1.93) and hitting % (.343) ... It is sixth in kills/set (13.19) and set assist average (12.28). Daenan Gyimah leads the nation in hitting % (.547) ... Micah Ma'a rated 3rd nationally in aces (0.69 per set).
BY THE NUMBERS
• Daenan Gyimah's .739 hitting percentage in the win at Loyola-Chicago is the highest of any player in the country this season (min. 20 att.) ... His school-record .917 hitting percentage at McKendree is tied for 2nd-highest by a player this season (min. 10 att.).
• UCLA is 5-2 this year vs. teams ranked in the AVCA poll at the time of the match, after going 14-7 last season.
• Daenan Gyimah began the week leading the MPSF in hitting percentage at .547 ... Micah Ma'a topped the league in aces/set average at 0.70 ... The Bruins were first in the MPSF in hitting % (.343) and aces/set (1.93) ... Gyimah has hit .500 or better in 8 matches this season ... Over last 9 matches, Gyimah is hitting .595 (102k-11e-153ta) ... Last season, Gyimah led the NCAA in 2018 with a .528 mark.
• Micah Ma'a has totaled at least three aces in 6 matches this season at Loyola-3, at UCSD-3, UCSD-3, Long Beach-4, BYU-5 and Lindenwood-5.
• Micah Ma'a, who is third in the NCAA in aces/set (0.70) this season, has 24 aces in the last 8 matches and has recorded multiple aces in 8 matches with at least one ace in 11 of the 12 matches this year ... Ma'a ranks second on the all-time school list for aces, is fourth on the all-time school list for set assists and sixth on digs list.
• Austin Matautia had a season-best 13 kills last week in the win over BYU after putting down 12 vs. Stanford ... He shifted over to libero for a couple of sets in wins at Loyola and Lewis ... Last year, Matautia played in 25 matches, with nine starts, at Hawai'i (1.9 kills per set/ 24 aces).
• MB Grant Maleski, who had a career-best 7 block assists in the win over Stanford, has moved inside this season to middle blocker after seeing action in eight matches last season at OH, with two starts. Maleski has led or tied for the lead in block assists in 3 of last 4 matches.
• MB Matt Younggren, who posted season-high six block assists in back-to-back matches last week vs. BYU and Stanford, saw action in 18 matches a season ago for UC Irvine (1.3 kills per set / six aces / 0.7 blocks per set).
• UCLA has won the ace battle in its 8 of its 10 wins this season; it has come up short this season (7-9) in win at Loyola and (2-4) in the loss at CSUN and was equal at Lewis (3-3).
• The Bruins are now 3-0 in 2019 when holding the opponent to .200 or below hitting % after limiting BYU to a .118 mark last week. It held UCSD to a .066 hitting percentage and UCSB to .183 earlier this season ... Last season, it limited 12 opponents under the .200 mark and won each match.
• The Bruins rebounded from a season-low .200 hitting percentage at CSUN to hit a season-best .475 in the win at McKendree ... Daenan Gyimah recorded a school record .917 % (11k-0-12att) in that win (old mark was .900 held by several players, the last was Allan Vince in 2005 v. UCI).
• UCLA has hit over .400 (.475 vs. UCSB and McKendree; .449 at UCSD, .407 at Loyola) four times (4-0) in 2019 ...Last season, UCLA hit at least .400 in 12 matches, all wins ... CSUN (.417) and Long Beach (.429) each hit over .400 in defeating UCLA this season ... UCLA's .200 hitting % at CSUN was the lowest since .191 in a loss at Long Beach State a year ago.
• The Bruins equaled the school mark with seven aces in a set (second set) in this year's home match against UC San Diego on Jan. 5.
• UCLA is 10-0 in 2019 (26-2 last season) when it hits for a higher % than the opponent ... UCLA hit .370 in home matches last season to .215 for opponents - In 6 home matches in 2019, UCLA is swinging at a.312 clip vs. .210 for opponents ... In six away matches - UCLA is hitting .373 to .268 for opponents.
AVCA Coaches Poll - Feb. 11
1. Long Beach State 240 12-0
2. Hawaii 223 8-0
3. UC Irvine 204 12-2
4. UCLA 185 10-2
5. Pepperdine 182 8-2
6. UCSB 161 11-3
7. Loyola-Chicago 135 9-3
8. BYU 118 4-4
9. Stanford 115 7-5
10. Lewis 106 9-4
11. CSUN 77 7-5
12. Ball State 59 7-5
13. George Mason 49 8-2
14. USC 43 7-4
15. Purdue Fort Wayne 17 8-5
Players Mentioned
MB
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S
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MB
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OH
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MB
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