Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
MVB Heads Across Town to Play Ohio St. & Penn St.
March 06, 2019 | Men's Volleyball
THIS WEEK --- No. 5 UCLA (14-4, 6-0 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation-MPSF) will play a pair of non-league matches this week against Ohio State (6-12) of the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) and Penn State (8-8, match vs. USC on Friday) of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) in the Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge to be held at USC's Galen Center on Friday and Saturday. Both matches are slated to begin at 5 p.m. Ohio State, at 2-6, is currently in seventh place in the MIVA, while Penn State, at 5-2, is tied for third in the EIVA. Stats and video will be provided for the matches at usctrojans.com
The four teams competing in the weekend event own a combined total of 28 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships --- UCLA (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2006), Ohio State (2011, 2016, 2017), Penn State (1994, 2008), USC (1977, 1980, 1988, 1990). UCLA defeated Penn State to win its last NCAA MVB Championship in 2006, as well as to secure titles in 1995 and 1982. The Bruins topped Ohio State in the final to bring home the NCAA title in 2000. The Buckeyes knocked the Bruins out of the NCAA tournament in five sets at the semifinal round in 2016.
LAST MEETINGS -- UCLA defeated Ohio State in five sets (25-18, 22-25, 27-25, 24-26, 16-14) last season in the AVCA Showcase event held in Pauley. The Bruins handed Penn State a four-set decision (25-15, 19-25, 25-20, 25-22) in the same event. Daenan Gyimah hit at least .500 in each match (17k-0e-28att) and combined for 13 block assists against the two Big Ten schools. The Bruins held both opponents below the .200 hitting percentage (.186 PSU/.113 OSU) last year and out blocked them by a combined 25.0 to 12.5.
LAST MATCHES -- Last Friday, UCLA held Grand Canyon to a .170 hitting percentage in a four-set victory. Brandon Rattray topped four Bruins in double-digit kills with 15. Last Wednesday, the Bruins moved into sole possession of first-place in the MPSF with a come-from-behind five-set win over Pepperdine (29-31, 17-25, 25-20, 25-18, 15-9). Austin Matautia (.486) led the way with a career-best 22 kills (nine in set three and six in set five) and added 11 digs. UCLA outhit Pepp .352 to .248 for the match. Rattray (18 kills) and Sam Kobrine (12) also hit above .300 for the match.
MATAUTIA NAMED MPSF POW -- Austin Matautia was named MPSF Offensive Player of the week after recording career-highs in kills (22) and digs (11) while helping UCLA come back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat Pepperdine. Matautia had nine kills in the momentum-swinging third set and added six more in the decisive fifth set. He also handled 25 serves with just one reception error for the match. At Grand Canyon, he tallied 10 of his 12 kills in the final two sets to help the Bruins secure a second win on the week, while receiving 15 serves without an error. For the week, he hit .393 while averaging 3.8 kills and 4.1 points per set. He also handled 40 serve receptions with just one error.
NCAA STATS -- UCLA began the week 3rd in the nation in hitting % (.332) and 4th in Aces/set (1.80) ... It is 5th in kills/set (13.11) and 6th in set assist average (12.27). Daenan Gyimah leads the nation in hitting % (.518) ... Micah Ma'a rated 5th nationally in aces (0.59 per set).
BY THE NUMBERS
• Daenan Gyimah had a streak of 13 straight matches hitting .400 or better stopped against Pepperdine (he hit .211) ... He has totaled 14 matches overall this season with a .400 or better mark. (not vs. Pepperdine, vs. Grand Canyon, vs. Princeton and CSUN).
• Micah Ma'a has totaled at least three aces in 7 matches in '19: at Loyola-3, at UCSD-3, UCSD-3, USC-4, Long Beach-4, BYU-5 and Lindenwood-5 ... He has recorded multiple aces in 9 contests with at least one ace in 16 of the 18 matches this year (not at McKendree or at Grand Canyon) ... Ma'a ranks second on the all-time school list for aces and set assists, and is fourth in digs.
• Austin Matautia was named the MPSF Offensive POW after leading UCLA to wins over Pepperdine and Grand Canyon ... He has 75 kills over the last 7 matches ... Put down a career-best 22 kills vs. Pepperdine ... He was errorless on 27 swings at Concordia while producing 11 kills ... 13 kills vs. BYU, after putting down 12 vs. Stanford ... Last year, Matautia played in 25 matches, with nine starts, at Hawai'i (1.9 k/s).
• Brandon Rattray has 79 kills and nine aces in the last 6 matches ... He registered a career-best 21 kills at UCSD ... Rattray began the week ranked 14th in the NCAA (5th in MPSF) in kills/set this year (3.76) ... He has 192 kills this season after totaling 40 a season ago at UH where he appeared in 12 matches, with one start (2.0 kills/set; 0.8 digs/ 0.55 blocks per set).
• MB Grant Maleski, who had a career-best 9 kills in loss at UCSB, totaled a career-best 7 block assists in the win over Stanford ... He 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 team lead in block assists in 6 of last 10 matches.
• Senior hitter Dylan Missry has at least one service ace in eight of his 10 matches this season ... Missry is seventh on the all-time school list for career aces with 86 (rally scoring era of 2001 to the present). Missry has missed the last eight matches due to injury.
• True freshman Cole Pender (libero) registered a career-best 12 digs in the win over Pepperdine.
• UCLA has won the ace battle in 11 of its 13 wins this season.
• The Bruins are 5-0 in 2019 when holding the opponent to .200 or below hitting % after limiting Grand Canyon to a .170 mark last week.
• UCLA has hit over .400 (.420 vs. USC, .475 vs. UCSB and McKendree; .449 at UCSD, .407 at Loyola) five times (5-0) in 2019.
• The Bruins have double-digit aces in (UCSD-11, BYU-13, USC-12) three matches this season ... Last season, UCLA tied the school record with 15 aces against Princeton; it equaled the school mark with seven aces in a set (second set) in this year's home match against UC San Diego.
• UCLA is 14-0 in 2019 (26-2 last season) when it hits for a higher % than the opponent ... In 8 home matches in 2019, UCLA is swinging at a .331 clip vs. .230 for opponents and owns a 66-30 edge in aces ... In 10 away matches - UCLA is hitting .332 to .261 for opponents and the visitors own a 57-53 ace advantage.
MPSF Standings (Feb. 4)
UCLA 6-0
Pepperdine 4-2
BYU 4-3
Stanford 4-3
USC 3-3
Concordia 1-5
Grand Canyon 0-6
Note-the MPSF Champ receives a first-rd. MPSF Tournament bye and will host the semifinals (Apr. 18) and finals (Apr. 20)
AVCA Coaches Poll (Feb. 4)
1. Long Beach State 240 15-0
2. Hawai'i 224 12-0
3. UC Irvine 193 13-4
4. UC Santa Barbara 191 14-3
5. UCLA 187 14-4
6. Pepperdine 162 11-4
7. Lewis 133 14-4
8. Stanford 128 12-6
9. Loyola-Chicago 112 13-4
10. BYU 108 8-5
11. USC 67 9-7
12. CSUN 61 8-8
13. Purdue Fort Wayne 49 10-7
14. George Mason 35 12-4
15. Ball State 23 9-8
The four teams competing in the weekend event own a combined total of 28 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships --- UCLA (1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2006), Ohio State (2011, 2016, 2017), Penn State (1994, 2008), USC (1977, 1980, 1988, 1990). UCLA defeated Penn State to win its last NCAA MVB Championship in 2006, as well as to secure titles in 1995 and 1982. The Bruins topped Ohio State in the final to bring home the NCAA title in 2000. The Buckeyes knocked the Bruins out of the NCAA tournament in five sets at the semifinal round in 2016.
LAST MEETINGS -- UCLA defeated Ohio State in five sets (25-18, 22-25, 27-25, 24-26, 16-14) last season in the AVCA Showcase event held in Pauley. The Bruins handed Penn State a four-set decision (25-15, 19-25, 25-20, 25-22) in the same event. Daenan Gyimah hit at least .500 in each match (17k-0e-28att) and combined for 13 block assists against the two Big Ten schools. The Bruins held both opponents below the .200 hitting percentage (.186 PSU/.113 OSU) last year and out blocked them by a combined 25.0 to 12.5.
LAST MATCHES -- Last Friday, UCLA held Grand Canyon to a .170 hitting percentage in a four-set victory. Brandon Rattray topped four Bruins in double-digit kills with 15. Last Wednesday, the Bruins moved into sole possession of first-place in the MPSF with a come-from-behind five-set win over Pepperdine (29-31, 17-25, 25-20, 25-18, 15-9). Austin Matautia (.486) led the way with a career-best 22 kills (nine in set three and six in set five) and added 11 digs. UCLA outhit Pepp .352 to .248 for the match. Rattray (18 kills) and Sam Kobrine (12) also hit above .300 for the match.
MATAUTIA NAMED MPSF POW -- Austin Matautia was named MPSF Offensive Player of the week after recording career-highs in kills (22) and digs (11) while helping UCLA come back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat Pepperdine. Matautia had nine kills in the momentum-swinging third set and added six more in the decisive fifth set. He also handled 25 serves with just one reception error for the match. At Grand Canyon, he tallied 10 of his 12 kills in the final two sets to help the Bruins secure a second win on the week, while receiving 15 serves without an error. For the week, he hit .393 while averaging 3.8 kills and 4.1 points per set. He also handled 40 serve receptions with just one error.
NCAA STATS -- UCLA began the week 3rd in the nation in hitting % (.332) and 4th in Aces/set (1.80) ... It is 5th in kills/set (13.11) and 6th in set assist average (12.27). Daenan Gyimah leads the nation in hitting % (.518) ... Micah Ma'a rated 5th nationally in aces (0.59 per set).
BY THE NUMBERS
• Daenan Gyimah had a streak of 13 straight matches hitting .400 or better stopped against Pepperdine (he hit .211) ... He has totaled 14 matches overall this season with a .400 or better mark. (not vs. Pepperdine, vs. Grand Canyon, vs. Princeton and CSUN).
• Micah Ma'a has totaled at least three aces in 7 matches in '19: at Loyola-3, at UCSD-3, UCSD-3, USC-4, Long Beach-4, BYU-5 and Lindenwood-5 ... He has recorded multiple aces in 9 contests with at least one ace in 16 of the 18 matches this year (not at McKendree or at Grand Canyon) ... Ma'a ranks second on the all-time school list for aces and set assists, and is fourth in digs.
• Austin Matautia was named the MPSF Offensive POW after leading UCLA to wins over Pepperdine and Grand Canyon ... He has 75 kills over the last 7 matches ... Put down a career-best 22 kills vs. Pepperdine ... He was errorless on 27 swings at Concordia while producing 11 kills ... 13 kills vs. BYU, after putting down 12 vs. Stanford ... Last year, Matautia played in 25 matches, with nine starts, at Hawai'i (1.9 k/s).
• Brandon Rattray has 79 kills and nine aces in the last 6 matches ... He registered a career-best 21 kills at UCSD ... Rattray began the week ranked 14th in the NCAA (5th in MPSF) in kills/set this year (3.76) ... He has 192 kills this season after totaling 40 a season ago at UH where he appeared in 12 matches, with one start (2.0 kills/set; 0.8 digs/ 0.55 blocks per set).
• MB Grant Maleski, who had a career-best 9 kills in loss at UCSB, totaled a career-best 7 block assists in the win over Stanford ... He 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 team lead in block assists in 6 of last 10 matches.
• Senior hitter Dylan Missry has at least one service ace in eight of his 10 matches this season ... Missry is seventh on the all-time school list for career aces with 86 (rally scoring era of 2001 to the present). Missry has missed the last eight matches due to injury.
• True freshman Cole Pender (libero) registered a career-best 12 digs in the win over Pepperdine.
• UCLA has won the ace battle in 11 of its 13 wins this season.
• The Bruins are 5-0 in 2019 when holding the opponent to .200 or below hitting % after limiting Grand Canyon to a .170 mark last week.
• UCLA has hit over .400 (.420 vs. USC, .475 vs. UCSB and McKendree; .449 at UCSD, .407 at Loyola) five times (5-0) in 2019.
• The Bruins have double-digit aces in (UCSD-11, BYU-13, USC-12) three matches this season ... Last season, UCLA tied the school record with 15 aces against Princeton; it equaled the school mark with seven aces in a set (second set) in this year's home match against UC San Diego.
• UCLA is 14-0 in 2019 (26-2 last season) when it hits for a higher % than the opponent ... In 8 home matches in 2019, UCLA is swinging at a .331 clip vs. .230 for opponents and owns a 66-30 edge in aces ... In 10 away matches - UCLA is hitting .332 to .261 for opponents and the visitors own a 57-53 ace advantage.
MPSF Standings (Feb. 4)
UCLA 6-0
Pepperdine 4-2
BYU 4-3
Stanford 4-3
USC 3-3
Concordia 1-5
Grand Canyon 0-6
Note-the MPSF Champ receives a first-rd. MPSF Tournament bye and will host the semifinals (Apr. 18) and finals (Apr. 20)
AVCA Coaches Poll (Feb. 4)
1. Long Beach State 240 15-0
2. Hawai'i 224 12-0
3. UC Irvine 193 13-4
4. UC Santa Barbara 191 14-3
5. UCLA 187 14-4
6. Pepperdine 162 11-4
7. Lewis 133 14-4
8. Stanford 128 12-6
9. Loyola-Chicago 112 13-4
10. BYU 108 8-5
11. USC 67 9-7
12. CSUN 61 8-8
13. Purdue Fort Wayne 49 10-7
14. George Mason 35 12-4
15. Ball State 23 9-8
Players Mentioned
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