UCLA Travels to USC for 48th Playoff Appearance
April 19, 2011
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The 8th-ranked UCLA men's volleyball team (16-14, 9-13) begins the 2011 MPSF playoffs with a road date against top-seeded USC (21-2, 20-2) on Sat., Apr. 23. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Galen Center.
Darren Preston, Mike Sondheimer and Connor Reeves will call the audio action on UCLABruins.com. GameTracker also will be available.
Saturday's playoff appearance will mark UCLA's 48th in the last 49 years under head coach Al Scates. In the MPSF playoffs since 1995, the Bruins boast a 21-10 record. Against the Trojans in the playoffs the Bruins have won seven of 10 matches all-time dating back to 1972.
The Bruins won their last league title in 2006 as the No. 7 seed -- the lowest seeded team ever to win the MPSF title. That season, they won their final 14 matches -- a streak that began with a 3-2 victory at home against USC -- and won their 19th NCAA title. Overall, the Bruins have won 24 conference titles, including one shared crown in 1989.
Recent rivalry history against USC has been unkind to UCLA. The Bruins have lost four straight to USC, including two this season. This is the longest USC winning streak against UCLA since it won five straight from 1988-89. In the last 10 meetings, USC has won eight times. Still, the Bruins lead the series, 86-38 and have won 29 of the last 42 meetings.
In the two matches against USC, UCLA's leading hitter is junior middle blocker Thomas Amberg, who is hitting .457 with 19 kills, an ace and four total blocks. Next is freshman Gonzalo Quiroga with 15 kills, two aces, two total blocks and 10 digs. Junior Weston Dunlap has 13 kills in two matches against USC and is hitting .391. Setter Alex Scattareggia is averaging 9.0 assists per set and 1.71 digs per set.
For USC, senior Murphy Troy has slammed 38 kills (.460) against the Bruins with eight aces and four total blocks. Junior Tony Ciarelli has connected on 31 kills (.338) for 36.5 points.
The winner of Saturday's match plays the victor of the UC Irvine-Hawai'i quarterfinal in the MPSF semifinals, Thurs., Apr. 28 at a site to be determined.