University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Saturday Night Volleyball: MPSF Playoffs UCLA at UC Irvine
Saturday — The 12th-ranked Bruins, 13-13 overall and 9-13 in MPSF play, earned the No. 8 seed into the MPSF Playoffs and will play at top-seed UC Irvine (25-4, 19-3) on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in an MPSF quarterfinal match. The winner will advance to meet the winner of the BYU at USC match on Thurs., Apr. 30 at the site of the highest remaining overall seed. The MPSF Championship match will be played on Friday, May 1 at that same site.
MPSF Playoff Pairings: (All matches Saturday)No. 1 UC Irvine hosts No.8 UCLA; No. 5 BYU plays at No. 4 USC; No. 6 UC Santa Barbara plays at No. 3 Pepperdine; No. 7 Long Beach State plays at No. 2 Hawai'i
Live Coverage — Find live stats for the match at http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/2014-15/boxscores/20150425_lnpk.xml .... For a stream of the match go to https://youtu.be/O6XZ995kbuM .... Fans may also follow the match on UCLA's live Twitter feed @UCLAMVB.
Recapping Previous Action — Last Friday, UCLA earned the final seed in the MPSF Playoffs with a sweep (25-18,25-19,25-20) at Stanford. The Bruins hit at least .380 as a team for the third straight match and over .400 for the second straight contest after swinging to a .430 clip at Stanford. J.T. Hatch led the way with 16 kills and a .444 hitting percentage. Jake Arnitz added 12 kills, an ace and six digs while hitting .429. Trent Kersten totaled eight kills, four block assists and hit .800. Eric Matheis handed out 45 set assists and had a block solo and three block assists. Christian Hessenauer made seven kills. Mitch Stahl had five kills and four block assists. Jackson Bantle dug five balls.
On Saturday Apr. 11, seniors Clayton Paullin and Kersten combined to hit over .750 on the night and help propel the Bruins to a season-high team hitting percentage of .436 in a straight sets win over UC San Diego (26-24,25-17,25-18). Paullin had seven kills and hit .778, while Kersten had six kills and hit .750. Kersten added four block assists. Hatch topped the Bruins with 17 kills and 10 digs. Hatch and Arnitz each recorded two service aces. Matheis had 40 set assists.
On Apr. 10, UCLA dropped a four-set match against UC Irvine (19-25, 25-21, 21-25,20-25). Arnitz paced the Bruins with 15 kills and two aces. Stahl added a career-high 13 kills, while hitting .667.
Bruin Notes — *Recent MPSF Playoff History -2014 -- #5 UCLA lost at UC Santa Barbara in quarterfinals 2-3; 2013 -- #4 UCLA def. Pepperdine in quarterfinals 3-0 and lost in semis at BYU 2-3; 2012 -- #5 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at UC Irvine 1-3; 2011 -- #8 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at USC 1-3; 2010 -- #7 UCLA lost at BYU in quarterfinals 1-3; 2009 -- #8 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at UC Irvine 1-3. The Bruins last won the MPSF Tournament in 2006 and then went on to claim their 19th NCAA Championship.
*Four Bruins were named to All-MPSF teams announced earlier this week. J.T. Hatch was a second-team all-league selection and the MPSF Freshman of the Year. Middle blockers Trent Kersten and Mitch Stahl were chosed All-MPSF honorable mention. Jake Arnitz joined Hatch on the All-MPSF Freshman team.
*Success at the nets has moved the Bruins to eighth in the NCAA in blocks per set (2.56) to begin the week. Trent Kersten began the week ranked 17th in the NCAA in blocks/set (1.13) and Mitch Stahl was 30th (0.98). Stahl is also 21st in the NCAA in aces per set average (0.39). The Bruin team began the week ranked 11th in the NCAA in service aces per set average (1.48). Kersten is ranked 10th in hitting percentage (.386). UCLA set a school record with 15 aces in a match earlier this season against Limestone College.
Stat Notes (this season):*Hatch has 12 matches with at least 10 kills. Stahl has 9 matches with multiple aces. Kersten has 12 matches with at least 4 block assists. Stahl has at least one ace in 11 of the last 12 matches. Arnitz' six aces at USC was a season-best and his four straight in the third set tied Adam Naeve's school record, set in a 2001 match vs. Pepperdine. Kersten carries a .419 career hitting percentage into the match.
* J.T. Hatch and Jake Arnitz were each named to the Off the Block Freshman All-America team. Earlier this season, Hatch was named Off the Block's National Freshman of the Week for his performance in matches at USC ( M28) and at Cal Baptist (M26). His 25-kill, 28.0 point effort at USC produced the highest totals of the season by a Bruin.
*Jackson Bantle, Michael Fisher, J.T. Hatch, Eric Matheis, Clayton Paullin, Jake Reeves, Mitch Stahl and John Zappia each earned a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for their work in the classroom in Winter quarter 2015. Jake Arnitz, Christian Hessenauer, Bantle, Matheis, Reeves and Zappia earned a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll in Fall quarter 2014.
*UCLA had its biggest blocking match of the season in the match at Northridge (17.0 total blocks) on Feb. 6. UCLA registered a season low 2.0 total blocks (4 block assists) in its match vs. Hawai'i on March 31.
*Coach John Speraw picked up his 50th win as UCLA head coach in the 3-1 victory at Cal Baptist on M26 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 25-23).
Last three matches -- Aces: Arnitz-5, Stahl-2, Hatch-2; Block Assists: Kersten-10, Hatch-7, Stahl-6, Matheis-5; Kills: Hatch-44, Arnitz-29, Hessenauer-21, Stahl-20 ; Digs: Bantle-24, Hatch-19, Hessenauer-11 ... Team Hitting %: .412 (145-31-277).
Scouting the Opponent — UCI won 16 of its last 17 matches (seven in a row) to close the regular season and finish atop the MPSF standings. The Anteaters last loss was a five-setter, on March 14, at Pepperdine. Three of UCI's four losses have come at home (Jan. 5) 0-3 to Lewis, (Jan. 23) 2-3 to USC, (Jan. 30) 1-3 to Hawai'i. UC Irvine is ranked among the nation's best in several stat categories: #1 hitting % .358, #2 set assists 13.13, #6 service aces 1.52.
UCI defeated the Bruins 25-19, 21-25,25-21,25-20 on Apr. 10 in Pauley. UCLA hit .381 in that match, but the 'Eaters were at .429 and hit over .500 in the final two sets. Jake Arnitz led UCLA with 15 kills (.353) and Mitch Stahl added a career-best 13 kills (.667). J.T. Hatch was also in double digits with 11 kills (.400). UCLA outblocked UCI 5.0 to 3.0 in the match. UCI had seven aces to the Bruins' three. UCLA also totaled 21 service errors in the contest. In the first meeting of the season, UCI topped the Bruins 25-19, 25-17, 25-17 in the Bren Center. UCLA managed just a .045 hitting percentage in that contest, while the 'Eaters hit .317. Michael Fisher's seven kills led UCLA. Only one Bruin in the match hit over .200. UCI totaled nine aces to two for UCLA. The Bruins outblocked Irvine 10.5 to 10.0.
Stats Comps --- UCLA/UCI --- Hit% .260/.358; Asts: 11.6/13.1; Blocks: 2.6/2.3; Digs: 9.0/9.1; Oppt. Hit%: .248/.238; Kills: 12.1/13.9; Aces: 1.48/1.52
Coach Speraw: Year Three at UCLA — John Speraw (UCLA '95), who is in his third season as the head coach at his alma mater, picked up his 50th career win as the Bruin's head man at Cal Baptist on Mar. 26, 2015. Last season, the Bruins moved out to a 9-1 record to open the season which marked the program's best start since 2012. UCLA jumped up to the top spot in the AVCA poll for the first time since March of 2012 after winning the Outrigger Invitational and posting a victory over then top-ranked Stanford. The team concluded the season with an 18-11 mark and a fifth-place finish in the MPSF. In year one, the Bruins went 21-11 and advanced to the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament.In 10 seasons at UC Irvine, Speraw led the Anteaters to three NCAA championships (2007, 2009, 2012), and a 199-106 (.646) overall record. In winning that 2007 title, Speraw became the only individual to win a championship as a head coach, assistant coach and player in collegiate men's volleyball history. On Mar. 25, 2013, he was named head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team for the next quadrennial ending at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. Last summer, he guided the U.S. team to a win over top-ranked Brazil in the FIVB World League gold-medal match. In the summer of 2012, he had served as an assistant coach for the National Team, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the London Olympics. Speraw earned AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2006 and was given the USA Olympic Committee's National Coach of the Year award in 2007.
MPSF Playoff Pairings: (All matches Saturday)No. 1 UC Irvine hosts No.8 UCLA; No. 5 BYU plays at No. 4 USC; No. 6 UC Santa Barbara plays at No. 3 Pepperdine; No. 7 Long Beach State plays at No. 2 Hawai'i
Live Coverage — Find live stats for the match at http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/2014-15/boxscores/20150425_lnpk.xml .... For a stream of the match go to https://youtu.be/O6XZ995kbuM .... Fans may also follow the match on UCLA's live Twitter feed @UCLAMVB.
Recapping Previous Action — Last Friday, UCLA earned the final seed in the MPSF Playoffs with a sweep (25-18,25-19,25-20) at Stanford. The Bruins hit at least .380 as a team for the third straight match and over .400 for the second straight contest after swinging to a .430 clip at Stanford. J.T. Hatch led the way with 16 kills and a .444 hitting percentage. Jake Arnitz added 12 kills, an ace and six digs while hitting .429. Trent Kersten totaled eight kills, four block assists and hit .800. Eric Matheis handed out 45 set assists and had a block solo and three block assists. Christian Hessenauer made seven kills. Mitch Stahl had five kills and four block assists. Jackson Bantle dug five balls.
On Saturday Apr. 11, seniors Clayton Paullin and Kersten combined to hit over .750 on the night and help propel the Bruins to a season-high team hitting percentage of .436 in a straight sets win over UC San Diego (26-24,25-17,25-18). Paullin had seven kills and hit .778, while Kersten had six kills and hit .750. Kersten added four block assists. Hatch topped the Bruins with 17 kills and 10 digs. Hatch and Arnitz each recorded two service aces. Matheis had 40 set assists.
On Apr. 10, UCLA dropped a four-set match against UC Irvine (19-25, 25-21, 21-25,20-25). Arnitz paced the Bruins with 15 kills and two aces. Stahl added a career-high 13 kills, while hitting .667.
Bruin Notes — *Recent MPSF Playoff History -2014 -- #5 UCLA lost at UC Santa Barbara in quarterfinals 2-3; 2013 -- #4 UCLA def. Pepperdine in quarterfinals 3-0 and lost in semis at BYU 2-3; 2012 -- #5 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at UC Irvine 1-3; 2011 -- #8 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at USC 1-3; 2010 -- #7 UCLA lost at BYU in quarterfinals 1-3; 2009 -- #8 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at UC Irvine 1-3. The Bruins last won the MPSF Tournament in 2006 and then went on to claim their 19th NCAA Championship.
*Four Bruins were named to All-MPSF teams announced earlier this week. J.T. Hatch was a second-team all-league selection and the MPSF Freshman of the Year. Middle blockers Trent Kersten and Mitch Stahl were chosed All-MPSF honorable mention. Jake Arnitz joined Hatch on the All-MPSF Freshman team.
*Success at the nets has moved the Bruins to eighth in the NCAA in blocks per set (2.56) to begin the week. Trent Kersten began the week ranked 17th in the NCAA in blocks/set (1.13) and Mitch Stahl was 30th (0.98). Stahl is also 21st in the NCAA in aces per set average (0.39). The Bruin team began the week ranked 11th in the NCAA in service aces per set average (1.48). Kersten is ranked 10th in hitting percentage (.386). UCLA set a school record with 15 aces in a match earlier this season against Limestone College.
Stat Notes (this season):*Hatch has 12 matches with at least 10 kills. Stahl has 9 matches with multiple aces. Kersten has 12 matches with at least 4 block assists. Stahl has at least one ace in 11 of the last 12 matches. Arnitz' six aces at USC was a season-best and his four straight in the third set tied Adam Naeve's school record, set in a 2001 match vs. Pepperdine. Kersten carries a .419 career hitting percentage into the match.
* J.T. Hatch and Jake Arnitz were each named to the Off the Block Freshman All-America team. Earlier this season, Hatch was named Off the Block's National Freshman of the Week for his performance in matches at USC ( M28) and at Cal Baptist (M26). His 25-kill, 28.0 point effort at USC produced the highest totals of the season by a Bruin.
*Jackson Bantle, Michael Fisher, J.T. Hatch, Eric Matheis, Clayton Paullin, Jake Reeves, Mitch Stahl and John Zappia each earned a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for their work in the classroom in Winter quarter 2015. Jake Arnitz, Christian Hessenauer, Bantle, Matheis, Reeves and Zappia earned a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll in Fall quarter 2014.
*UCLA had its biggest blocking match of the season in the match at Northridge (17.0 total blocks) on Feb. 6. UCLA registered a season low 2.0 total blocks (4 block assists) in its match vs. Hawai'i on March 31.
*Coach John Speraw picked up his 50th win as UCLA head coach in the 3-1 victory at Cal Baptist on M26 (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 25-23).
Last three matches -- Aces: Arnitz-5, Stahl-2, Hatch-2; Block Assists: Kersten-10, Hatch-7, Stahl-6, Matheis-5; Kills: Hatch-44, Arnitz-29, Hessenauer-21, Stahl-20 ; Digs: Bantle-24, Hatch-19, Hessenauer-11 ... Team Hitting %: .412 (145-31-277).
Scouting the Opponent — UCI won 16 of its last 17 matches (seven in a row) to close the regular season and finish atop the MPSF standings. The Anteaters last loss was a five-setter, on March 14, at Pepperdine. Three of UCI's four losses have come at home (Jan. 5) 0-3 to Lewis, (Jan. 23) 2-3 to USC, (Jan. 30) 1-3 to Hawai'i. UC Irvine is ranked among the nation's best in several stat categories: #1 hitting % .358, #2 set assists 13.13, #6 service aces 1.52.
UCI defeated the Bruins 25-19, 21-25,25-21,25-20 on Apr. 10 in Pauley. UCLA hit .381 in that match, but the 'Eaters were at .429 and hit over .500 in the final two sets. Jake Arnitz led UCLA with 15 kills (.353) and Mitch Stahl added a career-best 13 kills (.667). J.T. Hatch was also in double digits with 11 kills (.400). UCLA outblocked UCI 5.0 to 3.0 in the match. UCI had seven aces to the Bruins' three. UCLA also totaled 21 service errors in the contest. In the first meeting of the season, UCI topped the Bruins 25-19, 25-17, 25-17 in the Bren Center. UCLA managed just a .045 hitting percentage in that contest, while the 'Eaters hit .317. Michael Fisher's seven kills led UCLA. Only one Bruin in the match hit over .200. UCI totaled nine aces to two for UCLA. The Bruins outblocked Irvine 10.5 to 10.0.
Stats Comps --- UCLA/UCI --- Hit% .260/.358; Asts: 11.6/13.1; Blocks: 2.6/2.3; Digs: 9.0/9.1; Oppt. Hit%: .248/.238; Kills: 12.1/13.9; Aces: 1.48/1.52
Coach Speraw: Year Three at UCLA — John Speraw (UCLA '95), who is in his third season as the head coach at his alma mater, picked up his 50th career win as the Bruin's head man at Cal Baptist on Mar. 26, 2015. Last season, the Bruins moved out to a 9-1 record to open the season which marked the program's best start since 2012. UCLA jumped up to the top spot in the AVCA poll for the first time since March of 2012 after winning the Outrigger Invitational and posting a victory over then top-ranked Stanford. The team concluded the season with an 18-11 mark and a fifth-place finish in the MPSF. In year one, the Bruins went 21-11 and advanced to the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament.In 10 seasons at UC Irvine, Speraw led the Anteaters to three NCAA championships (2007, 2009, 2012), and a 199-106 (.646) overall record. In winning that 2007 title, Speraw became the only individual to win a championship as a head coach, assistant coach and player in collegiate men's volleyball history. On Mar. 25, 2013, he was named head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team for the next quadrennial ending at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. Last summer, he guided the U.S. team to a win over top-ranked Brazil in the FIVB World League gold-medal match. In the summer of 2012, he had served as an assistant coach for the National Team, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the London Olympics. Speraw earned AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2006 and was given the USA Olympic Committee's National Coach of the Year award in 2007.