Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Lauds & Laurels’ outstanding student-athlete
Original Article
Great article on Steller!
Jon Steller
Lauds & Laurels’ outstanding student-athlete
A winning season
Volleyball player Jon Steller is a standout on the court, in the community and at school (05.01.2009)
On his right arm, fifth-year volleyball player Jon Steller has tattooed Greek numbers symbolizing his favorite biblical passage: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”
He can see the tattoo when he makes a “kill” – a volleyball spike the opposing team is unable to return; when he rolls up his sleeves while volunteering at a free healthcare clinic in Mexico; and when he’s in class, pursuing a double major in neurobiology and the classics at UC Irvine.
“It’s a way to check if I’m living according to my philosophy – if I’m doing the right thing,” says Steller, who hopes to become a doctor.
That philosophy has made him a winner on the court, in the community and at school, earning him the 2009 Lauds & Laurels award for outstanding student-athlete. (The UCI Alumni Association’s Lauds & Laurels ceremony takes place Thursday, May 14, at the Hilton Irvine.)
Steller has helped his teammates reach the top of their game, winning the national title in 2007 and delivering another white-knuckle season this spring.
“After we won the national title, we went to the White House and met President Bush. It was a neat experience to shake his hand and give him a stuffed Anteater,” Steller says.
Among many other athletic and academic honors, he made the 2007 Living Our Values student honor roll and was named to the 2008 American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Second Team.
Still, Steller’s not in the game for personal glory.
After a knee injury and a painful loss in the 2006 NCAA semifinals, he says, he “learned to set aside my own goals for team goals.”
“Out of this team awareness sprouted a social awareness,” Steller wrote in his medical school application. “Assuming responsibility for my teammates, my friends and my family, while honorable, isn’t enough. I have a social responsibility to step outside my comfortable Southern California life, whether it is 10,000 miles or 10 minutes from home, because I have the capacity to make a difference.”
In 2007, he spent three weeks in Ukraine on a humanitarian mission, visiting orphanages and establishing a summer camp for homeless children. “Many are toddlers abandoned by their parents. We went there to give them some attention and hope,” Steller says.
He also belongs to OrangeFISH (Fellowship for International Service and Health), a student-run nonprofit that provides medical services to the needy abroad. Under its auspices, Steller in May 2008 assisted a doctor at a clinic for the poor outside Tijuana, Mexico.
“Jon transcends what it means to be a student-athlete by his global perspective and service,” wrote athletics director Michael Izzi in his Lauds & Laurels nomination letter.
This fall, after marrying his high school sweetheart, Steller will begin medical school at UCI – his first choice, he says, because “it has the same philosophy that I do of wanting to serve the underserved.”
— Kathryn Bold, University Communications
Four Men's Volleyball Players Earn All-American Distinction
UC Irvine Story on All-Americans
Four Men's Volleyball Players Earn All-American Distinction
Ryan Ammerman named to the first team
May 5, 2009
Irvine, Calif. – Four UC Irvine men’s volleyball players earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American honors including Ryan Ammerman who was named to the first team.
Sophomore outside hitter Jordan DuFault, sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne and freshman opposite Carson Clark were each selected to the second team. It is the first All-American honor for each player.
Ammerman is averaging 12.55 set assists which is ranked 12th nationally. He leads the team in service aces with 28. The senior becomes the fifth UCI player to earn first team distinction. He was named AVCA National Player of the Week as well as MPSF Co-Player of the Week on Mar. 8, 2009. He was also named first team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF).
DuFault is averaging 3.25 kills and 3.93 points per set. He also averages 1.81 digs and 0.91 blocks per set. The third team All-MPSF selection garnered AVCA National Player of the Week and MPSF Co-Player of the Week on Apr. 13.
Wynne is ranked 14th nationally in blocking with a 1.34 mark. He ranks third overall among MPSF players in hitting percentage (.467) and led the league in MPSF-matches only (.479). The sophomore was a second team All-MPSF choice.
Clark, a redshirt freshman, joins Brent Asuka as the only two UCI freshmen to earn All-American status in their first year. He leads the team in kills averaging 3.94 per set, which is 17th in the country. The opposite is hitting .344 overall which is 25th in the country. He was honored as the MPSF Freshman of the Year as well as first team and All-Freshman team accolades.
No. 1 seed UC Irvine takes on No. 4 Ohio State in the NCAA Championship semifinal Thursday (May 7) in Provo, UT at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time.
Four Men's Volleyball Players Earn All-American Distinction
Ryan Ammerman named to the first team
May 5, 2009
Irvine, Calif. – Four UC Irvine men’s volleyball players earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American honors including Ryan Ammerman who was named to the first team.
Sophomore outside hitter Jordan DuFault, sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne and freshman opposite Carson Clark were each selected to the second team. It is the first All-American honor for each player.
Ammerman is averaging 12.55 set assists which is ranked 12th nationally. He leads the team in service aces with 28. The senior becomes the fifth UCI player to earn first team distinction. He was named AVCA National Player of the Week as well as MPSF Co-Player of the Week on Mar. 8, 2009. He was also named first team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF).
DuFault is averaging 3.25 kills and 3.93 points per set. He also averages 1.81 digs and 0.91 blocks per set. The third team All-MPSF selection garnered AVCA National Player of the Week and MPSF Co-Player of the Week on Apr. 13.
Wynne is ranked 14th nationally in blocking with a 1.34 mark. He ranks third overall among MPSF players in hitting percentage (.467) and led the league in MPSF-matches only (.479). The sophomore was a second team All-MPSF choice.
Clark, a redshirt freshman, joins Brent Asuka as the only two UCI freshmen to earn All-American status in their first year. He leads the team in kills averaging 3.94 per set, which is 17th in the country. The opposite is hitting .344 overall which is 25th in the country. He was honored as the MPSF Freshman of the Year as well as first team and All-Freshman team accolades.
No. 1 seed UC Irvine takes on No. 4 Ohio State in the NCAA Championship semifinal Thursday (May 7) in Provo, UT at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time.
Monday, May 4, 2009
4 Anteaters are All-Americans!
2009 AVCA-All America Teams
Congratulations and great work for the guys!
1st Team
Ryan Ammerman
2nd Team
Carson Clark
Jordan DuFault
Kevin Wynne
Congratulations and great work for the guys!
1st Team
Ryan Ammerman
2nd Team
Carson Clark
Jordan DuFault
Kevin Wynne
Sunday, May 3, 2009
'Eaters to Play for Another National Championship in Provo!
Just announced on ESPN News!
UCI enters the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Final Four as the #1 seed! Here are the semifinals:
Semi #1: #3 USC vs. #2 Penn St., 6:00 PST, Thursday 5/7. (ESPNU)
Semi #2: #4 Ohio St. vs. #1 UCI, 8:00 PST, Thursday 5/7. (ESPNU)
If there are any corrections I'll post them here!
GO 'EATERS!
UCI enters the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Final Four as the #1 seed! Here are the semifinals:
Semi #1: #3 USC vs. #2 Penn St., 6:00 PST, Thursday 5/7. (ESPNU)
Semi #2: #4 Ohio St. vs. #1 UCI, 8:00 PST, Thursday 5/7. (ESPNU)
If there are any corrections I'll post them here!
GO 'EATERS!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Anteaters stunned
Daily Pilot Article by Barry Faulkner
Published Thursday, April 30, 2009 11:00 PM PDT
Sports
Anteaters stunned
VOLLEYBALL: USC upsets top-ranked UC Irvine at the Bren to move on to the championship.
By Barry Faulkner
IRVINE — The invincibility of the UC Irvine men’s volleyball team took a substantial hit Thursday night, as visiting No. 4-ranked USC pounced on the top-ranked Anteaters to claim a 30-25, 30-25, 30-27 victory in the semifinals of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament at the Bren Events Center.
The loss does not figure to cost UCI its NCAA title hopes, as the Anteaters (24-6) are still expected to earn an at-large into the four-team NCAA Championship, May 7 and 9 at BYU.
USC, however, appeared to be a team potent enough to get to Provo, Utah. The Trojans (19-10), the No. 5 seed in the MPSF Tournament, will need to defeat No. 2-ranked Pepperdine in Saturday’s tournament final to earn the conference’s guaranteed berth in the Final Four.
UCI had won six straight matches, 13 in a row at home and 10 consecutive meetings with USC.
Instead, the Anteaters were forced to wave goodbye to their final home crowd of the season, and hope to regroup to bid for their second NCAA crown in three seasons.
“I still think we probably get the at-large [NCAA Tournament berth],” UCI Coach John Speraw said. “We should. We were the best team all season. But it’s a political decision and I told the guys they need to prepare themselves for the reality of the possibility that a decision could go against them.
“But I think we’re the best team and we can go out to Provo and win a title.”
UCI will learn its NCAA Tournament fate Sunday at 10:30 a.m. when the championship pairings will be announced.
Murphy Troy, a 6-foot-8 sophomore outside hitter, paced the winners with 19 kills, matching UCI senior outside hitter Taylor Wilson for match-high honors.
Troy hit .600, making just one error on 30 swings.
Tony Ciarelli, a 6-6 freshman outside hitter, had 18 kills and a match-high four ace serves for the Trojans.
Wilson finished with a .484 hitting percentage as UCI hit .462 as a team in the match.
USC hit .392 as a team, but produced 12 aces, doubling UCI’s total.
UCI, the nation’s top blocking team, posted a 4.5-4 edge in team blocks, and made 14 service errors, to just six by the Trojans.
“That is probably the best [aces to service errors] ratio in the history of the MPSF,” said Speraw, who said his team’s poor defense was the key.
“We didn’t do enough. We didn’t pass the ball right off the bat … Our offense actually played great. When you’re hitting about .490 and you’re getting your butt kicked, that says something about what your defense is doing.”
USC seized a 6-1 lead in the opening set and lead by five several times before the Anteaters rallied to pull even at 20-20 and 21-21.
But five service errors, including three late, helped UCI squander a .379 hitting percentage.
USC hit .353 in the first set and had three aces with only three service errors.
The Trojans maintained the intensity in Game 2, pulling away from a 6-6 deadlock to earn a 13-7 advantage that eventually became 23-16, before closing it out. UCI hit .517 as a team in Game 2, but USC hit .406, behind powerful kills from Troy and Ciarelli.
At the end of the second set, Murphy had 13 kills and was hitting .632. Ciarelli, the nephew of Newport Harbor High football and track and field assistant coach Tony Ciarelli, had 11 kills. Both Troy and Ciarelli had three aces apiece entering Game 3.
Freshman Carson Clark had 13 kills and led the ’Eaters with 12 digs and three aces.
Senior setter Ryan Ammerman, like Clark a first-team All-MPSF performer, had 44 assists.
NCAA Selection Show for 2009 NCAA Final Four
We NEED to get into the Final Four! You know I'll be praying on this one!
Men's NCAA Selection announcement will be Sunday between 1:30 and 2 p.m. ET on ESPNews
Men's NCAA Selection announcement will be Sunday between 1:30 and 2 p.m. ET on ESPNews
Trojans Rock Eater Nation
Fifth-seed USC Upsets No. 1 UC Irvine, 3-0 In MPSF Semifinal
Anteaters hit .462 for the match
April 30, 2009
Final Stats
Irvine, Calif. – Fifth-seed USC upset No. 1 seed and No.1 ranked UC Irvine, 3-0 (30-25, 30-25, 30-25) in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinal match at the Bren Center Thursday.
Pepperdine defeated Cal State Northridge in the other semifinal, 3-1 (27-30, 40-38, 30-26, 30-23) so the Waves will meet the Trojans in the championship match Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Center.
The Trojans, who are ranked fourth nationally, end UCI’s six-match winning streak and knock off the Anteaters for the first time in 11 tries. UCI goes to 25-5 overall while USC improves to 19-10.
UCI hit .462 (53-11-91) for the match, the third highest offensive total for the Anteaters this year. USC hit .392 (52-12-102) and fired 12 service aces, the most aces registered against UCI this season. The Anteaters had committed just four receiving errors in the last three matches combined. UCI had a season-low 4.5 blocks and still managed to out-block the Trojans who had just 4.0.
UCI was led by Taylor Wilson with 19 kills, hitting at a .484 clip (19-4-31). The senior also recorded two aces. Opposite Carson Clark added 13 kills, three aces, a team-high three blocks and a match and career-high 12 digs. Middle blocker Kevin Wynne hit .545 with seven kills and two blocks.
Murphy Troy led the Trojans with 19 kills hitting .600 (19-1-30). Tony Ciarelli put away 18 kills and a team-best eight digs. Setter Riley McKibben added 42 set assists and seven digs.
USC jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set and never trailed in the game. The Trojans led 18-13 before UCI went on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 20-20. Following an Anteater service error, Riley McKibben recorded a kill to give USC a two-point cushion, 23-21. Taylor Wilson put away a kill following an Irvine timeout, but the Trojans responded with a 3-0 spurt to go ahead 26-22 on their way to a 30-25 victory.
UCI hit .527 in the second set, but the Trojans took a 2-0 lead with another 30-25 victory. USC fired five aces and hit .457. All USC needed was a kill by Murphy Troy followed by a pair of kills by Tony Ciarelli to take a 9-6 led and the Anteaters would get no closer than three the rest of the way.
In the third set, UCI jumped out an early 6-3 lead but USC knotted the score at 18-18. The teams remained closed and with the score tied at 25-25, USC used a kill by Ciarelli and an Anteater attack error to go ahead 27-25. USC would side out for the 30-27 victory and the match 3-0.
Anteaters hit .462 for the match
April 30, 2009
Final Stats
Irvine, Calif. – Fifth-seed USC upset No. 1 seed and No.1 ranked UC Irvine, 3-0 (30-25, 30-25, 30-25) in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinal match at the Bren Center Thursday.
Pepperdine defeated Cal State Northridge in the other semifinal, 3-1 (27-30, 40-38, 30-26, 30-23) so the Waves will meet the Trojans in the championship match Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Center.
The Trojans, who are ranked fourth nationally, end UCI’s six-match winning streak and knock off the Anteaters for the first time in 11 tries. UCI goes to 25-5 overall while USC improves to 19-10.
UCI hit .462 (53-11-91) for the match, the third highest offensive total for the Anteaters this year. USC hit .392 (52-12-102) and fired 12 service aces, the most aces registered against UCI this season. The Anteaters had committed just four receiving errors in the last three matches combined. UCI had a season-low 4.5 blocks and still managed to out-block the Trojans who had just 4.0.
UCI was led by Taylor Wilson with 19 kills, hitting at a .484 clip (19-4-31). The senior also recorded two aces. Opposite Carson Clark added 13 kills, three aces, a team-high three blocks and a match and career-high 12 digs. Middle blocker Kevin Wynne hit .545 with seven kills and two blocks.
Murphy Troy led the Trojans with 19 kills hitting .600 (19-1-30). Tony Ciarelli put away 18 kills and a team-best eight digs. Setter Riley McKibben added 42 set assists and seven digs.
USC jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set and never trailed in the game. The Trojans led 18-13 before UCI went on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 20-20. Following an Anteater service error, Riley McKibben recorded a kill to give USC a two-point cushion, 23-21. Taylor Wilson put away a kill following an Irvine timeout, but the Trojans responded with a 3-0 spurt to go ahead 26-22 on their way to a 30-25 victory.
UCI hit .527 in the second set, but the Trojans took a 2-0 lead with another 30-25 victory. USC fired five aces and hit .457. All USC needed was a kill by Murphy Troy followed by a pair of kills by Tony Ciarelli to take a 9-6 led and the Anteaters would get no closer than three the rest of the way.
In the third set, UCI jumped out an early 6-3 lead but USC knotted the score at 18-18. The teams remained closed and with the score tied at 25-25, USC used a kill by Ciarelli and an Anteater attack error to go ahead 27-25. USC would side out for the 30-27 victory and the match 3-0.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
KCBS/KCAL Footage from 4/29/09
Check out Taylor Wilson & Ryan Ammerman on camera before the MPSF Tournament Semifinal Matchup vs. USC.
KCAL9/KCBS2 FOOTAGE
KCAL9/KCBS2 FOOTAGE
UC Irvine Battles USC In MPSF Semifinals
Anteaters take on Trojans
April 28, 2009
UC IRVINE BATTLES USC IN MPSF SEMIFINAL: No. 1 seed UC Irvine (25-4, 19-3) will battle fifth-seeded USC Thursday (Apr. 30) in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinal match at the Bren Center beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The Anteaters and Trojans will be the second match of the night with No. 3 Cal State Northridge taking on No. 2 Pepperdine at 5:00 p.m
The championship match will be held on Saturday (May 2) at 7:00 p.m.
The winner earns the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Championships held on the campus of BYU at the Smith Fieldhouse May 7-9.
VS THE OPPONENTS: UCI leads USC in the series records, 20-17, winning the last 10 against the Trojans. The Anteaters defeated USC 3-1 at the Bren three weeks ago. UCI used a team effort to defeat the Trojans with Jordan DuFault leading the team with 17 kills, while Taylor Wilson had 15 kills and a career-high seven block assists. The Anteaters hit .338 (60-15-133) for the match, while the Trojans hit .240 (63-27-150). UCI committed just nine service errors to USC's 20 and won the battle at the net, out-blocking USC 15.5 to 6.0. The Trojans were led by Tony Ciarelli with a match-high 23 kills. Murphy Troy added 17 kills, four service aces and 10 digs, while Riley McKibbin recorded 52 set assists and a team-high 14 digs.
UCI won the first meeting of the year, 3-2 in the Galen Center. Wilson led UCI with 19 kills, while Jon Steller played the final three sets recording 14 kills and two service aces. USC’s Troy recorded a match-high 29 kills followed by Ciarelli (17), Austin Zahn (13) and Hunter Current (10).
This will be the first post-season meeting between the two schools.
WILSON NAMED SPORTS IMPORT/AVCA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior Taylor Wilson was named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men’s National Player of the Week.
The senior led the No. 1-ranked Anteaters to a 3-1 win over then-No. 9 UCLA in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) quarterfinal match. Wilson hit .412 and put away a career-high 29 kills in 51 swings with eight errors. He also had six digs, two aces and two blocks, while racking up an 8.00 points per game average. The 29 kills topped his previous career-best of 24 set in 2008.
This is the third time Wilson has earned Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Player of the Week honors in his career and the second time this season (Feb.2, 2009) he has been recognized.
UCI RANKED NO. 1: UC Irvine remained the No. 1 team in the country in the latest Bison/AVCA Coaches Poll. The Anteaters have been ranked in the nation’s top 10 for 73 consecutive weeks, including No. 1 for 19 of those weeks. UCI has been ranked No. 1 for six weeks this season, second only to Penn State who held the top spot for seven weeks, including the preseason poll. The Anteaters have been ranked No. 1 in four different years (2003, 2006, 2007, 2009) under head coach John Speraw, including three of the last four seasons.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Taylor Wilson Awarded AVCA Player of the Week 4/27/09
Wilson's Stellar Performance Keys Anteaters to MPSF Tournament Win
April 27 - Taylor Wilson, a 6-7 outside hitter for then-No. 1 University of California, Irvine, has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week. The Mission Viejo, Calif. native earned the award for his outstanding play in leading the Anteaters to a 3-1 win over then-No. 9 UCLA in First-Round action of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) tournament this past weekend. In that match, Wilson hit .412 with a career-high 29 kills in 51 swings with eight errors. He also had six digs, two aces and two blocks, while racking up an 8.00 points per game average. The 29 kills topped his previous career-best of 24, a mark in which he set in 2008. This is the third time Wilson has earned Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Player of the Week honors during his time in an Anteaters' uniform, also marking the second time this season (Feb.2, 2009) he has been recognized. This is also the 15th time an athlete from UC Irvine has garnered the award, four of those coming this season. The last Anteater to be honored this year was Jordan DuFault on April 13, 2009. UC Irvine is coached by John Speraw.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
"The Fiver with Rob-on-the Mic"
Hi everyone, this is a trial episode of my first PodCast. I'm looking into other methods but this is what I could post immediately.
April 26, 2009 Episode
April 26, 2009 Episode
'Eaters Oust Bruins in MPSF Quarterfinal
http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/recaps/042609aaa.html
Taylor Wilson's Career-High 29 Kills Leads No. 1 UC Irvine To A 3-1 Victory Over UCLA
Wilson posts second most kills by an Anteater this season
April 25, 2009
Final Stats
Irvine, Calif. - Senior outside hitter Taylor Wilson pounded a career-high 29 kills to lead No. 1 UC Irvine to a 3-1 (30-23, 31-29, 30-32, 30-21) victory over ninth-ranked UCLA in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation quarterfinal match at the Bren Center Saturday.
The Anteaters, the tournament's No. 1 seed, advances to play No. 5 USC in a semifinal match next Thursday (Apr. 30) at the Bren Center. No. 2 Pepperdine will face No. 3 Cal State Northridge in the other semifinal.
UCI improves to 25-4 overall, while eighth-seeded UCLA ends the season 14-16.
Wilson's 29 kills betters his previous best of 24 set in 2008 and is the second most this season behind Jon Steller's 32 (at Pepperdine). The senior hit .412 (29-8-51) and also recorded two aces and six digs. Redshirt Carson Clark added 18 kills and sophomore Jordan DuFault totaled 16 kills and 10 digs. Setter Ryan Ammerman tallied 61 set assists, three service aces, nine digs and three blocks. Middle blocker Kevin Wynne had a match-high five blocks to go with six kills. Libero Brent Asuka had a team-high 11 digs.
UCI did not block well, but held the 8.0 - 6.5 advantage. The Anteaters hit .350 while the Bruins hit .291 for the match.
UCLA was led by Jack Polales with 18 kills and a team-best four blocks, while Garrett Muagututia followed with 17 kills. Libero Tom Hastings had a match-high 13 digs. Kevin Ker recorded 50 set assists and eight digs in the loss.
In the first set UCI led 13-11 before a Jordan DuFault kill was followed by a UCLA ball-handling error and a kill by Taylor Wilson to put the Anteaters ahead, 16-11. UCI maintain at least a two-point cushion the rest of the way as they took the set, 30-23.
The teams were tied 17 times in the second set, the last at 29-29 before Wilson put-away back-to-back kills for the 31-29 UCI victory.
UCLA jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the third set and controlled the game until UCI closed within 24-23 on a Carson Clark kill. UCLA responded with three straight points to go up 27-23. The Bruins would lead 28-24 before the Anteaters rallied on a kill by Clark and two more from Wilson to knot the score at 28-28. The teams traded points until the Bruins had a kill by Jack Polales and the last Anteater swing went long for the 32-30 UCLA win.
A pair of Clark kills combined with a Wilson kill and a UCLA attack error gave UCI the 8-4 advantage in the fourth set. Ryan Ammerman served UCI to six consecutive points to extend the lead to 19-9 as the Anteaters went on to win 30-21. UCI hit .407 in the set to UCLA's .094 mark.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
2009 All Conference Honors
http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/spec-rel/042309aaa.html
Five UC Irvine Players Named All-MPSF; Carson Clark Named Freshman of the Year
Clark earns top freshman accolade
April 23, 2009
Irvine, Calif. – Five UC Irvine men’s volleyball players were named to All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation teams, including Carson Clark who was named to the first team as well as Freshman of the Year.
Clark, an opposite, leads the No. 1 ranked Anteaters with a 3.90 kill and 4.52 point average, which ranks eighth among MPSF players in both categories. In 16 starts this season, he has averaged 4.73 kills, 5.48 points 1.55 digs, 0.82 blocks and 0.32 aces per set. The redshirt freshman ranks 17th in the country in kills per set, the only freshman to rank in the Top 20. He also has a .344 hitting percentage which is 26th nationally. Clark has led the team in kills in 13 of 26 matches he played in, including 11 of his 16 starts. Clark, who was also selected to the All-Freshman team, joins Brent Asuka as the only two UCI players to earn first team distinction in their first season with the Anteaters.
Senior setter Ryan Ammerman was also a first-team honoree after guiding the Anteaters to a .315 hitting percentage which is fourth best in the nation. The Anteaters have hit over .350 in 10 matches this year including a season-best .517 against UC San Diego. Ammerman is averaging 12.37 set assists which ranks 13th nationally and is 36th in the country in blocking (1.07). The senior has also fired a team-high 25 aces this year. He was named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week as well as MPSF Player of the Week (Mar. 9) earlier this season.
Sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne was named to the second team after leading the conference in hitting percentage overall (.479) and in MPSF matches-only (.485). Wynne also owns a 1.42 blocking average against MPSF opponents which ranks fourth and is 14th nationally in blocking overall (1.36). He was named MPSF Player of the Week on Mar.16.
Sophomore outside hitter Jordan DuFault was a third-team honoree, while senior outside hitter Taylor Wilson was named to the honorable mention squad. DuFault is second on the team in kills (3.27) and points (3.99). He was named AVCA National Player of the Week and MPSF Co-Player of the Week on April 13. Wilson is third on the team in kill average with a 2.99 mark. He was named Sports Import/AVCA National Player of the Week as well as MPSF Player of the Week on Feb. 2.
It is the first all-conference honor for each of the Anteaters.
Friday, April 24, 2009
2009 MPSF All-Conference Players/Teams
http://www.mpsports.org/sports/m-volley/spec-rel/042409aaa.html
2009 All-MPSF Men's Volleyball Teams Announced
Paul Carroll Named Player of the Year
April 23, 2009
2009 MPSF Player of the Year
PAUL CARROLL • #12 • SENIOR • OPPOSITE • PEPPERDINE
Pepperdine senior opposite Paul Carroll (Forster, Australia/Great Lakes College) is leading the nation in kills for the second straight year. An AVCA All-American first teamer the last two years and now a three-time All-MPSF first team selection, he is averaging 6.29 kills, 2.15 digs, 1.04 blocks and 0.29 aces while hitting .395. He's been named the AVCA Player of the Week twice this season and the MPSF Co-Player of the Week three times. Carroll has led Pepperdine in kills in every match this season, with at least 14 every time, 20 or more kills on 16 occasions and 30+ kills seven times. He had a career-high tying 37 kills in a win vs. UC Irvine on Feb. 20, which also tied his own school single-match record for the rally-scoring era. Carroll just became the fourth player in Pepperdine history to record 2,000 career kills and now stands third on the list with 2,012.
2009 MPSF Freshman of the Year
CARSON CLARK • #9 • FRESHMAN • OPPOSITE • UC IRVINE
UC Irvine redshirt freshman Carson Clark (Santa Barbara, CA/Santa Barbara HS) leads UC Irvine in kills (3.90) and points per set (4.52) overall, which ranks eighth among MPSF players in both categories. In 16 starts this year, he is averaging 4.73 kills, 5.48 points 1.55 digs, 0.82 blocks and 0.32 aces per set. Clark ranks 17th in the country in kills per set, the only freshman to rank in the Top-20. He owns a .344 hitting percentage which is 26th nationally, ranking only behind MPSF players Paul Carroll and Eric Vance among non-middle blockers on the list. Clark led the team in kills in 13 of 26 matches he played in, including 11 of his 16 starts. He recorded a career-best 24 kills against UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 14, 2009.
2009 MPSF Coach of the Year
KEVIN RING • FOURTH YEAR • HEAD COACH • UC SAN DIEGO
UC San Diego head coach Kevin Ring directed the Tritons to 13 wins this season, including eight MPSF wins, both school records. The Tritons were nationally ranked in the top-10 for most of the year and contended for an MPSF playoff spot until the final weekend of the season. The 2009 season comes on the heels of a record setting 2008 season for wins. Ring directed the Tritons to several notable wins this season, including defeating St. Francis and George Mason at the Hall of Fame Classic, and defeating UCLA, USC, Hawaii, UCSB and Pacific in the MPSF. UCSD also had several near upsets, including taking Pepperdine to five sets. The Tritons lose just one starter and return their top four point scorers from the 2009 campaign.
OTHER ANTEATERS MAKING ALL-MPSF:
1st Team - Ryan Ammerman (S)
2nd Team - Kevin Wynne (MH)
3rd Team - Jordan Dufault (OH)
Honorable Mention - Taylor Wilson (OH)
All-Freshmen Team - Carson Clark (OPP)
2009 All-MPSF Men's Volleyball Teams Announced
Paul Carroll Named Player of the Year
April 23, 2009
2009 MPSF Player of the Year
PAUL CARROLL • #12 • SENIOR • OPPOSITE • PEPPERDINE
Pepperdine senior opposite Paul Carroll (Forster, Australia/Great Lakes College) is leading the nation in kills for the second straight year. An AVCA All-American first teamer the last two years and now a three-time All-MPSF first team selection, he is averaging 6.29 kills, 2.15 digs, 1.04 blocks and 0.29 aces while hitting .395. He's been named the AVCA Player of the Week twice this season and the MPSF Co-Player of the Week three times. Carroll has led Pepperdine in kills in every match this season, with at least 14 every time, 20 or more kills on 16 occasions and 30+ kills seven times. He had a career-high tying 37 kills in a win vs. UC Irvine on Feb. 20, which also tied his own school single-match record for the rally-scoring era. Carroll just became the fourth player in Pepperdine history to record 2,000 career kills and now stands third on the list with 2,012.
2009 MPSF Freshman of the Year
CARSON CLARK • #9 • FRESHMAN • OPPOSITE • UC IRVINE
UC Irvine redshirt freshman Carson Clark (Santa Barbara, CA/Santa Barbara HS) leads UC Irvine in kills (3.90) and points per set (4.52) overall, which ranks eighth among MPSF players in both categories. In 16 starts this year, he is averaging 4.73 kills, 5.48 points 1.55 digs, 0.82 blocks and 0.32 aces per set. Clark ranks 17th in the country in kills per set, the only freshman to rank in the Top-20. He owns a .344 hitting percentage which is 26th nationally, ranking only behind MPSF players Paul Carroll and Eric Vance among non-middle blockers on the list. Clark led the team in kills in 13 of 26 matches he played in, including 11 of his 16 starts. He recorded a career-best 24 kills against UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 14, 2009.
2009 MPSF Coach of the Year
KEVIN RING • FOURTH YEAR • HEAD COACH • UC SAN DIEGO
UC San Diego head coach Kevin Ring directed the Tritons to 13 wins this season, including eight MPSF wins, both school records. The Tritons were nationally ranked in the top-10 for most of the year and contended for an MPSF playoff spot until the final weekend of the season. The 2009 season comes on the heels of a record setting 2008 season for wins. Ring directed the Tritons to several notable wins this season, including defeating St. Francis and George Mason at the Hall of Fame Classic, and defeating UCLA, USC, Hawaii, UCSB and Pacific in the MPSF. UCSD also had several near upsets, including taking Pepperdine to five sets. The Tritons lose just one starter and return their top four point scorers from the 2009 campaign.
OTHER ANTEATERS MAKING ALL-MPSF:
1st Team - Ryan Ammerman (S)
2nd Team - Kevin Wynne (MH)
3rd Team - Jordan Dufault (OH)
Honorable Mention - Taylor Wilson (OH)
All-Freshmen Team - Carson Clark (OPP)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
UCI downs Pacific, Become MPSF Regular Season Championship
http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/recaps/041909aab.html
No. 1 UC Irvine Captures MPSF Regular Season Title With 3-0 Win At Pacific
Anteaters win second regular season title and enter MPSF Tournament as No. 1 seed
April 18, 2009
Final Stats
Stockton, Calif. - No. 1 UC Irvine captured the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular season title with a 3-0, (36-34, 30-17 30-23) victory over Pacific at the Spanos Center Saturday.
With the victory, UC Irvine wins the MPSF regular season title with a 19-3 record, one game ahead of Pepperdine (18-4). It is the second time in program history the Anteaters have won the league's regular season title (2006) and will be the No. 1 seed for the MPSF Tournament.
Top-seeded UCI will take on No. 8 UCLA Saturday (Apr. 25) at the Bren Events Center at 7:00 p.m. The quarterfinal match has been declared a "Black-Out" and fans are encouraged to wear black, in particular black Eater Nation t-shirts which are worn by the UCI student section and will be available for purchase at the match. Partial proceeds from the sale of the "Black-Out Eater Nation" t-shirts go to the Adolescent and Young Adult cancer program at the UC Irvine Medical Center.
No. 1 ranked UC Irvine improves to 24-4 overall, the second most wins in the country this year (Penn State, 25-3). Pacific closes out the year 3-28 overall and 0-22 in MPSF play.
Sophomore Cory Yoder led UCI with a season-high 15 kills, while hitting .583. Yoder committed just one attack error in 24 swings. Redshirt freshman Carson Clark came off the bench to record 10 kills and senior Taylor Wilson hit .500 with seven kills. Setter Ryan Ammerman played in two games with 27 set assists, three blocks and a team-best six digs. Middle blocker Austin D'Amore had six kills, an ace and three blocks, while middle blocker Bryan Simmons hit .571 (5-0-7) and added two blocks. Outside hitter Cole Reinholm added four kills, two aces and a block in two sets. Setter Anthony Spittle recorded 18 set assists and an ace in the win, while brother Nick had four digs.
Pacific's Jeff Hendershot had a match-high 25 kills and 10 digs. Mark Bauhs matches Hendershot with 10 digs, while Eric Fuchino tallied 43 set assists. Kevin Pratte added eight kills.
UCI hit .431 (54-10-102) compared to UOP's .248 (49-23-105). The Anteaters out-blocked the Tigers, 7.5-5. UCI had a nine service aces, the third highest total of the year.
UCI jumped out early in the first set with a 6-0 run which included a kill by Cory Yoder, three kills from Jon Steller and a kill and an ace from Taylor Wilson to take 12-5 lead. The Tigers made a run late with a 5-0 spurt on consecutive kills, an Anteater attack error and a block to close within 26-25. UOP tied the score at 27-27 and took their first lead of the match on a Sean Daley ace, 28-27. A kill by Austin D'Amore was followed by a block by D'Amore and Ammerman to put UCI back ahead 29-28. Following a Pacific timeout, the Tigers went back on top with back-to-back kills, 30-29. A kill by Yoder combined with a Wilson and Ammerman block gave UCI set point again (31-30) only to be denied by a service error and a kill by Jeff Hendershot, giving UOP the 32-31 advantage. The teams traded points until a Bryan Simmons kill was followed by a Pacific attack error to give the Anteaters the 36-34 victory.
UCI led 15-11 in the second set when Kevin Wynne took over with a kill and two aces to open the gap to 18-11. Carson Clark would record six kills as the Anteaters took the set 30-17. UCI would hit .536 with just two errors and also fire four aces in the set.
Cole Reinholm continued UCI's hot serving with a pair of aces to take an early 5-2 lead in the third set. Clark had a kill and ace before by a pair of Tiger attack errors extended the UCI lead to 10-3. The Anteaters won the set 30-23 as Yoder led the `Eaters with five kills.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
MPSF Champ 'Eaters vs. Bruins in MPSF Quarterfinal
http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/spec-rel/041809aaa.html
UC Irvine Captures No. 1 Seed For MPSF Tournament
MPSF Quarterfinal Matches Announced
April 18, 2009
Irvine, Calif. -- With a win over Stanford Friday night, UC Irvine has secured the No. 1 seed for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament.
The top-ranked Anteaters will host eighth-seeded UCLA in a quarterfinal match next Saturday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center. Tickets are available at Bren Center box office (949) 824-5000.
UCI will close out the regular season at Pacific tonight (Apr. 18).
MPSF QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 25; 7:00 p.m.
# 8 UCLA at # 1 UC IRVINE
# 5 or 4 Stanford vs. # 4 or 5 USC (at # 4 Seed)
# 6 BYU at # 3 CS NORTHRIDGE
# 7 Long Beach State at # 2 PEPPERDINE
Eaters Chop Down the Cardinal - MPSF Regular Season Champs?
With the 'Eater sweep of Stanford, combined with the Pepperdine loss to BYU on Friday night, THE ANTEATERS ARE THE MPSF REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS!
No. 1 UC Irvine Hits .457 In 3-0 Victory Over Stanford
Hot-hitting, service aces and blocks help Anteaters sweep
April 17, 2009
Final Stats
Stanford, Calif. – No. 1 UC Irvine hit .457 and swept No. 4 Stanford (30-28, 30-24, 30-22) at Maples Pavilion Friday night.
The top-ranked Anteaters improve to 23-4 overall and 18-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Stanford goes to 20-10 on the year and 13-8 in league play.
Senior setter Ryan Ammerman directed a balanced Anteater attack with UCI posting a .457 (58-10-105) hitting percentage, the third best offensive attack this season. Ammerman not only dished 53 set assists, but recorded six blocks, three aces and four kills. Redshirt freshman Carson Clark had a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs while hitting .481 (16-3-27) and firing three aces. Senior Taylor Wilson totaled 15 kills, hit .406 (15-2-32) and added six digs and four blocks. The reigning National Player of the Week, Jordan DuFault, continued his hot-hitting with a .611 mark against Stanford, recording 12 kills in 18 attempts with just one error. Freshman middle blocker Austin D’Amore totaled seven kills and six block assists, while libero Brent Asuka had a match-high 14 digs.
UCI held a 9-2 blocking advantage and fired seven aces to Stanford’s one. Stanford hit .277 (46-15-112) on the night.
Stanford was led by Evan Romero with 13 kills followed by Brad Lawson with 11. Setter Kawika Shoji tallied 39 set assists, five blocks and five kills. Erik Shoji matched Asuka with 14 digs.
In the first set, the Cardinal took a two-point cushion late in the match on an Anteater service and attack error to go ahead, 22-20. UCI responded with kills by Carson Clark and Taylor Wilson to knot the score at 22-22. With the score tied at 26 all, Nick Spittle came in and fired an ace that was followed by a Stanford attack error to give UCI the 28-26 advantage. The teams traded points until Jordan DuFault ended the set with a kill, 30-28. Wilson led UCI with five kills in the set, while Austin D’Amore hit .750 (3-0-4) and added four blocks. There were 19 ties in the first set.
UCI led 11-9 in the second set before a DuFault kill was followed by a pair of Clark aces to extend the Anteater lead to 14-9. Ammerman opened the UCI lead to 19-12 on back-to-back aces. Stanford could get no closer than four the rest of the match as the Anteaters won the set 30-24.
Stanford closed with 12-10 in the third set, before UCI went on a 3-0 run which included a kill by Clark and two from DuFault to take the 15-10 advantage. Wilson recorded three straight kills to push the advantage to 18-12. UCI hit a .500 (24-3-42) to take the third set 30-20. Both Wilson and Clark registered six kills in the final set.
The Anteaters will travel to Pacific tomorrow night (Apr. 18) to close out the regular season.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Freshmen Phenomena
Freshmen Carson Clark and Austin D'Amore Have Put Up Impressive Numbers in First Year
Talented freshman are one of the keys to Anteaters' success in 2009
April 16, 2009
Irvine, Calif. -- Freshmen Carson Clark and Austin D'Amore have been a big part of UCI's success this year and have put up impressive numbers in their MPSF debut.
As a freshman, Clark leads the No. 1-ranked team with a 3.87 kills and 4.47 points per set average. He saw limited action behind All-American Jon Steller earlier in the season, but in 15 starts this season, the opposite has averaged a remarkable 4.70 kills, 5.42 points 1.45 digs, 0.85 blocks and 0.28 aces per set. Entering the week, he ranks 18th nationally in kills per set and is the only freshman ranked in the NCAA's top 20 in kill average. Clark is ranked 27th in the country in hitting percentage with a .338 mark, ranking only behind Pepperdine's Paul Carroll and Northridge's Eric Vance among non-middle blockers on the list. The redshirt freshman has recorded kills in double-digits 14 times this year, including 20 or more on seven occasions. He has led the team in kills in 12 of 26 matches this year, including 10 of his 15 starts.
D'Amore moved into the starting role in the last nine matches and currently leads the MPSF in blocks against MPSF teams-only with 1.61 average . He ranks second behind teammate Bryan Simmons in block average overall with a 1.53 mark. D'Amore has recorded six or more block assists in 11 of 19 matches this year. The middle blocker, who is averaging 1.22 kills, has a not committed a hitting error over the last three matches (13-0-28) and is averaging 2.09 blocks. He had a career-best 10 kills versus Hawaii as well as a career-high nine total blocks last week against USC.
The top-ranked Anteaters battle No. 4 Stanford Friday (Apr. 17) and Pacific Saturday to close out the regular season.
Monday, April 13, 2009
JD Sweeps Player of the Week Honors
Jordan DuFault Sweeps Player of the Week Honors
DuFault earns first National Player of the Week honor
April 13, 2009
Irvine, Calif. – UC Irvine outside hitter Jordan DuFault has been named Sports Imports/AVCA Men’s Volleyball National Player of the Week as well Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Player of the Week after leading the Anteaters to victories over then No. 4-USC and then-No. 1 Pepperdine.
DuFault, a 6-4 outside hitter, hit .491 (31-3-57) and averaged 4.43 kills, 4.93 points, 1.71 digs and 1.0 blocks for the week. In UCI’s 3-1 victory over USC, DuFault hit .500 on 17 kills in 32 attempts and only one error. He also recorded six digs and three blocks in the match. In a 3-0 sweep of Pepperdine, he hit .480 with 14 kills in 25 swings and just two errors, while also tallying six digs and four blocks in the victory.
This is his first career national and conference honor. DuFault is the third UCI player to garner National Player of the Week accolades this season joining Taylor Wilson (Feb. 2, 2009) and Ryan Ammerman (March 9, 2009). He is the fifth Anteater to earn MPSF distinction (Kevin Wynne 3/16, Ammerman 3/9, Wilson 2/2 and Jon Steller 1/26) in 2009.
No. 1 UC Irvine travels to No. 4 Stanford Friday and Pacific Saturday to close out the regular season schedule before hosting a MPSF play-off match April 25. The Anteaters are 22-4 overall and 17-3 in the MPSF.
JD Receives 1st-Ever AVCA POTW Honors!
DuFault Propels Anteaters to Wins Over Two Top-Five Opponents
April 13 - Jordan DuFault, a 6-4 outside hitter for then-No. 2- University of California, Irvine, has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week. He receives the award after helping the Anteaters to wins over two nationally-ranked opponents last week, including a sweep of then-No. 1 Pepperdine. In UCI's first match of the week, a 3-1 victory over then-No. 4 Southern California, DuFault hit .500 on 17 kills in 32 attempts and only one error. He also netted six digs and three blocks in the match. Then, in the Anteaters' 3-0 triumph over the Waves, he hit .480 with 14 kills in 25 swings and just two errors, while also tallying six digs and four blocks in the victory. For the week, DuFault hit .491 and averaged 4.43 kills, 1.71 digs and 1.0 blocks per game. This is the first time DuFault has received Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Player of the Week honors. It is also the third time this season that an Anteaters' athlete has received the award. The previous two winners were Taylor Wilson (Feb. 2, 2009) and Ryan Ammerman (March 9, 2009). UC Irvine is coached b John Speraw.
April 13 - Jordan DuFault, a 6-4 outside hitter for then-No. 2- University of California, Irvine, has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week. He receives the award after helping the Anteaters to wins over two nationally-ranked opponents last week, including a sweep of then-No. 1 Pepperdine. In UCI's first match of the week, a 3-1 victory over then-No. 4 Southern California, DuFault hit .500 on 17 kills in 32 attempts and only one error. He also netted six digs and three blocks in the match. Then, in the Anteaters' 3-0 triumph over the Waves, he hit .480 with 14 kills in 25 swings and just two errors, while also tallying six digs and four blocks in the victory. For the week, DuFault hit .491 and averaged 4.43 kills, 1.71 digs and 1.0 blocks per game. This is the first time DuFault has received Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Player of the Week honors. It is also the third time this season that an Anteaters' athlete has received the award. The previous two winners were Taylor Wilson (Feb. 2, 2009) and Ryan Ammerman (March 9, 2009). UC Irvine is coached b John Speraw.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The #1 Waves Go Down to the #2 'Eaters
Seniors Go Out With A Bang As No. 2 UC Irvine Sweeps No. 1 Pepperdine
Anteaters hit .352 and out-block the Waves 16 to 6
April 11, 2009
Final Stats
Irvine, Calif. – No. 2 UC Irvine swept No. 1 Pepperdine, 3-0 (30-29, 30-24, 30-22) on senior night at the Bren Events Center in front of a season-high 2,587 fans.
UCI improves to 22-4 overall and moves into a first place tie in the MPSF standings with Pepperdine at 17-3. The Waves go to 19-3 overall. It is the 10th win all-time versus the Waves and only the second three-game sweep of Pepperdine in the series history. The last 3-0 victory was Jan. 6, 2003.
UCI once again used a balanced attack, hitting .352 (56-13-122). The Anteaters were guided by senior setter Ryan Ammerman with 47 assists, three kills, five digs, five total blocks and two aces. Redshirt freshman Carson Clark led the team with 16 kills and had eight digs. Sophomore Jordan DuFault hit .480 from the outside with 14 kills and just two errors in 25 attempts. Senior outside hitter Taylor Wilson logged 10 kills and six block assists, while senior libero Brent Asuka had a team-best 11 digs. In the middle, sophomore Kevin Wynne totaled a match-high seven blocks, hit .538 with seven kills, while freshman Austin D’Amore hit .545 with six kills and six blocks. Senior Jon Steller fired a service ace.
The Anteaters dominated the net, out-blocking Pepperdine 16 to 6.
Pepperdine’s Paul Carroll recorded a match-high 19 kills, while Matt McKee had 14 kills. Kasey Krider totaled 42 set assists and nine digs, while libero Sean Grubbs had a match-high 12 digs in the loss.
The first set saw 13 ties and the lead was never more than two for either team. With the score knotted at 29-29 a Pepperdine service error was followed by a block by UCI’s Austin D’Amore and Taylor Wilson to give the Anteaters the 31-29 victory. UCI used 5.5 blocks and six kills from Carson Clark to take the set.
The score was tied 22-22 in second set before UCI had kills by Jordan DuFault and D’Amore and a Pepperdine attack error to go ahead 25-22. The Anteaters scored the last three points of the set on a Ryan Ammerman ace, a block by Clark and Kevin Wynne and another Ammerman ace.
UCI jumped out to a 7-3 advantage in the third set and never relinquished the lead. Consecutive kills by Wynne, D’Amore and DuFault end the game 30-22 and the match.
UCI honored its six graduating seniors, Ryan Ammerman, Nick Spittle, Jon Steller, Brent Asuka, Taylor Wilson and Nick Goldsborough-Reardon in a pre-game ceremony.
With one more week remaining in the regular season, UCI is guaranteed to host a MPSF quarterfinal match on April 25. The Anteaters travel to Stanford and Pacific to close out the MPSF schedule.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
'Eaters Sweep the Trojans in the Regular Season
http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/recaps/040909aaa.html
Team Effort Lifts No. 2 UC Irvine Over No. 4 USC, 3-1
Jordan DuFault leads UCI with 17 kills
April 8, 2009
Final Stats
Irvine, Calif. - No. 2 UC Irvine used a team effort to defeat No. 4 USC, 3-1 (30-15, 22-30, 30-25, 30-24) at the Bren Events Center in front of a season-high 2,421 fans.
UCI improves to 21-4 overall and 16-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. UCI's 21 wins are the third most in program history. It is UCI's 10th consecutive win over the Trojans who go to 16-8 on the year and 12-7 in the MPSF.
Jordan DuFault led the Anteaters with 17 kills while hitting .500 (17-1-32), while senior outside hitter Taylor Wilson recorded 15 kills and a career-high seven block assists. Freshman middle blocker Austin D'Amore had a career and match-best nine total blocks and libero Brent Asuka tallied a match-high 16 digs. Setter Ryan Ammerman had four kills, 49 set assists and 10 digs in the win. Opposite Carson Clark added eight kills and sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne totaled seven kills, hitting .636 and five blocks. Senior opposite Jon Steller came off the bench to hit .500 on six kills in 12 attempts without an error. Serving specialist Nick Spittle fired two aces.
USC was led by Tony Ciarelli with a match-high 23 kills. Murphy Troy added 17 kills, four service aces and 10 digs, while Riley McKibbin recorded 52 set assists and a team-high 14 digs.
UCI dominated the net, out-blocking USC 15.5 to 6.0. The Anteaters hit .338 (60-15-133) for the match, while the Trojans hit .240 (63-27-150). UCI committed just nine service errors to USC's 20. Both teams dug 50 balls.
UCI jumped out to a quick 6-1 advantage in the first set and continued to lead 23-11 on consecutive kills by Taylor Wilson, Jordan DuFault, Carson Clark and Kevin Wynne followed by a block by Clark and Wynne. Two Nick Spittle aces were part of UCI's 7-4 run to end the set, 30-15. The Anteaters were on fire in the first set, hitting .593 and totaling three aces and five blocks. Wilson led UCI with five kills, hitting .500 and adding three blocks. USC was limited to a .156 hitting percentage.
Game two belonged to USC as the Trojans took a 4-1 lead and never looked back knotting the match at 1-1 with a 30-22 victory. USC owned a 20-14 advantage, but a Trojan service error was followed by two Anteater blocks and a USC attack that went out to close the margin to 20-18. A kill by Tri Bourne ended the streak and UCI got no closer the rest of the way. USC hit .303 in the second stanza, while the Anteaters hit just .032.
USC led 9-8 in the third set before UCI went on an 8-0 spurt to take a 16-9 lead. The Anteaters would continue to lead as the Trojans tried to rally on a Murphy Troy kill narrowing the margin to 24-21. UCI would out-score USC, 6-4 to end the game 30-25 in favor of the Anteaters. Jordan DuFault paced UCI with eight kills.
UCI held a comfortable 21-15 advantage only to watch USC score five unanswered which included three kills by Tony Ciarelli to close the score to 21-20. A Trojan service error stopped the momentum and after an Austin Zahn kill, UCI scored twice on back-to-back kills by Wilson to go ahead 24-21. A kill by Jon Steller ended the set 30-24 and the match, 3-1.
UCI will host No. 1 Pepperdine Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Center in the final regular season home match. UCI will honor its six seniors prior to the match.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Eaters Rebound on Night #2 vs. the Cougars
No. 1 UC Irvine Rallies To Beat No. 6 BYU
Anteater moxie leads to big comeback in game four
April 3, 2009
Final Stats
Provo, Utah – Senior Taylor Wilson was the catalyst as No. 1 UC Irvine mounted a gritty comeback to win the fourth set and defeat No. 6 BYU, 3-1 (30-28, 26-30, 30-27, 30-27) at Smith Fieldhouse in front of 3,878 fans.
UCI mounted an epic comeback in the fourth set trailing 20-13. UCI hung around and was down 24-19 before Taylor Wilson, who came in midway thru the set, recorded a kill then stepped back to the service line and the Anteaters blocked three consecutive balls to trail 24-23. Wilson put away another kill then UCI locked down the net once more with a Ryan Ammerman solo block to take its first lead of the game, 25-24. A BYU attack error followed to give UCI a 26-24 cushion. Jordan DuFault and two Carson Clark kills countered three Cougar kills to set up match point, 29-2. Wilson knocked a kill off the block for the set, 30-27 and the win, 3-1.
The Anteaters improve to 20-4 overall and 15-3 in the MPSF, while BYU goes to 15-10 on the year and 11-7 in league play. UCI improved to 8-2 on the road this season.
UCI was led by freshman Carson Clark with a match-high 21 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Jordan DuFault added 11 kills and recorded a match and season-high 13 digs. Middle blocker Kevin Wynne totaled 10 kills, two solo blocks and six block assists, while outside hitter Cory Yoder, who made his first start of the year, tallied 10 kills which tied his season-high to go with a season-best seven digs and career-high five block assists. Freshman middle blocker Austin D’Amore had a team-high eight block assists and four kills. Outside hitter Taylor Wilson hit .500 with three kills in six swings in the final set. Setter Ryan Ammerman recorded 57 set assists and four blocks, while libero Brent Asuka collected 10 digs.
The Anteaters, the nation’s best blocking team, held a slight advantage at the net out-blocking BYU 18.5 to 18. UCI’s 18.5 blocks is tied for the most this season. For the match, UCI hit .226 while the Cougars hit .141.
Alex DaPron led BYU with 16 kills followed by Kent Tuttle with 12 kills. Futi Tavana recorded a match-high nine block assists, while libero Joel Silva totled 11 digs in the loss.
In the first set, UCI used a 5-2 run which was capped by a dig that landed for a kill to open a 13-8 advantage. The Anteaters held its largest lead, 23-16, on another dig for a kill before BYU rallied to close within 25-24 on one of UCI’s eight service errors in the set. BYU would tied the score at 28-28 before Carson Clark would record a kill and a BYU attack error sailed long for a 30-28 UCI victory.
The teams remained close in the second set until a call was reversed in favor of BYU that started a 3-0 spurt by the Cougars to take a 12-9 lead. UCI tied the set at 18-18 on a block by Cory Yoder and Kevin Wynne only to watch BYU go on a 6-0 run to give the Cougars a 24-18 cushion. UCI would make it interesting with four straight to close to 29-26 but another Anteater service error gave the set to BYU, 30-26.
UCI opened an 18-15 lead on a triple block but BYU had a UCI service error plus consecutive kills and a block to go ahead 19-18. After the teams traded a pair of points, the Anteaters returned the favor with a kill by Clark, a pair of blocks and a Cougar attack that was wide to take back the lead, 24-21. UCI would not relinquish the lead again and win the set 30-27.
UC Irvine returns to Irvine for its final two regular season home matches, entertaining USC Wednesday (Apr. 8) and Pepperdine Saturday (Apr. 11). Both matches begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Center.
Anteater moxie leads to big comeback in game four
April 3, 2009
Final Stats
Provo, Utah – Senior Taylor Wilson was the catalyst as No. 1 UC Irvine mounted a gritty comeback to win the fourth set and defeat No. 6 BYU, 3-1 (30-28, 26-30, 30-27, 30-27) at Smith Fieldhouse in front of 3,878 fans.
UCI mounted an epic comeback in the fourth set trailing 20-13. UCI hung around and was down 24-19 before Taylor Wilson, who came in midway thru the set, recorded a kill then stepped back to the service line and the Anteaters blocked three consecutive balls to trail 24-23. Wilson put away another kill then UCI locked down the net once more with a Ryan Ammerman solo block to take its first lead of the game, 25-24. A BYU attack error followed to give UCI a 26-24 cushion. Jordan DuFault and two Carson Clark kills countered three Cougar kills to set up match point, 29-2. Wilson knocked a kill off the block for the set, 30-27 and the win, 3-1.
The Anteaters improve to 20-4 overall and 15-3 in the MPSF, while BYU goes to 15-10 on the year and 11-7 in league play. UCI improved to 8-2 on the road this season.
UCI was led by freshman Carson Clark with a match-high 21 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Jordan DuFault added 11 kills and recorded a match and season-high 13 digs. Middle blocker Kevin Wynne totaled 10 kills, two solo blocks and six block assists, while outside hitter Cory Yoder, who made his first start of the year, tallied 10 kills which tied his season-high to go with a season-best seven digs and career-high five block assists. Freshman middle blocker Austin D’Amore had a team-high eight block assists and four kills. Outside hitter Taylor Wilson hit .500 with three kills in six swings in the final set. Setter Ryan Ammerman recorded 57 set assists and four blocks, while libero Brent Asuka collected 10 digs.
The Anteaters, the nation’s best blocking team, held a slight advantage at the net out-blocking BYU 18.5 to 18. UCI’s 18.5 blocks is tied for the most this season. For the match, UCI hit .226 while the Cougars hit .141.
Alex DaPron led BYU with 16 kills followed by Kent Tuttle with 12 kills. Futi Tavana recorded a match-high nine block assists, while libero Joel Silva totled 11 digs in the loss.
In the first set, UCI used a 5-2 run which was capped by a dig that landed for a kill to open a 13-8 advantage. The Anteaters held its largest lead, 23-16, on another dig for a kill before BYU rallied to close within 25-24 on one of UCI’s eight service errors in the set. BYU would tied the score at 28-28 before Carson Clark would record a kill and a BYU attack error sailed long for a 30-28 UCI victory.
The teams remained close in the second set until a call was reversed in favor of BYU that started a 3-0 spurt by the Cougars to take a 12-9 lead. UCI tied the set at 18-18 on a block by Cory Yoder and Kevin Wynne only to watch BYU go on a 6-0 run to give the Cougars a 24-18 cushion. UCI would make it interesting with four straight to close to 29-26 but another Anteater service error gave the set to BYU, 30-26.
UCI opened an 18-15 lead on a triple block but BYU had a UCI service error plus consecutive kills and a block to go ahead 19-18. After the teams traded a pair of points, the Anteaters returned the favor with a kill by Clark, a pair of blocks and a Cougar attack that was wide to take back the lead, 24-21. UCI would not relinquish the lead again and win the set 30-27.
UC Irvine returns to Irvine for its final two regular season home matches, entertaining USC Wednesday (Apr. 8) and Pepperdine Saturday (Apr. 11). Both matches begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Center.
D'Amore Makes Junior National Team
UC Irvine's Austin D'Amore Named To U.S. Men's Junior National Training Team
D'Amore to train with USA team after season ends
April 3, 2009
Irvine, Calif. – USA Volleyball's High Performance Department announced that UC Irvine freshman Austin D’Amore is one of 19 players that will vie to be on the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team for the 2009 FIVB World Championship on July 31-Aug. 9 in Pune, India.
The training period and logistical plans for the Men’s Junior National Training Team are not yet finalized.
2009 USA Men's Junior National Training Team
Name (Position, City, State, School, Region)
Thomas Amberg (Middle Blocker/Opposite, El Cajon, Calif., UCLA, Southern California)
Jim Baughman (MB, Valencia, Calif., Long Beach State, So Cal)
Michael Bunting (Outside Hitter, Wyomissing, Pa., Loyola, Chicago, Keystone)
Kyle Caldwell (Opp., Newport Beach, Calif., UCLA, So Cal)
Tony Ciarelli (OH, Huntington Beach, Calif., USC, So Cal)
Kasey Crider (Setter, Granite Bay, Calif., Pepperdine, Northern California)
Austin D'Amore (MB, Lake Elsinore, Calif., UC Irvine, So Cal)
Kyle Friend (OH Boca Raton, Fla., Long Beach State, Florida)
Tyler Jaynes (MB, Granite Bay, Calif., Pepperdine, No Cal)
Joseph Kauliakamoa (Setter, Las Vegas, Nev., BYU, No Cal)
Rusty Lavaja (MB, St. Charles, Ill., BYU, Great Lakes)
Brad Lawson (OH, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Stanford, Aloha)
Steven Shandrick (MB, Lake Forest, Calif., USC, So Cal)
Erik Shoji (Libero, Honolulu, Hawai’i, Stanford, Aloha)
Mike Stefani (OH, Hamburg, N.Y., Orchard Park HS, Western Empire)
Matthew Stork (Setter, Topanga, Calif., Cal State Northridge, So Cal)
Joseph Sunder (Opp., Greensburg, Pa., Penn State, Keystone)
Murphy Troy (OH, St. Louis, Mo., USC, Gateway)
Nick Vogel (MB, El Cajon, Calif., UCLA, So Cal)
Alternates to 2009 USA MJNTT
Tri Bourne (OH, Honolulu, Hawai’i, USC, Aloha)
Austin Ellis (MB, Corona del Mar, Calif., Stanford, So Cal)
Jay Petty (Opp., Downers Grove, Ill., Lewis, Great Lakes)
Staff
Head Coach - Shawn Patchell, BYU
Asst. Coach - John Hawks, Long Beach State
Irvine Falls to the Cougars
No. 1 UC Irvine Falls At No. 6 BYU
Anteaters struggle offensively and snap seven match winning streak
April 2, 2009
Final Stats
Provo, Utah – No. 6 BYU upset No. 1 UC Irvine, 3-1 (30-24, 20-30, 30-18, 30-28) at Smith Fieldhouse Thursday.
The Anteaters, the fourth best hitting team in the country, hit a dismal .185 for the match, the worst offensive outing of the year. The nation’s best blocking team was also out-worked at the net with BYU topping UCI 15.5 to 11.5.
UCI snapped a seven match winning streak and goes to 19-4 overall and 14-3 in the MPSF while BYU improves to 15-9 on the year and 11-6 in league play.
Freshman Carson Clark was the only Anteater in double-figure kills, leading the team with 14. Sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne was impressive hitting .667 with six kills and no errors in nine swings and knocking down a match-high seven block assists. Outside hitters Cole Reinholm and Cory Yoder came off the bench to each add six kills apiece. Brent Asuka had a match-high 13 digs.
BYU was led by Andrew Stewart’s 15 kills followed by Kent Tuttle with 10 kills. Futi Tavana added nine kills, while Russell Lavaja led the Cougars with seven total blocks.
In the first set, BYU led 11-10 then outscored UCI, 6-3 with all three of the Anteaters’ points coming on Cougar service errors to extend the lead to 17-14. UCI would get no closer than three the rest of the way as BYU won the set 30-24. UCI hit just .154 to the Cougar’s .385 clip. BYU also out-blocked UCI 5-1.
UCI’s block came alive in the second set leading the Anteaters to a 30-20 victory. UCI out-blocked the Cougars 8-1, while Jordan DuFault ignited the Anteater offense with five kills. With the score tied at 11-11, UCI scored four unanswered, three of them on blocks to open a 15-11 advantage.
BYU went on an 8-0 run to put the Cougars up 14-5 and never looked back as they cruised to a 30-18 victory in the third set. The Anteaters hit a dismal .048, in the worst loss in a set this year.
The Cougars went on a 4-0 run and out-scored UCI 7-1 to open a 17-11 lead in the fourth set. UCI hung around scoring three straight to close within 29-28, but an Anteater service error sailed long to give BYU the 30-28 victory and match. UCI committed 10 service errors in the final set.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. PDT in Smith Fieldhouse.
Anteaters struggle offensively and snap seven match winning streak
April 2, 2009
Final Stats
Provo, Utah – No. 6 BYU upset No. 1 UC Irvine, 3-1 (30-24, 20-30, 30-18, 30-28) at Smith Fieldhouse Thursday.
The Anteaters, the fourth best hitting team in the country, hit a dismal .185 for the match, the worst offensive outing of the year. The nation’s best blocking team was also out-worked at the net with BYU topping UCI 15.5 to 11.5.
UCI snapped a seven match winning streak and goes to 19-4 overall and 14-3 in the MPSF while BYU improves to 15-9 on the year and 11-6 in league play.
Freshman Carson Clark was the only Anteater in double-figure kills, leading the team with 14. Sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne was impressive hitting .667 with six kills and no errors in nine swings and knocking down a match-high seven block assists. Outside hitters Cole Reinholm and Cory Yoder came off the bench to each add six kills apiece. Brent Asuka had a match-high 13 digs.
BYU was led by Andrew Stewart’s 15 kills followed by Kent Tuttle with 10 kills. Futi Tavana added nine kills, while Russell Lavaja led the Cougars with seven total blocks.
In the first set, BYU led 11-10 then outscored UCI, 6-3 with all three of the Anteaters’ points coming on Cougar service errors to extend the lead to 17-14. UCI would get no closer than three the rest of the way as BYU won the set 30-24. UCI hit just .154 to the Cougar’s .385 clip. BYU also out-blocked UCI 5-1.
UCI’s block came alive in the second set leading the Anteaters to a 30-20 victory. UCI out-blocked the Cougars 8-1, while Jordan DuFault ignited the Anteater offense with five kills. With the score tied at 11-11, UCI scored four unanswered, three of them on blocks to open a 15-11 advantage.
BYU went on an 8-0 run to put the Cougars up 14-5 and never looked back as they cruised to a 30-18 victory in the third set. The Anteaters hit a dismal .048, in the worst loss in a set this year.
The Cougars went on a 4-0 run and out-scored UCI 7-1 to open a 17-11 lead in the fourth set. UCI hung around scoring three straight to close within 29-28, but an Anteater service error sailed long to give BYU the 30-28 victory and match. UCI committed 10 service errors in the final set.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. PDT in Smith Fieldhouse.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Back-to-Back Sweeps of Hawaii Completed
Freshmen Shine In UC Irvine's 3-0 Victory Over No. 13 Hawaii
Austin D'Amore records career-high 10 kils
March 27, 2009
Final Stats
Irvine, Calif. – Freshmen Carson Clark and Austin D’Amore were too much to handle as No. 1 UC Irvine defeated No. 13 Hawaii, 3-0 (30-19, 30-24, 32-30) at the Bren Events Center Friday.
UCI’s wining streak goes to seven as the Anteaters improve to 19-3 overall and remain at the top of the MPSF standings with a 14-2 record. Hawaii drops to 6-15 on the year and 3-13 in league play.
Clark, a freshman opposite, pounded a match-high 20 kills, while D’Amore, a freshman middle blocker, recorded a career-high 10 kills and hit .562 (10-1-16). The duo each added five block assists. Senior Taylor Wilson totaled eight kills and had six digs to share the team lead with Jordan DuFault who also recorded seven kills and five blocks. Middle blocker Kevin Wynne hit .500 (6-1-10) and had a match-high seven blocks. Senior setter Ryan Ammerman guided the team to a .379 hitting percentage with 50 set assists, five digs and three blocks.
Last night the Anteater serving was the key, but tonight UCI’s blocking was dominant with a 14 to 7 advantage. For the second consecutive night, Hawaii hit .125 (35-23-96).
Hawaii was led by Brennon Dyer with 11 kills and five digs. Sean Carney recorded 10 kills and five digs, while Gus Tuaniga had seven kills and Matt Rawson added five blocks.
UCI’s freshmen started the match off on fire with Carson Clark recording eight kills and Austin D’amore adding seven (.700) without committing an error as the Anteaters won the set 30-19. UCI took control of the set on back-to-back blocks to go ahead 8-3. The Warriors would get no closer than two the rest of the way.
With the second set tied at 21-21, UCI scored three unanswered on kills by Clark and Taylor Wilson plus a Hawaii attack error (24-21). UCI would close out the set out-scoring the Warriors 6-3 for the 30-24 victory.
Hawaii led 25-22 late in the third set before UCI used two Jordan DuFault kills, a Warrior attack attempt that went long and a block by Kevin Wynne and Ryan Ammerman to take the 26-25 advantage. The teams would trade points until a kill by Ammerman was followed by an attack error by Brennon Dyer to end the set, 32-30.
UCI will travel to BYU for a pair of matches next Thursday and Friday (Apr. 2-3).
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Night # vs. Hawaii-- The Sweep
Taylor Wilson Leads No. 1 UC Irvine To Sweep Of No. 13 Hawaii
Austin D'Amore Records Career-High 8 Block Assists
March 26, 2009
Final Stats
Irvine, Calif. – Taylor Wilson led top-ranked UC Irvine to a 3-0 victory over No. 13 Hawaii (30-17, 30-25, 30-26) Thursday at the Bren Events Center.
The Anteaters win their sixth in a row and improve to 18-3 overall and 13-2 in the MPSF. Hawaii drops to 6-14 on the year and 3-12 in league play.
Wilson paced UCI with a match-high 15 kills, three aces and three blocks. Jordan DuFault recorded nine kills followed by Carson Clark with seven. Senior Jon Steller totaled six kills and had two aces while middle blocker Austin D’Amore totaled six kills and hit .750 (6-0-8) while knocking down a career and match-best eight block assists. Middle blocker Kevin Wynne also had six kills with Cole Reinholm adding three kills. Setter Ryan Ammerman tallied 38 set assists, two blocks and three blocks. Libero Brent Asuka recorded a match-high seven digs.
UCI hit .329 for the match and fired nine aces while out-blocking Hawaii 9 to 5. Hawaii was held to a .125 hitting percentage.
Sean Carney was the lone Hawaii player in double-digit kills with 11. Brennon Dyer and Gus Tuaniga each recorded five digs with Tuaniga firing three aces. Setter Nejc Zemljak recorded 27 set assists and five digs.
UCI stretched an 8-7 lead to 18-9 on three aces and two of Jordan DuFault’s team-high five kills in the first set. The Anteaters fired six service aces on its way to a 30-17 game one victory.
Hawaii jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the second set but UCI went on an 8-3 run to take a 12-10 lead. UCI led 12-11 before scoring four straight on a kill by Austin D’Amore, two blocks by D’Amore and DuFault and an ace by Taylor Wilson to go ahead 16-11. The Warriors closed to 22-21 on a kill by Sean Carney before Jon Steller fired two aces and Taylor Wilson buried two kills to give the Anteaters the 27-21 cushion. Wilson put away eight kills as UCI took the set, 30-25.
UCI started the third set 6-0 and never looked back as UCI recorded a 30-26 victory on a kill by Steller.
The two teams are back in action again tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Center.
Steller Article on "Peter's People" @ UCI
Hi everyone, this was a great piece on Jon Steller, Sr. OPP from Fresno, CA. Click on the image above to view!
Ammerman Article in Daily Pilot
http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2009/03/26/sports/uci/dpt-spammerman032609.txt
Published Thursday, March 26, 2009 12:18 AM PDT
Sports
Ammerman proves to be worth wait
VOLLEYBALL: UCI’s 6-foot-9 setter, a fifth-year senior, has stepped up to help Anteaters claim nation’s No. 1 ranking.
By Barry Faulkner
Watching an expressionless Ryan Ammerman take the court, moving sloth-like — trudging really — into the crucible of competition, one could easily fathom that the pace of his progress in the UC Irvine men’s volleyball program has been somewhat less frenetic than that of global warming.
Some, Ammerman among them, might suggest that glaciers have liquefied in the time it has taken the seemingly perennial rookie from the Rockies to assume, at the center of the Anteaters’ offense, the stature that his 6-foot-9 frame had promised.
There were multiple instances, one as recent as last summer, when the outwardly sedate setter from Parker Colo., a Denver suburb, had all but decided to slip away to a potential professional future in Europe, rather than face the excruciating self-doubt that, last year, made his hair fall out in clumps.
The stress-induced affliction prompted a virtual season-long Mohawk, a display considered a diametrical departure for the guy known by his friends and teammates for comporting himself with all the cool of a Colorado winter.
“I finally came to the point where I didn’t really care what happened this year, in terms of volleyball,” said Ammerman, whose development Coach John Speraw cites as the leading factor in UCI’s ascension to the No. 1 national ranking.
The Anteaters (17-3, 12-2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) put their top ranking on the line tonight at 7 against MPSF visitor Hawaii at the Bren Events Center. The two teams also meet Friday at 7.
“When I was in Europe last summer [coaching a junior team with UCI assistant Dave Kniffin and filling out pickup games designed to showcase players attempting to catch on with professional teams], I was thinking about staying there,” said Ammerman, who admitted that after his initial redshirt season in 2005, he actually enrolled at Metro State, a Division II school in Denver, but elected to stay at UCI.
“My ultimate decision [to return from Europe] came down to wanting to be around the guys one more year, regardless of what happened in volleyball,” said Ammerman, who shared national player of the week laurels after his 52 assists keyed a five-game triumph at then-top-ranked Cal State Northridge March 13. He had a career-high 66 assists one week before in a five-game win at UCLA.
“I just wanted to be in Newport [Beach] one more year and enjoy the college experience.”
Coincidentally, it was the experience he obtained over a month of coaching and barnstorming in Germany, Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Spain, as well as the daily affirmation provided by Kniffin, that instilled in Ammerman the belief that he could still hang with the guys on the court, as well as at the beach house.
“It was the turning point in my career,” Ammerman said of the trip to Europe. “I developed a new sense of confidence about myself over there that I really hadn’t had since high school. I saw that I was capable of playing at that level. And just being around Kniffin, who is a very positive guy, really helped. Kniffin [a former UCI setter] was confident in me and I just haven’t had very many people confident in me since I’ve been [at UCI] working and striving hard to improve and improve and improve. He was able to show me that I actually was a good setter and I just needed to believe that.”
Speraw, known for mining nuggets from the outreaches of the club circuit, also saw something in Ammerman, who before his junior year at Chaparral High, morphed from a 5-foot-11 unknown into a 6-foot-6 prospect competing for the Colorado Gold club program.
High school volleyball in Colorado was also a club sport at the time and Ammerman, whose father played club volleyball and basketball at Purdue and whose mother played volleyball at Alaska-Anchorage, commuted two hours each way to Boulder to find only slightly better competition at what was then the state’s only club.
“Living in Colorado, my coach pretty much my whole life had been my dad,” said Ammerman, who chose UCI over Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne and George Mason, though other schools offered more lucrative scholarships if he would convert to outside hitter. [My dad] loved the game, but he didn’t know much, especially about setting, because he was a middle blocker. Everything I learned about setting growing up was pretty much self-taught. So, I knew when I got [to UCI], I was going to be behind the curve with guys who were playing against good competition every weekend, every year.”
Ammerman’s initial experiences as an Anteater did nothing to alter that assessment.
“I wasn’t very good and I wasn’t even playing during practice,” Ammerman recalled of his redshirt season. “It was very frustrating.”
The frustration continued the next two seasons as an apprentice to All-American Brian Thornton, from whom Ammerman learned a great deal and, now as an assistant coach at Orange Coast College, is still a valued mentor with whom Ammerman regularly consults.
When Thornton graduated after helping lead the 2007 team to the program’s first NCAA crown, Ammerman was expected to assume the starting job.
“Last year was supposed to be my time to step in and I still wasn’t ready,” said Ammerman, whose penchant for perfection and analytical nature magnified every misdeed to mountainous proportions. “I had zero confidence in myself to do much of anything and that’s why I struggled so much last year. It was not much fun for me, because I wasn’t performing at the level I was supposed to and I knew that.”
Speraw, who frequently benched Ammerman last season, said his problems were mostly mental.
“Ammo always wants to be great and he has been great this season,” Speraw said. “But he’s better when he realizes he doesn’t have to be great.”
Ammerman said inconsistent placement of his sets has been his biggest concern, but added that his willingness to accentuate his strong serving, as well as his formidable blocking and hitting presence at the net, help him work through periodic instances when his aim goes awry.
“I used to get all wound up about a mistake, but this year, one of my goals has been to be more mellow and level-headed,” Ammerman said. “I used to constantly over think and over analyze things and Speraw always tells me I try too hard to be perfect. Sometimes, I need to just step back and see that I am doing things right and playing well. I need to accept that I can make a mistake and move on.”
Ammerman credits the continual support of his teammates and coaches for bolstering a confidence that seems to have fully blossomed.
“My teammates are awesome, and I definitely can’t say enough about what Speraw and Kniffin and [assistant Mark] Presho have meant to my development,” Ammerman said. “Not very many people saw my potential as a setter in high school, but Speraw was able to recognize and trust that one day I might develop into something good. I’m thankful that he did.”
Said Speraw: “He’s having a great season. His improvement from last year to this year has been awesome to watch; really fun to see.”
Now many of Speraw’s colleagues also see what Ammerman has become — a potential All-American and a catalyst in the ’Eaters’ quest for their second national title in three seasons.
And Ammerman said that recognition from opposing coaches, many of whom must wonder to themselves “Where did this guy come from?” is noticeable.
“I can definitely see that [surprise] in their eyes when I shake their hand at the end of matches,” Ammerman said.
This season will not be the end of Ammerman’s volleyball career.
The social science major who is scheduled to graduate after next summer, said he plans to play professionally in Europe. He is also hopeful about a future on the pro beach circuit.
“My life is volleyball and it has been that way for a long time,” Ammerman said.
Once again, it is also his bliss.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
There's A New #1 in the Nation!
http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/spec-rel/031609aaa.html
UC Irvine Climbs To No. 1 In Rankings
Anteaters earn No. 1 ranking four different years under John Speraw
March 16, 2009
Irvine, Calif. -- The UC Irvine men's volleyball team (17-3, 12-2) moved to No. 1 in the Bison/AVCA Coaches Poll.
UCI has been ranked No. 1 in four different years (2003, 2006, 2007, 2009) since head coach John Speraw's arrival in 2003, including three of the last four seasons. The Anteaters have been ranked in the nation’s top 10 for 67 consecutive weeks, including No. 1 for 14 of those weeks.
The Anteaters are idle this week for final exams and return to action hosting Hawaii March 26 and 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.
Kevin Wynne Shares MPSF POTW Honors
http://www.mpsports.org/sports/m-volley/spec-rel/031709aaa.html
WYNNE AND BITTNER MPSF MOLTEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Woodland, Calif. - UC Irvine sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne (Mission Viejo, CA/Capistrano Valley HS) lifted the Anteaters to a key win at top-ranked CS Northridge in five sets last Friday. He hit .500 (12-4-16) while knocking down a match and season-high nine blocks, also one shy of a career-high. This defensive effort was against one of the top offenses in the nation. UCI defeated a No. 1 ranked team for the fourth time ever.
Woodland, Calif. -Long Beach State junior opposite Dean Bittner (Lakewood, CA/Lakewood HS) led his team to a win over IPFW and '08 national champ and No. 4 Penn State. He was the Active Ankle Tournament MVP for totaling 31 kills in eight sets (3.88 KPS) while hitting .369. He served three aces vs. the Lions and had 11 total blocks in the two matches (1.38 B/S). Also Nominated: Kevin Sagers (BYU), Jeff Menzel (UCSB).
Saturday, March 14, 2009
#2 UCI Upsets #1 CSUN
No. 2 UC Irvine Takes Down No. 1 Cal State Northridge, 3-2
Battle of top two teams does not disappoint
March 13, 2009
Northridge, Calif. – The battle of the top two teams in the country did not disappoint as No. 2 UC Irvine upset No. 1 Cal State Northridge, 3-2 (27-30, 30-28, 30-23, 26-30, 15-10) at the Matadome Friday.
The Anteaters improve to 17-3 overall and 12-2 in the MPSF, while Northridge goes to 16-3 overall and 12-3 in league action. UCI won its fifth in a row and snaps the Matadors 10-match winning streak. The Anteaters are 4-0 in five set matches this year.
Four Anteater players recorded kills in double-figures led by sophomore outside hitter Jordan DuFault with 17. He also recorded eight digs and six blocks. Freshman Carson Clark totaled 14 kills, seven digs and seven blocks. Middle hitter Kevin Wynne had a match-high nine blocks, which ties his season-high to go with 12 kills, hitting .500 (12-4-16) for the match. Sophomore Cory Yoder came off the bench to put away 10 kills. Setter Ryan Ammerman, the reigning National Player of the Week, had six kills, 52 set assists and two aces, while libero Nick Spittle had eight digs.
UCI out-blocked Northridge 18 to 12. UCI hit .287 (65-26-136) while the Matadors hit .305 (68-25-141) on the night.
Cal State Northridge’s Eric Vance had a match-high 20 kills and nine digs. Tanner Nau had 17 kills and four aces, while Jacek Ratajczak added 13 kills, hit .522 and had a team-best six blocks. Ali’i Keohohou had a match-high 14 digs and Matt Stork recorded 63 set assists.
UCI jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first set behind the tough serving of Carson Clark and without taking a single swing then continued to lead 9-4 on just four attempts. UCI was cruising to a 20-15 advantage until Northridge rallied on a 6-1 run to tie the score at 21-21 on a kill by Tanner Nua. With the score tied 23-23, Nau fired back-to-back service aces to give the Matadors the 25-23 cushion. The Anteaters would close to 28-27 on a Northridge serving error before the Matadors won the set on a kill by Jacek Ratajczak and a block, 30-27.
The Matadors held the 18-14 advantage in the second set before Ryan Ammerman stepped to the service line and rallied UCI to five straight points which included an ace and kills by Clark and Kevin Wynne. Northridge closed the gap to 29-28 on an Eric Vance kill, but a Matador service error gave UCI the set, 30-28.
Following a 17-17 tie, UCI scored three unanswered on two Matador miscues and a service ace by Austin D’Amore to take a 20-17 lead in the third set. The Anteaters would take a 26-20 lead on kills by Clark and Wynne, an ace by Jordan DuFault and a Northridge attack error. UCI would go on to win the set 30-23 behind Nick Spittle’s solid defense. The Matadors hit .062 (11-9-32) in the set as UCI recorded six blocks.
In the fourth set, UCI led 14-12 before Northridge rallied to take a 17-15 lead. Northridge scored on an Anteater attack attempt that sailed just wide and a kill by Vance off the block to go ahead 22-20. CSUN would extend the lead to 27-23 on a Vance solo block and then win the set 30-26 to force a fifth set. Cal State Northridge hit .520 (15-2-25).
The Anteaters started strong with a 5-1 lead and built a 10-5 advantage on their way to a 15-10 victory. UCI did not commit a hitting error in the final set, hitting .562 (9-0-16).
UCI will take next week off for finals and return to action hosting Hawaii April 26 and 27 in the Bren Center.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Ryan Ammerman Sweeps Player of the Week Honors
http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/spec-rel/030909aaa.html
Ammerman becomes the 13th Anteater to earn National Player of the Week honors
March 9, 2009
Irvine, Calif. – UC Irvine setter Ryan Ammerman has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men’s National Player of the Week as well as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Player of the Week with Pepperdine's Paul Carroll.
Ammerman guided the second-ranked Anteaters to victories of Loyola-Chicago and No. 11 UCLA last week. In a sweep of Loyola-Chicago to begin the week, Ammerman recorded 29 assists, and added eight blocks, leading his squad to a .299 hitting percentage. In the match at UCLA, he tallied a career-high 66 assists in five games, adding a team-high 11 digs, while leading UCI to a .336 hitting percentage. His 66 assists are ranked eighth in the UCI rally scoring record books.
For the week, Ammerman averaged 11.88 assists per game, while adding nearly two digs and blocks per game, all while leading the Anteaters to an impressive .322 hitting percentage.
No. 2 UC Irvine will travel to No. 1 Cal State Northridge Friday (Mar. 13) at 7:00 p.m. in the Matadome.
Ammo MPSF Player of the Week 3/9/09
http://www.mpsports.org/sports/m-volley/spec-rel/031009aaa.html
CARROLL AND AMMERMAN MPSF MOLTEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Woodland, Calif. - Pepperdine senior opposite Paul Carroll (Forster, Australia) totaled 57 kills in 10 sets, leading the Waves to a pair of five-set comeback MPSF road wins. At No. 6 Long Beach State, he had 26 kills, a career-high 16 digs, and eight blocks. The Waves were down 2-0 in sets that night. At No. 10 UC San Diego, Carroll slammed 31 kills (.467), along with 13 digs, eight blocks, and two aces. Pepperdine came back from a first set loss. For the week, Carroll hit .393 (57-13-112), while averaging 5.70 kills, 2.90 digs, and 1.60 blocks.
Woodland, Calif. - UC Irvine senior setter Ryan Ammerman (Parker, CO/Chapparel HS) dished out a career-high 66 assists, eighth-most in UCI single-match rally scoring history, in guiding the Anteaters to a five-set win at No. 11 UCLA. He added 11 digs for the double-double and led the team to a .336 hitting attack. In a 3-0 home win over Loyola-Chicago earlier in the week, Ammerman had a career-high eight blocks.
CARROLL AND AMMERMAN MPSF MOLTEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Woodland, Calif. - Pepperdine senior opposite Paul Carroll (Forster, Australia) totaled 57 kills in 10 sets, leading the Waves to a pair of five-set comeback MPSF road wins. At No. 6 Long Beach State, he had 26 kills, a career-high 16 digs, and eight blocks. The Waves were down 2-0 in sets that night. At No. 10 UC San Diego, Carroll slammed 31 kills (.467), along with 13 digs, eight blocks, and two aces. Pepperdine came back from a first set loss. For the week, Carroll hit .393 (57-13-112), while averaging 5.70 kills, 2.90 digs, and 1.60 blocks.
Woodland, Calif. - UC Irvine senior setter Ryan Ammerman (Parker, CO/Chapparel HS) dished out a career-high 66 assists, eighth-most in UCI single-match rally scoring history, in guiding the Anteaters to a five-set win at No. 11 UCLA. He added 11 digs for the double-double and led the team to a .336 hitting attack. In a 3-0 home win over Loyola-Chicago earlier in the week, Ammerman had a career-high eight blocks.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Ammo AVCA Player of the Week 3/9/09
http://www.avca.org/awards/players-of-the-week/men-division-one-two/
Ammerman Sets Career High, Leads Anteaters to Two Wins
March 9 - Ryan Ammerman, a 6-9 senior setter for then-No. 2 UC Irvine, has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week. Ammerman and the Anteaters won two matches last week, including a road test at the always-tough Pauley Pavilion. In a sweep of Loyola-Chicago to begin the week, Ammerman recorded 29 assists, and added eight blocks, leading his squad to a .322 hitting percentage. In the match at UCLA, ranked No. 11 last week, Ammerman tallied a career-high 66 assists in five games, adding a team-high 11 digs, while leading UCI to a .336 hitting percentage. His 66 assists are ranked eighth in the UCI rally scoring record books. For the week, Ammerman averaged nearly 12 assists per game, while adding nearly two digs and blocks per game, all while leading the Anteaters to an impressive .322 hitting percentage. This is the first Sports Imports Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week Ammerman has received, and he is the thirteenth player from UCI ever to earn those honors. UC Irvine is coached by John Speraw..
Ammerman Sets Career High, Leads Anteaters to Two Wins
March 9 - Ryan Ammerman, a 6-9 senior setter for then-No. 2 UC Irvine, has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week. Ammerman and the Anteaters won two matches last week, including a road test at the always-tough Pauley Pavilion. In a sweep of Loyola-Chicago to begin the week, Ammerman recorded 29 assists, and added eight blocks, leading his squad to a .322 hitting percentage. In the match at UCLA, ranked No. 11 last week, Ammerman tallied a career-high 66 assists in five games, adding a team-high 11 digs, while leading UCI to a .336 hitting percentage. His 66 assists are ranked eighth in the UCI rally scoring record books. For the week, Ammerman averaged nearly 12 assists per game, while adding nearly two digs and blocks per game, all while leading the Anteaters to an impressive .322 hitting percentage. This is the first Sports Imports Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week Ammerman has received, and he is the thirteenth player from UCI ever to earn those honors. UC Irvine is coached by John Speraw..
'Eaters Best the Bruins in 5
http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports/m-volley/recaps/030709aaa.html
No. 2 UC Irvine Escapes No. 11 UCLA, 3-2
Jordan DuFault and Carson Clark lead UCI with 21 kills each
March 6, 2009
Final Stats
Los Angeles, Calif. – Sophomore Jordan DuFault and freshman Carson Clark each recorded 21 kills as second-ranked UC Irvine escaped No. 11 UCLA 3-2 (30-26, 30-28, 27-20, 29-31, 15-11) at Pauley Pavilion Friday.
UC Irvine improves to 16-3 overall and remains tied for the MPSF lead with Cal State Northridge at 11-2. The Anteaters and Matadors will battle next Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Matadome. UCLA falls to 8-11 on the year and 4-8 in league play.
DuFault tied his career-high with 21 kills, while hitting .500 from the outside and recording eight digs. Clark put away 21 kills from the rightside for the second straight MPSF match, while adding three service aces and a career-high 10 digs. Senior Taylor Wilson had nine kills and setter Ryan Ammerman totaled a career-high 66set assists, 11 digs and six total blocks. Freshman Austin D’Amore led all players with eight total blocks and tied his career-high with six kills. Middle blocker Kevin Wynne recorded six total blocks, while outside hitter Cory Yoder came off the bench in the final three sets to add five kills and five digs. Serving specialist Nick Spittle fired three aces.
The Anteaters out-blocked UCLA, 16 to 9 and out-dug the Bruins 50-45. UCI hit .336 for the match, while UCLA hit .261.
UCLA’s Jack Polales had a match-high 22 kills followed by Brett Perrine with 15 kills. Jamey Ker totaled a match-high 15 digs.
UCLA jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead in the first set, but the Anteaters rallied to tie the score at 6-6 and took their first lead at 9-8 on a Carson Clark kill. Following a 16-16 deadlock, UCI scored the next three points to take the 19-16 advantage. The Bruins closed to 25-23, but back-to-back kills by Clark gave UCI the 27-23 cushion as they went onto the 30-26 victory. Clark put away eight kills in the set.
In the second set, there were 12 ties the last at 19-19 before the Anteaters scored four straight on a pair of Bruin miscues and kills by Jordan DuFault and Austin D’Amore to give UCI the 23-19 edge. UCI continued to lead 25-21 before UCLA out-scored the Anteaters 7-4 to close to 29-28. Jordan DuFault ended the set with a kill, 30-28.
UCLA hit .406 and won the third set 30-27. UCI hit .333, but had seven service errors. The Bruins took a 1-0 lead and never trailed, but watched the Anteaters close to 27-26 on a DuFault ace. The teams each scored a point before the Bruins scored the next two to win the set.
UCI led 17-16 in the fourth set before UCLA committed three straight errors (service error, attack error, ball handling error) to give the Anteaters the 20-16 advantage. UCLA would not go away, tying the set at 24-24 then took a 25-24 lead. The teams would remain tied three more times including 27-27. UCI would then stuff two consecutive attacks to take a 29-27 lead only to watch the Bruins record the next four kills to win the set 31-29.
UCI led 6-3 in the final set, before an Anteater block was followed by two Nick Spittle service aces to extend the margin to 9-3. UCLA narrowed the lead to 13-10 on four consecutive points until a Bruin service error stopped the spurt and gave UCI match point 14-10. A Bruin kill delayed the win, 15-11.
UC Irvine improves to 16-3 overall and remains tied for the MPSF lead with Cal State Northridge at 11-2. The Anteaters and Matadors will battle next Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Matadome. UCLA falls to 8-11 on the year and 4-8 in league play.
No. 2 UC Irvine Escapes No. 11 UCLA, 3-2
Jordan DuFault and Carson Clark lead UCI with 21 kills each
March 6, 2009
Final Stats
Los Angeles, Calif. – Sophomore Jordan DuFault and freshman Carson Clark each recorded 21 kills as second-ranked UC Irvine escaped No. 11 UCLA 3-2 (30-26, 30-28, 27-20, 29-31, 15-11) at Pauley Pavilion Friday.
UC Irvine improves to 16-3 overall and remains tied for the MPSF lead with Cal State Northridge at 11-2. The Anteaters and Matadors will battle next Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Matadome. UCLA falls to 8-11 on the year and 4-8 in league play.
DuFault tied his career-high with 21 kills, while hitting .500 from the outside and recording eight digs. Clark put away 21 kills from the rightside for the second straight MPSF match, while adding three service aces and a career-high 10 digs. Senior Taylor Wilson had nine kills and setter Ryan Ammerman totaled a career-high 66set assists, 11 digs and six total blocks. Freshman Austin D’Amore led all players with eight total blocks and tied his career-high with six kills. Middle blocker Kevin Wynne recorded six total blocks, while outside hitter Cory Yoder came off the bench in the final three sets to add five kills and five digs. Serving specialist Nick Spittle fired three aces.
The Anteaters out-blocked UCLA, 16 to 9 and out-dug the Bruins 50-45. UCI hit .336 for the match, while UCLA hit .261.
UCLA’s Jack Polales had a match-high 22 kills followed by Brett Perrine with 15 kills. Jamey Ker totaled a match-high 15 digs.
UCLA jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead in the first set, but the Anteaters rallied to tie the score at 6-6 and took their first lead at 9-8 on a Carson Clark kill. Following a 16-16 deadlock, UCI scored the next three points to take the 19-16 advantage. The Bruins closed to 25-23, but back-to-back kills by Clark gave UCI the 27-23 cushion as they went onto the 30-26 victory. Clark put away eight kills in the set.
In the second set, there were 12 ties the last at 19-19 before the Anteaters scored four straight on a pair of Bruin miscues and kills by Jordan DuFault and Austin D’Amore to give UCI the 23-19 edge. UCI continued to lead 25-21 before UCLA out-scored the Anteaters 7-4 to close to 29-28. Jordan DuFault ended the set with a kill, 30-28.
UCLA hit .406 and won the third set 30-27. UCI hit .333, but had seven service errors. The Bruins took a 1-0 lead and never trailed, but watched the Anteaters close to 27-26 on a DuFault ace. The teams each scored a point before the Bruins scored the next two to win the set.
UCI led 17-16 in the fourth set before UCLA committed three straight errors (service error, attack error, ball handling error) to give the Anteaters the 20-16 advantage. UCLA would not go away, tying the set at 24-24 then took a 25-24 lead. The teams would remain tied three more times including 27-27. UCI would then stuff two consecutive attacks to take a 29-27 lead only to watch the Bruins record the next four kills to win the set 31-29.
UCI led 6-3 in the final set, before an Anteater block was followed by two Nick Spittle service aces to extend the margin to 9-3. UCLA narrowed the lead to 13-10 on four consecutive points until a Bruin service error stopped the spurt and gave UCI match point 14-10. A Bruin kill delayed the win, 15-11.
UC Irvine improves to 16-3 overall and remains tied for the MPSF lead with Cal State Northridge at 11-2. The Anteaters and Matadors will battle next Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Matadome. UCLA falls to 8-11 on the year and 4-8 in league play.
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