Interview with Coach Speraw at About.com

Speraw Interview at About.com

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

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.

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.

"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

'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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

'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.

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.

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.