Daily Pilot Article

Published Friday, December 22, 2006 12:24 AM PST
Sports
(original article at http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2006/12/22/sports/dpt-ucimenvb22.txt)

UCI is nation's top team

VOLLEYBALL: Coach John Speraw's UC Irvine men's team is the one with a target on its back.
The UC Irvine men's volleyball team is ranked No. 1 in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Preseason Poll.UC Irvine topped the list with 234 points, garnering 11 first-place votes.

UCI finished the 2006 season as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season champion and advanced to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship where the Anteaters lost to host Penn State in five games in a semifinal match.The 'Eaters return all but one starter from last year's team that went 27-5 and ended the year ranked No. 2 nationally. National and MPSF
Player of the Year Jayson Jablonsky returns to lead Coach John Speraw's veteran crew.

Jablonsky, an AVCA first-team All-American, averaged 4.17 kills per game last season which ranked 17th in the country. The 6-5 outside hitter earned NCAA All-Tournament team honors and was ranked 18th in points (4.89) and 11th in aces (.367) nationally a year ago.

All-Americans Brian Thornton, Matt Webber and Brent Asuka also return for UC Irvine. Thornton, a 6-3 senior setter, was named second team All-America as well as second-team All-MPSF. He averaged 13.70 set assists, which led the nation in 2006.

Webber topped the team, averaging 4.66 kills, which ranked eighth nationally and was ninth in the country in points per game (5.32). The 6-7 senior opposite was named second team All-America and second-team All-MPSF.

Asuka, a sophomore libero, was honored as the AVCA National and MPSF Newcomer of the Year, becoming the first libero to ever garner the distinction. He was also tabbed first team All-America and All-MPSF after averaging 3.03 digs per game.

Middle blockers David Smith and Aaron Harrell round out the UC Irvine returnees. Smith, a 6-7 senior, was named honorable mention in the MPSF last year. He averaged 2.19 kills per game and owned a .412 hitting percentage which ranked 16th nationally. Harrell, a third-team All-MPSF choice, led the team in hitting percentage at .463, which was fifth in the nation and bettered his own school record for hitting percentage in a season. The 6-5 junior led the team, averaging 1.30 blocks per game which was 12th nationally.

UCI will open the 2007 season at Cal Baptist Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m. Following the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament Jan. 5-6, the Anteaters will play host to Hawaii Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m.