Incoming Eaters Shine @ CIF Championships

Bryce Danker Swinging Away vs. Mira Costa

This last Saturday, May 26th, at Cerritos College I had the opportunity to announce the CIF-SS Boys Volleyball Championships and with that I got preview 2 incoming Eaters-- Carson Clark (OPP) from Santa Barbara and Bryce Danker (MH) from Esperanza. All I've to say is that they are impressive! Click on the following link to read the results:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-hsvolleyball27may27,1,3832361.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Rob

OC Metro Article on Coach Speraw

Great article on Coach Speraw!

Steve Churm is loyal supporter of UC Irvine volleyball and is a great friend to many of us in the UC Irvine community. Trust me all-- this is a great read!

Robonthemic
__________

A winner on the volleyball court, UC Irvine’s John Speraw would be equally successful in the boardroom because he is a born leader.
BY STEVE CHURM

Listen to John Speraw long enough and you are convinced he is a CEO of an emerging company. He is direct; a deep thinker with a steely focus. He rarely displays emotion, a trait that is often confused with not caring. On the contrary, the tall, super-fit Speraw is passionate about his product and how it is marketed. He has a genuine concern about his employees and their advancement. He understands the burden and responsibility of meeting customer needs. There is an air of precision to almost everything this 35-year-old bachelor does. He lives to learn from the best, and competes to beat them at their own game. He is a natural in a conference room. He has a charisma that commands the room and moves agendas forward. He is a young executive in his prime, and his industry knows it. He has the look of success, but never leads with his ego. It’s about his company and improving performance year over year.

Speraw, however, doesn’t have a plush corner office in Newport Center or South Coast Metro. His working space has hardwood floors and a net. His primary tool is a whistle. He is the head coach of the UCI men’s volleyball team, one of the elite programs in America. He arrived on campus in 2002 with a five-year business plan to turn the Anteater program into a national power. Mission accomplished. He set the bar high and he exceeded it with UCI reaching the NCAA national championship semi-finals in 2006 and the championship game this year. He knows the game, having won two national championships as a player and assistant coach at tradition-rich UCLA. He can match Xs and Os with anyone in the sport. But where Speraw excels is the head game. From his preparation to his demeanor to his sense of time and place, he rarely is out- coached. He doesn’t believe he is smarter than the next guy; he just prepares harder – on and off the court. He requires his players and those involved with the team to adhere to his four fundamental “pillars” of behavior: effort, family, responsibility and respect for each other and your competitors.

“As the leader, you need to know you are not doing this for personal glory,” says the microbiology and molecular genetics graduate. “To succeed takes self-sacrifice.” It also requires risk-taking. “You have to assume the risk of responsibility. Sometimes, during the national anthem, I look down the bench at our team, then my coaches and finally the 3,500 people in the stands and think about the responsibility that I have to do my job and do it well. To be a leader, you have to accept the risk that comes with it.”

Curiously, Speraw doesn’t concern himself much with failure. He has never considered it a real option. That may explain why he is one of the best young leaders Orange County has to offer. OCM

National champion UCI men's volleyball team honored during welcome back party

2-Time All-American Setter, Brian Thornton.




Original story:
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/irvine/sports/article_1690636.php

BY TIM BURT
Irvine World News
Fans who followed UC Irvine's men's volleyball team in its national title quest from a distance had a chance to congratulate the national champions in person Wednesday afternoon during a welcome home party.

About 350 showed up near the administration building to congratulate UCI, which defeated IPFW in four games in the NCAA title match Saturday at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday.

It marked the first national title for the school in men's volleyball and the first since 1989, when the men's water polo team was No. 1.

"It's not necessarily what they did, but how they did it," said Athletic Director Bob Chichester.

The UCI pep band played the school's fight song as each of the players, coaches and supporters came out of a bus.

The enthusiastic crowd, which included Chancellor Michael Drake, gave the team a standing ovation.

Drake joked that is was such a hot day, he would be more comfortable if he took us jacket off. So Drake did and put a T-shirt on which proclaimed the Anteaters national champions.

Drake praised the unselfish attitude of the players, including tournament MVP Matt Webber who said after accepting the award that he received it largely because of the contributions of his teammates.

The players, who are expected to get championship rings at a later date, seemed appreciative of the ceremony.

"I didn't expect so many people to show up, so when the bus turned around the corner and I saw how many people were there waiting for us, it just blew me away," said senior middle blocker David Smith, who a first team All-American.

"To realize the impact we've had on the campus is just amazing."

Smith said the UCI students who attended the home matches played a big part in the team's success.

"It's so much fun to play when you have all the students there and the whole community behind you," he said.

The UCI players also benefited by their experience last year in the national tournament.

"Having been there before and having had to fight from behind, we felt confident in our team's ability as long as we stayed together to be able to take down any one we came up against," Smith said.

During the ceremony, setter Brian Thornton thanked members of the administration and the school's students, who showed up in big numbers for home matches this season.

"It's wonderful for our guys and it's wonderful for the university," said UCI Coach John Speraw.

Speraw credited seniors Jayson Jablonksy, Webber, Thornton and Smith for their leadership.

"In their four years here, they brought this program up from nothing to the top," he said.

Speraw said there were a number of reasons for the Anteaters' success.

"It was really about our team chemistry and our ability to work well together, and our total focus and dedication to winning."

The title has brought plenty of attention to the program, which appears to have a bright future.

"We graduate four All-Americans, so I don't know how it looks for next year," said Speraw. "We've recruited well and we have some great guys in the program already. So, I'm optimistic that we'll continue to play well."

"For a long time, I've been trying to sell a vision and now that vision is a reality and now that makes it even a more viable opportunity for top recruits."

Speraw has spent a lot of time receiving congratulatory phone calls and emails.

"It's been a wonderful experience," Speraw said. "It's going to take me a week to get to all those e-mails I've been receiving."

This week, he plans to get back to business planning for the 2008 season.

UCI will host the national championships at the Bren Events Center next spring.

UCI National Championship Celebration

IRVINE, Calif. --- The UC Irvine campus community celebrated the men's volleyball national championship with a rally attended by several hundred people outside the Administration Building Wednesday afternoon.

Chancellor Michael Drake, who donned a national-championship t-shirt and cap, congratulated the team as did Executive Vice Chancellor Michael Gottfredson and Athletic Director Bob Chichester.

Head coach John Speraw addressed the crowd and said "From the reception at the airport (Sunday) to this celebration, everything has been absolutely incredible. I have been a part of national championships before and this is the greatest gathering I have been to."

Team captain Brian Thornton presented Drake and Gottfredson with volleyballs signed by the team members prior to the unveiling of the NCAA-championship trophy.

Sake (Asuka) Article in The Advertiser (HI)

HOMEGROWN REPORT
Digging volleyball again

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

UC Irvine libero Brent Asuka said he would have traded all of his individual awards for a national championship.

"I'd rather win the national championship, by far," he said. "The individual accolades are great, but the ultimate prize is winning as a team."

Luckily, Asuka doesn't have to choose.

UC Irvine defeated Indiana-U.-Purdue U. Fort Wayne, 30-24, 24-30, 30-23, 30-28, Saturday to capture its first National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship.

"It's just barely hit me," said Asuka, a 2005 'Iolani graduate. "It was (IPFW's) first time (in the finals) too. It was fun, it was crazy, it was a dream come true. Everything worked out perfectly.

"The finals were extremely nerve-racking. It was our first time in the finals and we knew we had to play well."

Asuka's past two years seemingly mirrored the Anteaters' season.

As a freshman, his honors increased like the number of UCI wins.

UCI won its first MPSF regular season title and was ranked No. 1 for the majority of the season, before losing in the national semifinals in 2006.

Last season Asuka was the AVCA National and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Newcomer of the Year, and was named to the first team in both after averaging 3.03 digs per game, good for third in the nation.

He was also named the Asics/Volleyball Magazine Freshman of the Year and earned All-America first-team honors by the publication.

UC Irvine advanced to its first Final Four, only to be eliminated in the semifinals by Penn State.

"It was all a high (last year), but it didn't end how we expected," Asuka said. "This year, all the ups and downs, the whole journey was truly amazing, but it ended how we wanted it."

The "ups and downs" Asuka was referring to could be for both him and the Anteaters.

UC Irvine started the season No. 1 in the polls but dropped to third during the season.

Asuka was pulled from the starting lineup, but still garnered MPSF third-team honors after leading the team with 2.13 digs per game.

The pressure following the success of last season weighed on Asuka, who admittedly had trouble this season.

"I just had a little slump in the beginning of the season," he said. "I wasn't playing as well as last year, I guess. My backup filled in perfectly. We won games, and then volleyball became fun again."

Asuka lost his starting job a third of the way into the season and even sat for a couple of matches.

"The team and coach stayed behind me and I worked out the problems I had," he said. "I went to practice with the mindset I had nothing to lose, and I started to have more fun. I knew I didn't have to do everything."

Asuka regained his starting role in a five-game win over Brigham Young in February.

UCI was 9-20 the year before Asuka arrived. In the past two seasons it made two Final Four appearances with a national championship.

"I'm always going to remember this day," Asuka said, "but hopefully we can keep on working and our team stays intact and we can make another run for another title the next two years."

Final AVCA/CSTV National Poll

It's great to see the Anteaters finish the season at #1!!! It has been a wonderful ride everyone!

UC IRVINE IS NATIONAL CHAMPION!!!

Anteaters win first volleyball title

May 5, 2007

UC IRVINE IS NATIONAL CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!

Columbus, Ohio --- UC Irvine defeated IPFW, 3-1 (30-24, 24-30, 39023, 30-28) to win its first men's volleyball national title at St. John Arena Saturday.

It is UCI's first national championship since the men's water polo team took the crown in 1989. The Anteaters end the season 29-5 overall, the most wins in school history and the most in the country this year. IPFW ends the year 23-8.

The Anteaters hit a blistering .724 in game one (22-1-29) on their way to a 30-20 victory. Jayson Jablonsky and Matt Webber each had six kills with Webber hitting .857 (6-0-7) in the first set. UCI jumped out to a 5-2 lead behind the serving of Webber and never let IPFW get within three the rest of the game.

IPFW controlled game two after the score was tied 5-5, the Mastodons went on a 4-1 spurt to take the 9-6 advantage. IPFW, who went onto a 30-24 victory, watched UCI hit just .155 (13-8-33). The Anteaters pulled to within 26-23 late, but UCI serve sailed long and IPFW ended the game out-scoring the Anteaters 4-1.

The score was tied 3-3 when UCI peeled off 6 straight to take the 9-3 lead. The Mastodons went on a 6-2 spurt capped by a Macias ace to narrow the Anteater lead to 20-16 capped by a Macias ace, but a Jablonsky kill stopped the roll. IPFW would get within four at 23-19, but another Jablonsky kill was followed by two Mastodon attacking errors to give UCI the 26-19 cushion. The Anteaters would take the game 30-23, hitting .194 to IPFW's .086.

Game four was tight until UCI scored three straight on a Jablonsky kill and IPFW two attack miscues to open a 21-18 lead. The Mastodons tied the score at 27-27, but a Smith kill gave UCI 28-27 before a Webber kill put the Anteaters up 29-27. Smith delayed game-point with a serve into the net. The final Mastodon attack sailed long for the game, 30-28 and match point.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Matt Webber led all players with 22 kills, hitting .457. Jayson Jablonsky recorded 18 kills, while David Smith had 13 kills and a team high four blocks. Middle blocker Aaron Harrell hit .600 (10-1-15). Setter Brian Thornton tallied 59 assists and six digs. Taylor Wilson added a team-high eight digs and six kills, while libero Brent Asuka had five digs.

Thornton, Jablosnky and Smith were also named to the All-Tournament Team. IPFW was led by all-tournament team member CJ Macias with 21 kills. Josh Stewart hit .706, recording 12 kills (12-0-17).

OC Register Article - "Fear the Snout"

Sunday, May 6, 2007
Fear the snout
The UC Irvine men capture their first volleyball championship with sheer power and solid defense.
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, OhioIt's the year of the snout in NCAA men's volleyball.

UC Irvine's Anteaters blended their power game with great defense to beat IPFW, 3-1, Saturday and win their first volleyball national championship.

Matt Webber was selected the tournament MVP, but don't try telling him he's any more valuable than any of the other Anteaters.

"MVP to me means, I don't know, it doesn't mean much," the 6-foot-7 senior said. "We did it. We played as a team. For one guy to stand out doesn't make much sense. We're a bunch of nobodies if we don't play together."

The second-seeded Anteaters (29-5) won by scores of 30-20, 24-30, 30-23 and 30-28, extending their school record for victories in a season. IPFW — an acronym representing the 12,000-student school's relationships with Indiana and Purdue universities and its hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind. — finished at 23-8.

Two years after a 9-20 season, the Anteaters — led by seniors Webber, Jayson Jablonsky, David Smith and Brian Thornton — are on top.

"People have asked me about how the five-year plan was done," said John Speraw, 99-59 in five years as coach. "It was done when we recruited these four guys. I learned more from them than they've learned from me. It's been my great pleasure to work with them."

Even though IPFW was playing in its sixth final four and Irvine its second in a row, neither school had ever played in a men's volleyball title game before. This was the closest the Mastodons had come to a national crown of any kind. The Anteaters had won three water polo championships, the last coming in 1989.

Irvine started its season by playing exhibitions at Ohio State, partly to test themselves against the highly ranked Buckeyes but mostly to scout out where the national championship would be held. Speraw, who had won championships as a UCLA player in 1993 and 1995, said the goal was to finish the season at St. John Arena and win it all.

Second-team All-Americans Webber and Jablonsky led the way with 22 and 18 kills, respectively. Taylor Wilson had eight digs, first-team All-American Smith had four blocks and second-teamer Thornton had 59 assists.

"It's all kind of surreal now," Thornton said after the victory.

C.J. Macias led the way for the Mastodons with 21 kills. Josh Stewart had 10 blocks and Jason Yhost and Macias each had eight digs. Colin Lundeen had 53 assists.

NCAA CHAMPIONS

Published Sunday, May 6, 2007 12:23 AM PDT
Sports
CHAMPIONS!
VOLLEYBALL: Coach John Speraw's vision of taking Anteaters to the top in five years comes to fruition in Ohio Saturday.
By Barry Faulkner

COLUMBUS, Ohio — There has been plenty written and said about John Speraw's somewhat mysterious and now infamous five-year plan, unveiled in a presentation he used to get the UC Irvine men's volleyball coaching job before the 2003 season.

Saturday, the sideline scientist also revealed a 10-point checklist for victory, and an ABCs approach to psychological player counseling that he used this season.

In the end, Speraw's systematic teachings congealed into a calm, calculating, cohesiveness that helped the Anteaters win a national championship, their first.

UCI (29-5) defeated Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, 30-25, 30-22, 26-30, 30-23, in front of 4,756 at Ohio State University's St. John Arena.

The first three games were basically blowouts, in which the winning team seized an early lead, steadily increased it and never trailed.

But Game 4, between a pair of teams making their first appearance in an NCAA title match, had enough competitive tension to put knots in players' stomachs and self-doubt in their minds.

The two teams traded points and tie scores from 1-1 to 18-18, as UCI, ranked No. 2 in the nation and seeded No. 2 in the Final Four, looked to close out the match.

IPFW (23-8), ranked No. 7 and seeded No. 4, appeared to be regaining the confidence that helped it win 10 straight and allow the school sometimes known as IPFWho? to elbow its way onto the sport's biggest collegiate stage.

The monotony was finally interrupted when Mastodons' All-American junior outside hitter C.J. Macias whacked a kill attempt out of bounds to give the Anteaters a 20-18 edge.

Another error by Macias, whose 21 kills were nearly as many as the next two Mastodons' hitters combined (22), put UCI up by three.

UC Irvine basically nursed that lead until a quickset kill by first-team All-American middle blocker David Smith put the favored Anteaters up, 26-22.

IPFW called timeout to allow 27-year coach Arnie Ball, whose 457 career victories rank fourth in NCAA history, to dispense a little wisdom of his own.

The Mastodons responded with four straight points to forge yet another deadlock, 26-26.

That's when Speraw called a timeout of his own and, figuratively speaking, had his players all open their instruction manuals to the same page.

"I dreamed up a list of 10 things we need to do in order for us to win and all of those are geared toward pressure situations," Speraw said. "We started instilling them the first five weeks of the season. One of the most important items is playing one point at a time.

"When you're talking about a lot of those things in October or November, they kind of fall on deaf ears. But when it mattered most, when it was 26-all, I told them in a timeout that one of the things we talked about in November was taking it one point at a time. This is just what we need to do right here.

"The system things you put in — to explain the reasons you win and why it's important — don't make sense until you get to a pressure situation. Then, all of a sudden, it makes sense and the guys go 'Alright. Good.' "

What followed was good for UCI, which scored on a Taylor Wilson back-row kill.

After a kill by the Mastodons, a kill in the middle by Smith, and a back-row blast from 6-foot-6 senior opposite Matt Webber, put UCI up, 29-27.

Smith prompted a collective groan from the estimated 150 UCI rooters, most of whom were packed into the lower bleachers at one end of the court, when he committed the Anteaters' 16th service error.

But that groan quickly became cheers of delight as IPFW senior setter Colin Lundeen served into the net to give UC Irvine its clinching point and penultimate victory.

Webber finished with a match-high 22 kills and was named MVP of the Final Four. He posted an impressive .457 hitting percentage Saturday.

UCI seniors Jayson Jablonsky, Smith and Brian Thornton, who joined Webber to form the nucleus of back-to-back Final Four participants, were also named to the all-tournament team.

Jablonsky had 18 kills, five digs and did not commit an error in receiving 38 serves.

Smith, the Anteaters' lone first-team All-American this season [Jablonsky, Webber and Thornton were second-team honorees], had 13 kills in 21 attempts, with just two errors. The nation's hitting percentage leader hit .524 and posted a team-best four block assists.

Thornton had a match-high 59 assists and added six digs, the latter topped only by sophomore outside hitter Wilson's eight.

Wilson added six kills and two block assists, while junior middle blocker Aaron Harrell collected 10 kills in 15 attempts with only one error (a .500 hitting percentage), to go with his two block assists.

Sophomore libero Brent Asuka had five digs, while Jon Steller and Brett Simpson also contributed off the bench.

"I'm obviously incredibly proud of [the four senior starters]," said Speraw, who then lowered his head for several seconds in order to hold back tears. "People ask me about how the five-year plan was done and it was done when we recruited these four men … The effort of these four men and the other guys in the gym right now are the reason we're here.

"Together, I think we've learned so much in the last five years and I think I've learned more from them than they have from me. It has been my great pleasure to work with them."

Speraw, who won two NCAA titles as a player at UCLA and was an assistant coach with three other Bruins national championship teams, said he struggled to find the words to describe his first NCAA crown as a head coach.

"This is pretty big," he said. "It's like a dream; that last point was like a dream I was watching. This is just enormous for me and what I've wanted to do in this sport and with this program, and what it means to me to be a part of UC Irvine. The opportunity [UCI] gave me, I couldn't pay back in any way. If I can do that with the national championship, it would be my small thanks for what [UCI has] given me.

"Obviously I'm proud of what we can do. I think the system we've developed here is good and it's working. But I think it can get better."

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BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or barry.faulkner@latimes.com.

Don't call UCI seniors nobodies

Published Sunday, May 6, 2007 12:23 AM PDT
Sports
Don't call UCI seniors nobodies
NCAA FINAL FOUR NOTEBOOK: Four starters helped put UCI on the volleyball map with national title.
By Barry Faulkner

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A panel of media voted UC Irvine senior opposite Matt Webber Most Valuable Player of the NCAA men's volleyball championship, won by the Anteaters Thursday before 4,756 spectators at Ohio State's St. John Arena Saturday.

But, as if to emphasize the team focus that has carried Coach John Speraw's squad to back-to-back Final Four appearances, Webber almost refused to accept credit.

"The MVP doesn't really mean much, because we were a team and we played as a team the whole way through," said the 6-foot-6 second-team All-American, who had a team-best 22 kills in 35 attempts, with only six errors, to record an impressive .457 hitting percentage.

"For one person to be singled out, it doesn't make sense. I mean, these guys here right beside me [fellow seniors Jayson Jablonsky, Brian Thornton and David Smith at a post-match press conference], we're a bunch of nobodies if we don't play well together. I mean, I wouldn't have been MVP if Thornton wasn't flowing me balls and Jablonsky wasn't passing those balls and Smith wasn't blocking those balls.

"To get MVP is a big honor and I share it with the rest of the team."

SENIORS LEAVE LEGACY

Webber shared a lot with his fellow seniors, who in addition to accomplishing their ultimate goal of winning a national championship, left their indelible mark on the program, as well as the school record book.

Jablonsky, a lightly recruited 6-foot-5 outside hitter out of Esperanza High in Yorba Linda, was the National and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year as a junior.

This season, he earned second-team All-American honors and was a second-team All-MPSF performer.

Jablonsky finished with 1,528 career kills, ranking No. 2 in UCI annals, and his 128 service aces rank No. 1.

Webber, who was planning to go to the Coast Guard Academy, before UCI coaches spotted him in a club tournament the summer after his high school graduation and offered him a scholarship, was a consistently potent hitter.

A 6-6 left-hander, he amassed 1,382 kills, finishing No. 4 on the school's all-time list. His 47 service aces this season set a school record and his 107 career aces are topped only by Jablonsky on the Anteaters' all-time list.

Webber earned second-team All-American plaudits as a senior, after being named first-team All-American as a junior. He was first-team All-MPSF as a junior and second-team all-conference this season.

Smith, a 6-7 middle blocker from Saugus, planned on walking on at UC Santa Barbara, before UCI came through with a scholarship offer.

An engineering major, Smith initially gained recognition for succeeding in spite of a hearing impairment that forces him to wear hearing aids in both ears and read lips to communicate.

But he worked his way to being a first-team All-American and first-team All-MPSF honoree as a senior. He received honorable mention in the All-MPSF voting as a junior.

Smith's 510 total blocks and his 461 block assists are tops in UCI history and his .559 hitting percentage this season led the nation and set a school single-season record.

Thornton, a 6-3 walk-on out of San Clemente High, missed most of his freshman year with mononucleosis. But he eventually earned a scholarship and has become one of the most consistently efficient and productive setters in the nation ever since.

Thornton's 1,645 assists this season broke first-year assistant coach David Kniffin's single-season school record (1,632) and gave Thornton 4,662 for his career, tops in school history.

Thornton was a second-team All-American as a junior and senior. He was second-team All-MPSF as a junior and third-team all-conference this season.

WARM WELCOME HOME

The UCI team is scheduled to return to John Wayne Airport around 5 p.m. today and a UCI athletic department official said they are expected to be met by a sizable crowd of supporters.

CELEBRATION PLANS BEGIN

UCI Athletic Director Bob Chichester said that because of Speraw's superstitious nature, plans for a celebration rally, parade and/or reception for the national champion men's volleyball team have been unofficial at best to this point.

"[An organized celebration] is something [Speraw] didn't want to talk about it, so I haven't talked about it," Chichester said. "I know behind the scenes, the staff has probably talked about things, so plans could be [forthcoming]."

Chichester also said he hopes the accomplishment gets its full due at the school.

"I just hope they appreciate it back home," Chichester said. "I really hope that the campus community appreciates the significance of this and I hope they recognize the potential that our athletic department has, because of this type of effort. And I hope they realize what this can do for our campus, the name recognition and the visibility and all the positives that we always talk about when we're asked `Why do you have athletic programs.'

"It's just for this reason and this accomplishment has been done by student-athletes and great young men."

THE SPITTLE IMAGE

Paul Spittle, the team captain on UCI's 2006 NCAA semifinalist, who was the only starter lost to graduation, also had a presence at the 2007 Final Four.

Spittle, whose younger brothers Nick and Anthony are on the team, was in attendance at Saturday's championship match.

His image was also featured in the official event program, in an advertisement for a shoe company.

FLEDGLING FAN BASE

NCAA officials were reportedly pleased with the 4,756 attendance for the championship match, though it was just more than one-third of the 13,200-seat capacity of St. John Arena.

According to attendance figures from all but three of 38 championship finals in the event program [an average of the 35 was added to give a 38-year total], 220,640 have attended the NCAA men's volleyball title match over the years.

To put that in perspective, 211,151 was the combined attendance of the final two Ohio State home football games last season.

UC Irvine is the host of the 2008 NCAA Championship.

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BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.

Daily Pilot Article on Stats Man, Rob Chai

Published Saturday, May 5, 2007 1:00 AM PDT
Sports
UC Irvine's Chai adds more than numbers
VOLLEYBALL: He works as statistician for Anteaters and is beloved member of the team, which plays for national title today.
By Barry Faulkner

The UC Irvine men's volleyball traveling party boarded a flight Tuesday for Columbus, Ohio, where the Anteaters would begin their quest for their first national title in the four-team NCAA Championship.

On board were players, coaches, support staff, administrators, parents, fans, and one Robert Chai, whose contribution to the program, many agree, is too complex to categorize.

The seats next to Chai, whose official title is team statistician, were coveted assignments indeed. The 35-year-old special education teacher is known for his booming laugh, a smile that can lighten the most competitive snarl, and a gentle, jovial manner that is both soothing and fun to be around.

"I don't know if you can put a title on him," Anteaters senior setter Brian Thornton said of Chai. "He is kind of everything for our team. They give him the title of statistician, and he does that. But he does much more than that. He basically brings what everyone brings to the team, and that's whatever they have. He gives us whatever he has."

What Chai has is boundless energy, a passion for the sport, sincere affection for the players, and a virtually lifelong friendship with Coach John Speraw.

Chai and Speraw grew up together in Arcadia and played volleyball together at Arcadia High. They remained close when Chai attended Long Beach State and Speraw became an All-American middle blocker at UCLA.

After college, Chai, an Arcadia resident, began his teaching career in Pico Rivera, working with students who have autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. It's a job, he said, he still finds rewarding.

Speraw remained at UCLA as an assistant coach, where he was tutored by legendary Bruins Coach Al Scates. Scates has coached UCLA to 19 of the NCAA titles Speraw's Anteaters will pursue today.

UCI (28-5), the No. 2 seed, meets No. 4-seeded Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (23-7) in today's title match at 4 p.m. It could lead to the crowning point of Speraw's building of UCI during the past five seasons, and also a pinnacle of his friendship with Chai.

The Chai-Speraw friendship dates back to September, 1975, when they were 5 years old. Both remember their initial meeting in surprising detail.

"I was heading down Magellan [Road], the street I lived on, then took a left on Victoria [Drive]," Speraw said. "When I got to the corner of Victoria and Golden West [Avenue], where the bus was going to pick us up for the first day of kindergarten, there was Rob coming down his driveway with his mom. We walked to the bus stop together and we've been good friends ever since."

Good friends may not fully describe the bond the two men maintain.

"John is the first friend I made outside my family," said Chai, who while in high school convinced Speraw to ditch baseball for volleyball, the sport Chai had become fascinated by while watching the United States men's team win the gold medal in 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. "And he's the best friend I've ever had. I've told John a few times how proud I am to see where he is now as a coach. He was NCAA Coach of the Year last year and has his team in the Final Four for the second straight year. He also became an assistant Coach with USA Volleyball. If he were an executive with a Fortune 500 company, he'd be super rich."

When Speraw was hired at UCI before the 2003 season, Chai followed heartfelt congratulations with an offer to help.

"John was absolutely stoked to get the job at Irvine, and I was stoked for him," Chai said. "I told him 'Whatever I can do to help, I'm there.' "

Speraw, who in five seasons has coached UCI to more victories (97) than the program achieved in the 13 years before he arrived (92), said he was anxious to bring Chai on board.

"He has always been so supportive of me and he loves the game," Speraw said.

The first season, Chai, then just a volunteer, said he attended practices, sat on the bench with the team and "was a 100% supporter of Speraw at Irvine."

By the second season, Speraw delegated Chai to man the computer statistics machine he has operated ever since during UCI matches. Chai also has become the team's unofficial video coordinator, breaking down tape on future opponents for scouting purposes.

Chai, who is single, drives to Irvine between four and seven days a week after his duties from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Burke Middle School in Pico Rivera. He said he typically arrives back home around 11 p.m.

"People ask me why I do it," said Chai, who also coaches girls in the Fountain Valley-based Team Complete Athlete club volleyball program. "But volleyball is a big part of my life and I really enjoy the game. And with John being the head coach, I get to enjoy spending time with a good buddy of mine."

Speraw is among those who marvel at Chai's dedication.

"We don't pay him much, and he drives a lot, but he does it because he loves the game and he's a good friend," Speraw said. "He's gregarious, he has a great perspective, and he's a pleasure to have on the bench."

Chai has earned the respect and friendship of the players, to whom he dispenses near-equal amounts of playing tips, good-natured ribbing and unyielding support.

"The guy is so spunky, he's a good character to have around," said senior Matt Webber, who earned first-team All-American honors while helping UCI reach the NCAA semifinals and finish 27-5 last season.

"He likes to joke around and he's a funny guy," said sophomore Brent Asuka, the national newcomer of the year as a freshman libero last year. "He can rip guys and guys can rip him. He can be serious when he's helping us out with video, but mostly, he likes to laugh."

Laughter may be his most valued contribution, Speraw said.

"He's gregarious and he has got a great laugh," Speraw said. "You can hear Robby laughing all the way down the street and you know he's coming. And that's always a good thing."

Chai said he is not afraid to be the target of humor, as when assistant coaches Mark Presho and David Kniffin frequently instruct the public address announcer to introduce him before road matches as "Robby the Chai guy."

"We get a kick out of that," Webber said Chai's unique introduction. "When it happens, everyone on the bench is usually laughing."

Chai, though focused on pregame preparation, said he is happy to amuse.

"It usually catches me off guard, because the P.A. announcer is the last thing I'm thinking about when we're getting ready for a match," Chai said. "But if it puts a smile on our guys' faces and it helps get them fired up, I'm all for it."

As Chai says, whatever he can do to help.

UCI Story by Stacey Shackelford

UC Irvine advances to NCAA Championship with 3-1 victory over Penn State
Anteaters play in first NCAA Championship final

May 3, 2007

Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery

May 3, 2007 UC IRVINE ADVANCES TO NCAA FINALS WITH 3-1 VICTORY OVER PENN STATE

Columbus, Ohio - UC Irvine defeated Penn State, 3-1 (30-25, 30-22, 26-30, 30-23) in an NCAA semifinal match at the St. John Arena Thursday and will advance to the NCAA Championship final against IPFW Saturday at 4:00 p.m. PDT.

With the win UCI sets a new school record for wins in a season with a 28-5 mark, bettering last year's record of 27-4.

UC Irvine controlled game one and were leading 20-15 before the Nittany Lions rallied to knot the score at 24-24 on a kill by Matt Anderson. UCI then scored the next three points on two Jablonsky kills followed by a service ace by Webber to push the Anteater lead to 27-24. Following a Gutor kill for Penn State, Jablonsky pounded another kill and a block by Wilson and Smith gave UCI match point. David Smith ended the game with a kill, 30-25. Both teams struggled offensively in the first set with UCI hitting .083 and Penn State at 0.91. The Anteaters had four service aces.

Penn State jumped out to a 9-6 lead in game two and lead until a Wilson kill tied the score at 12-12. The teams traded points until a pair of Nittany Lion hitting errors gave UCI the 16-14 advantage. Matt Webber fired his 47 service ace of the season to give UCI the 26-19 lead, breaking Spencer Bemus' old record of 46 set in 2003. The Anteaters would go on to take the set 30-22 with Webber pacing UCI with nine kills, including the game winner. UCI would hit .464 in the second game.

The lead was never more than two most of game three. With the scored tied 24-24 a UCI service error was followed by a Penn State block to give the Nittany Lions the 26-24 lead. The cushion late in the game was all Penn State would need as they won the third set 30-26. Penn State hit a blistering .630 (18-1-27).

The Anteaters jumped out to a quick 10-4 lead and never looked back going on to a 30-23 victory. Penn State closed to 24-21, but Jablonsky banged a kill and Penn State had two hitting errors, including a block by Smith and Thornton to extend the lead to 27-21. Harrell ended the match with a kill in the middle.

Matt Webber led all players with 19 kills followed by Jayson Jablonsky with 14. Both Webber and Jablonsky fired two aces on the night. David Smith hit .625 on 11 kills on 16 swings with just one error. Smith also had a team-best five blocks and two aces. Taylor Wilson added 10 kills. Setter Brian Thornton had 51 assists and a team-high nine digs to go with two solo and two block assists.

Matt Anderson led Penn State (22-8) with 16 kills. Alex Gutor totaled 13 kills with Max Holt adding 12 kills. Ryan Walthall had a match-high 12 digs in the loss. Penn State out-blocked UCI 14.5 to 11.5.

UCI Garners 4 All-American Awards

Four named to AVCA All-American Team
David Smith earns first-team All-American honors

May 2, 2007

Irvine, Calif. -- Four UC Irvine men's volleyball players were selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America team, including middle blocker David Smith, who earned first-team accolades.

Smith, a senior, leads the country in hitting percentage (.558) and is sixth in blocking (1.38). This is Smith's first All-American selection.

Seniors Matt Webber, Jayson Jablonsky and Brian Thornton were all named to the second team.

Webber, an opposite side hitter, leads the team with a 3.91 kill and 4.73 point average. Jablonsky, an outside hitter, follows at 3.88 kills and 4.63 points per game. Thornton, a setter, is third in the country in assists with a 13.23 mark.

UC Irvine's four selections were the most by any team in the country.

UCI Pounds Penn St. in NCAA Semi!

Published Friday, May 4, 2007 12:46 AM PDT
Sports
UCI rolls on to final
VOLLEYBALL: Anteaters avenge last year's NCAA semifinal defeat by Penn State, will meet IPFW Saturday for title.
By Barry Faulkner

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After accomplishing yet another first for a program that seems to break records and precedent with methodical frequency, the UC Irvine men's volleyball team can stop worrying about demons and now simply focus on Mastodons.

The No. 2-seeded Anteaters (28-5) exorcised two demons with one match Thursday, trouncing No. 3-seeded Penn State, 30-25, 30-22, 25-30, 30-23, in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at Ohio State's St. John Arena.

The victory avenged the Nittany Lions' five-game semifinal win over then-No. 1-seeded UCI, in last year's NCAA semifinals at Penn State. It also propelled Coach John Speraw's senior-led squad into the program's first championship match.

The Anteaters, who have won more matches than any other in the 18-season history of the program, will try to attain their final goal Saturday, when they face Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (23-7) in the title match at 4 p.m. at the same venue. The game will be televised by ESPN2.

IPFW, the No. 4 seed, stunned top-seeded Pepperdine, 27-30, 30-27, 30-27, 30-25, in the first semifinal to earn the school's first trip to a final in six Final Four appearances.

So, either the Mastodons or the Anteaters will make history Saturday night.

The Anteaters rewrote history Thursday, utilizing their experience and cohesiveness to overpower a younger, more excitable unit from Penn State (22-8).

"I thought we served better tonight," said UCI senior second-team All-American outside hitter Jayson Jablonsky, whose team made just 16 service errors to Penn State's 21. UCI had made 32 and 30, respectively, in its last two victories against BYU and Pepperdine in the MPSF tournament.

"I stopped talking about it," Speraw said of the serving woes. "I just decided that we're going to miss a bunch of serves, because it's too late in the season to change anything now."

Penn State added to its serving woes by making 29 attack errors, to UCI's 22. The Nittany Lions hit .230 as a team, while UCI finished with a .313 hitting percentage.

UCI was led, offensively, by senior opposite Matt Webber, another second-team All-American who had a match-high 19 kills, while adding two ace serves, five digs two total blocks.

Jablonsky had 14 kills and two aces.

The consistency of Webber and Jablonsky, the precision setting of senior second-team All-American Brian Thornton (51 assists to add to his school career record), and the reliable hitting of middle blockers David Smith, a senior first-team All-American, and junior Aaron Harrell has helped make UCI a difficult team to beat in the postseason.

The continued emergence of sophomore outside hitter Taylor Wilson, as well as the unsung contribution of sophomore libero Brent Asuka, has also combined to narrow the Anteaters' weaknesses.

Smith (11 kills) hit .625, while Wilson added 10 kills and four block assists. Harrell finished with four kills in eight attempts and hit .375.

It's all part of the plan, Speraw said.

"I've become a huge system volleyball coach," said the fifth-year head man, who has won more matches (98) than the program did in 13 seasons before his arrival (92). "We tell our guys this is the situation we're going to encounter and this is how we're going to deal with it. We tell them what their responsibilities are going to be and we just talk about it all the time. We train for it. Everyone understands what their responsibilities are and we're able to work well together because of it.

"Also, we work very hard and we have team chemistry."

The Anteaters' systematic approach served them best when the games reached the most critical stages.

UCI was up, 16-8, in Game 1, but Penn State closed to within 20-18 and eventually tied it at 24-24. But the Anteaters scored three straight and six of the last seven to close out the game.

With Penn State within 16-15 in Game 2, UCI scored five straight and eventually won by eight.

Penn State won six of the final seven points to take Game 3, but UCI established control early in Game 4 on its way to a 24-17 advantage.

Penn State closed to within 24-21, but UCI scored three in a row and was never seriously challenged again.

"Teams that are successful are able to make plays late in games," Speraw said. "I think the game scores were a little deceptive, because I thought the games were closer than that. But we were able to make a couple more plays after the score hit 20."

Penn State Coach Mark Pavlik said his team made too many mistakes.

"We really wanted to turn this match into a slugfest. And for stretches, it was some pretty good volleyball for both sides. Other times, it was the type of volleyball you don't want on any instructional videos. I think we made [50 errors, serving and hitting], but I give UCI credit."

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BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.

Daily PIlot Article #1 After Defeating PSU

Published Friday, May 4, 2007 12:46 AM PDT
Sports
'Eaters aim to keep it neutral
NCAA FINAL FOUR NOTEBOOK: Anteaters' semifinal win over Penn State gives them seven straight on neutral court.
By Barry Faulkner

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When the Ohio State men's volleyball team was upset by Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. tournament final, it effectively made St. John Arena, the site of the NCAA Championship, a neutral court for the Final Four participants.

This was particularly good news for UC Irvine, which improved to 5-0 on a neutral court this season with its 30-25, 30-22, 26-30, 30-23 semifinal victory over Penn State Thursday on the Ohio State campus.

Since last season, UCI has won its last seven matches on neutral courts.

The lack of a neutral court helped Penn State upset the then-top-seeded Anteaters, 32-30, 30-23, 31-33, 27-30, 15-13, in last year's NCAA semifinal, before nearly 5,000 Nittany Lions rooters at Penn State.

"We wouldn't have liked going up against Ohio State at Ohio State," UCI senior opposite Matt Webber said. "We did that last year [facing Penn State at Penn State] and it wasn't fun."



UC Irvine is the only participant in the Final Four without a foreign player in its starting lineup.

Pepperdine featured 6-foot-7 sophomore opposite Paul Carroll, a first-team All-American from Forster, Australia.

Penn State was aided by 6-4 senior outside hitter Alex Gutor from Kiev, Ukraine, and Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne features two foreign starters.

The Mastodons' C.J. Macias, a 6-4 junior outside hitter and second-team All-American, is from Caxias Do Sul, Brazil, while 6-3 senior setter Colin Lundeen is from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

UCI, in fact, has only two players not from California: sophomore libero Brent Asuka from Aiea, Hawaii, and junior backup setter Ryan Ammerman from Parker, Colo.

Pepperdine and Penn State each have an Irvine resident.

Pepperdine, of course, was led by 6-8 junior setter Jonathan Winder, the MPSF and National Player of the Year. Penn State's roster included senior libero Ryan Walthall.

Both Winder and Walthall played together at Woodbridge High, which is in the Irvine School District.


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BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.

Daily Pilot Article on OH Taylor Wilson

Published Thursday, May 3, 2007 12:32 AM PDT

Sports
Wilson's turn has come
VOLLEYBALL: Outside hitter, a sophomore, gives UC Irvine another threat heading into Final Four.
By Barry Faulkner

When the UC Irvine men's volleyball team takes the court, Taylor Wilson has come to realize he can count on a nervous stomach and a surge of adrenaline.

Playing time, however, has been somewhat less predictable for the 6-foot-7 sophomore outside hitter out of Capistrano Valley High.

Fortunately for the Anteaters (27-5), who take on Penn State (22-7) today at 4 p.m. in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at Ohio State University, Taylor has shown the ability to handle all these situations with poise.

"He has done a nice job of hanging in there," UCI Coach John Speraw said of Wilson, who is a big reason the Anteaters were able to upset No. 1-ranked Pepperdine Saturday to claim the program's first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament title.

Wilson, who was benched for ineffective play in the Anteaters' MPSF semifinal win over BYU April 26 at Pepperdine, bounced back to record a career-high 21 kills in a thrilling 27-30, 24-30, 30-28, 30-28, 16-14 triumph over the host Waves.

The victory enabled UCI to earn the automatic MPSF bid into the Final Four.

Last season, UCI, which won its first MPSF regular-season crown, was beaten by Long Beach State in the MPSF tournament semifinals and had to settle for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship.

UCI, then the No. 1 seed at Penn State, fell to the host Nittany Lions in a five-game NCAA semifinal to finish 27-5.

This season, Wilson — as one who can truly appreciate second chances — is among the Anteaters looking forward to an opportunity to exact revenge against Penn State today in Columbus.

UCI defeated Penn State, 30-26, 27-30, 30-21, 30-25, in a nonconference home match March 14.

Wilson has learned to look forward and not dwell on the past, particularly during a midseason stretch in which freshman Cole Reinholm had replaced him in the starting lineup.

"He wasn't starting in the middle of the season," Speraw said of Wilson, who has played in 74 of the team's 119 games this season (62.2%). "But Cole started to struggle a little, offensively, so we went back to Taylor and Taylor has had some pretty good matches. Taylor is a bigger blocker, his serving has been consistent and he can hit the bic [a back-row spike from the center of the court that allows the hitter a better chance to avoid opposing blockers] really well. He gives us a little bit of a different look and that look has worked real well for us."

UCI senior setter Brian Thornton agreed.

"When [Wilson] is in there, he makes our offense way more dynamic," Thornton said. "He brings a bic threat and he spreads out our offense pretty well. I'm definitely not afraid to give him the ball when it really matters. In Game 4 [against Pepperdine], he just absolutely crushed that ball to win that game and help us win the match."

Wilson had kills to produce the last two points of a Game 4 victory. He added a kill in Game 5 to pull UCI even, 13-13.

Wilson has 203 kills and is hitting .274 in his first season as a collegiate outside hitter. He was a backup at opposite as a freshman last season after redshirting the 2005 campaign.

He said he feels comfortable in big matches, so he is looking forward to playing in the Final Four as a starter.

"I know the nerves will come, but I've noticed that the more nervous I am, the better I play," he said. "I actually feed off my nerves before a match. I harness them.

"But to have a big match like the one I did Saturday definitely boosts my confidence," he said. "Hopefully, I can do the same thing in the semifinal and final and do whatever I can to help this team win."

Wilson said it was often difficult to remain positive when he wasn't playing, but he believed his chance to help the team would, eventually, come again.

"My parents talked to me a lot about always being ready when the call came," Wilson said. "And every once in a while, Speraw would tell me I wasn't going to be on the bench the whole year. I knew I had to wait my turn, but I just knew my time would come again. When I got the call, I wanted to just go in and play and not think too much. I knew my role was not to try to take over the match, because we have so many older guys who can take over. I just wanted to pass the ball well and hit the ball in when I swing. If I'm doing that, I know good things will happen."

Should UCI prevail today, it would meet either No. 1-seeded Pepperdine (26-2) or Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (22-7) in Saturday's 4 p.m. final.

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BARRY FAULKNER can be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.