Brett Kohout picking one up off the block against Princeton
Friday, February 9, 2007
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Anteaters don't turn deaf ear
From the Daily Pilot. For the original story please visit:
http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2007/02/06/sports/dpt-colleges06.txt
Published Monday, February 5, 2007 11:45 PM PST
Sports
COLLEGES:
Anteaters don't turn deaf ear
By BARRY FAULKNER
UC Irvine men's volleyball coach John Speraw can find motivation in unusual places.
After Speraw's No. 2-ranked Anteaters handed top-ranked BYU its first loss of the season in a thrilling five-game match before an overflow crowd of 5,600 at Smith Fieldhouse, Speraw said it was the Cougars' public address announcer that really got his team going.
"Every time the announcer said Anteaters, he had a little sneer in his voice," said Speraw, who wasted little time passing along his observation to his players.
"I just think there's still a number of people, fans, who don't know who we are as a program. They know UCLA and they know USC, and we're still introducing them to Irvine volleyball; to what UC Irvine can do in the athletic arena."
Speraw's team, which was routed by BYU Friday, made another step toward spreading the UCI banner across a broader spectrum Saturday.
It's an ongoing struggle, said junior middle blocker Aaron Herrell.
"I think we had a lot to prove last year, coming off a 9-20 season," said Harrell, who helped the 2006 'Eaters post a 27-5 record, including the program's first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season title, and a berth in the Final Four.
"But a lot of people thought it was a fluke that we did so well [ranked No. 1 for nine straight weeks and finishing No. 3 in the final poll]. So I think we had even more to prove this year."
The Anteaters proved many things Saturday, ending BYU's 11-match home winning streak and earning UCI's first win in Provo since 1991.
They proved they were mentally tough enough to handle close to 6,000 fans roaring loudly against them.
They proved they are still a force on the national volleyball scene, which was ratified by being ranked No. 2 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Assn. poll that came out Monday.
BYU remained No. 1 with 11 first-place votes, followed by UCI (three first-place votes), Pepperdine (two votes) and UC Santa Barbara.
They proved the big, bad Cougars, with four starters between 6-foot-8 and 6-6 and boasting a team most believe is the most athletically gifted team in the nation, can be beaten, even at what Speraw calls the toughest venue in America for visitors.
And, they proved the announcer should always mind his inflection.
Another Anteater who continues to prove he is among the best in the country is senior middle blocker David Smith.
Though Jayson Jablonsky, Matt Webber, Brian Thornton and Brent Asuka earned All-American honors last season, it has been Smith who has consistently been the Anteaters' strongest player this season.
The 6-foot-7 standout has 111 kills this season (third on the team) with only 14 attack errors. He is hitting a team-best .539 and leads the squad with 58 total blocks, with only one blocking error.
As monumental as the UCI win Saturday may have been, Speraw said it still ranked behind the Anteaters' win at Stanford during his first season in 2003 as his best road win.
Orange Coast College women's basketball coach Mike Thornton was in Provo Saturday to watch his son Brian collect 58 assists.
Thornton missed Friday's UCI volleyball match because he was guiding the Pirates to a crucial 74-59 Orange Empire Confrence victory over Fullerton at OCC.
The win over the second-place Hornets allows the Pirates (23-3, 10-0 in conference) to move within one win of clinching at least a share of a conference championship, with four conference games remaining.
Thornton passed along this stat: OCC has made 62 of its last 67 free throws, an astounding 92.5%.
http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2007/02/06/sports/dpt-colleges06.txt
Published Monday, February 5, 2007 11:45 PM PST
Sports
COLLEGES:
Anteaters don't turn deaf ear
By BARRY FAULKNER
UC Irvine men's volleyball coach John Speraw can find motivation in unusual places.
After Speraw's No. 2-ranked Anteaters handed top-ranked BYU its first loss of the season in a thrilling five-game match before an overflow crowd of 5,600 at Smith Fieldhouse, Speraw said it was the Cougars' public address announcer that really got his team going.
"Every time the announcer said Anteaters, he had a little sneer in his voice," said Speraw, who wasted little time passing along his observation to his players.
"I just think there's still a number of people, fans, who don't know who we are as a program. They know UCLA and they know USC, and we're still introducing them to Irvine volleyball; to what UC Irvine can do in the athletic arena."
Speraw's team, which was routed by BYU Friday, made another step toward spreading the UCI banner across a broader spectrum Saturday.
It's an ongoing struggle, said junior middle blocker Aaron Herrell.
"I think we had a lot to prove last year, coming off a 9-20 season," said Harrell, who helped the 2006 'Eaters post a 27-5 record, including the program's first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season title, and a berth in the Final Four.
"But a lot of people thought it was a fluke that we did so well [ranked No. 1 for nine straight weeks and finishing No. 3 in the final poll]. So I think we had even more to prove this year."
The Anteaters proved many things Saturday, ending BYU's 11-match home winning streak and earning UCI's first win in Provo since 1991.
They proved they were mentally tough enough to handle close to 6,000 fans roaring loudly against them.
They proved they are still a force on the national volleyball scene, which was ratified by being ranked No. 2 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Assn. poll that came out Monday.
BYU remained No. 1 with 11 first-place votes, followed by UCI (three first-place votes), Pepperdine (two votes) and UC Santa Barbara.
They proved the big, bad Cougars, with four starters between 6-foot-8 and 6-6 and boasting a team most believe is the most athletically gifted team in the nation, can be beaten, even at what Speraw calls the toughest venue in America for visitors.
And, they proved the announcer should always mind his inflection.
Another Anteater who continues to prove he is among the best in the country is senior middle blocker David Smith.
Though Jayson Jablonsky, Matt Webber, Brian Thornton and Brent Asuka earned All-American honors last season, it has been Smith who has consistently been the Anteaters' strongest player this season.
The 6-foot-7 standout has 111 kills this season (third on the team) with only 14 attack errors. He is hitting a team-best .539 and leads the squad with 58 total blocks, with only one blocking error.
As monumental as the UCI win Saturday may have been, Speraw said it still ranked behind the Anteaters' win at Stanford during his first season in 2003 as his best road win.
Orange Coast College women's basketball coach Mike Thornton was in Provo Saturday to watch his son Brian collect 58 assists.
Thornton missed Friday's UCI volleyball match because he was guiding the Pirates to a crucial 74-59 Orange Empire Confrence victory over Fullerton at OCC.
The win over the second-place Hornets allows the Pirates (23-3, 10-0 in conference) to move within one win of clinching at least a share of a conference championship, with four conference games remaining.
Thornton passed along this stat: OCC has made 62 of its last 67 free throws, an astounding 92.5%.
Monday, February 5, 2007
HUGE Road Win for Coach Speraw (at least the 2nd hugest)!
For all of us that were not at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, UT, on the campus of BYU-- we were scrapping for an internet connection to find out a score. As I was "working" the UCI Basketball team's Homecoming festivities my mind (as well as for Torre Chisholm, Robby Ray, and other Athletic Administrators) was what the score was in Provo. The only info we got was we were up 2-1! It turns out the IT guy, Michael had the game-tracker up for the match and was the first to spread the good news-- EATERS WIN 3-2!!!
Rip'em Eaters!
FYI: Speraw's biggest road win was his 1st playoff win at Stanford!
Rip'em Eaters!
FYI: Speraw's biggest road win was his 1st playoff win at Stanford!
Daily Pilot Article, UCI @ BYU, Nite #2
Please see original story at:
http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2007/02/04/sports/dpt-ucivolley04.txt
Published Saturday, February 3, 2007 11:56 PM PST
Sports
'Eaters silence BYU in five
VOLLEYBALL: UC Irvine overcomes top-ranked Cougars, and overflow crowd of 5,600 for first win in Provo since 1991.
By Barry Faulkner
PROVO, Utah — Snow carpets the ground at BYU, but the UC Irvine men's volleyball team figured Saturday night was a chance to plant a seed.
The Anteaters, ranked No. 2, were swept by the top-ranked Cougars in Friday's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match before an overflow crowd. Another 5,600 filled the Smith fieldhouse Saturday, but the Cougar rooters left disappointed after UCI rebounded for a 23-30, 30-23, 33-31, 29-31, 15-8 victory.
"We were [ticked] at ourselves for how badly we played last night," UCI senior setter Brian Thornton said. "We wanted to get a little redemption."
The Anteaters (11-2, 6-2 in conference) outdid the Cougars (9-1, 5-1) in hitting, blocking, serving and passing to earn their first win in Provo since 1991.
UCI hit .312 as a team, 23 points better than BYU, and ahead of the Cougars, 17 1/2 -14 in team blocks.
The 17 1/2 blocks were a season high for the 'Eaters.
Senior Jayson Jablonsky, the 2006 National and MPSF Player of the Year, who hit .000 Friday, led the winners with 21 kills (hitting .381), and 10 digs. He also had two of UCI's five aces and added two block assists.
Senior All-American Matt Webber, who also hit .000 Friday, produced 14 kills and hit .393 to go with two aces and six block assists.
Senior middle blocker David Smith had 10 kills, hit .562, and led the team with 10 block assists, while junior middle Aaron Harrell added 13 kills and three block assists.
"I think this win shows how we can turn it around after being crushed last night," Jablonsky said. "After [Friday] everybody got together and we talked about wanting to come out and have some fun and just play Irvine volleyball."
UCI Coach John Speraw said Jablonsky and Webber came to the party Saturday, helping push the Anteaters over the top.
"We had some guys who hadn't played well the last couple weeks who came back and played well tonight," said Speraw, who ranked the victory near the top during his five-seasons at the UCI helm. "Specifically, both Jablonsky and Webber had great nights tonight."
Harrell, who when not on the court was yelling constant encouragement to his teammates between serves, said it was an emotional victory.
"I was playing so hard, I literally almost fainted a couple times on the court," said Harrell, who delivered the match-ending kill. "At the end of Game 4, I was thinking, 'We gotta win this now, because I don't think I can last another game.' But that fifth game was just pure adrenaline. I think I'm probably going to crash out in an hour here. We were just playing our hearts out and it was tiring."
BYU, which Speraw calls the most physical team in America because of its superior height and athleticism, controlled the opening game to extend its winning streak to 23 straight games.
But UCI, which swept BYU at home last season, used improved passing to work its attack more efficiently in the second and third games, interrupting the Cougars' streak of seven straight sweeps.
While Jablonsky, Webber and freshman Cole Reinholm (eight kills off the bench), gave Thornton (58 assists) better production outside, Smith and Harrell continued to abuse their rival middle blockers with an efficient quick attack.
"I think the main thing was, they won the serve-receive battle, which was a complete opposite of last night," BYU interim co-coach Ryan Millar said. "Last night, we passed and served better and [the Anteaters] passed and served better tonight.
In our sport, serving and service receive are the two most important things by far. If you win those two things, you're going to win 80 or 90% of the time, because it's too hard to run an effective, flowing offense when you're not passing the ball that well. [The Anteaters] could go to their middles and they did that a lot. They have good middles. Last night, they were effective, but they couldn't go to them as much, because we served better."
UCI had 20 service errors, compared to 15 for BYU Friday. Saturday, BYU misfired on 22 serves, to UCI's 17.
UCI rallied from a 29-27 deficit to win Game 3, with Webber finalizing with a block of Robby Stowell to interrupt the crowd frenzy.
"One of the toughest things about playing at BYU is the crowd," Harrell said. "We knew if we took crowd the crowd out of it, it would be a big advantage. The biggest thing we wanted to do was to shut this crowd up and we were able to do that. You could see that when the crowd wasn't in it, it was hard for [the Cougars] to get going."
BYU got it going to take Game 4, but UCI seized control of the deciding game, after BYU pulled to within 6-5.
"We sided out 100% in the fifth game, so we were doing the things we needed to do," Speraw said. "When we're doing that, we can beat anyone, including a team as big and talented as BYU."
"UCI had a spectacular fifth game and we played terrible," said Millar, who noted this would not likely be the final meeting between the two schools this season.
"We're definitely going to play them again," said Millar, who might face UCI in the MPSF Tournament. "Hopefully, it's here again and we have another packed house."
Even so, UCI now knows it can overcome the home-court advantage in Provo.
Consider that seed planted.
http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2007/02/04/sports/dpt-ucivolley04.txt
Published Saturday, February 3, 2007 11:56 PM PST
Sports
'Eaters silence BYU in five
VOLLEYBALL: UC Irvine overcomes top-ranked Cougars, and overflow crowd of 5,600 for first win in Provo since 1991.
By Barry Faulkner
PROVO, Utah — Snow carpets the ground at BYU, but the UC Irvine men's volleyball team figured Saturday night was a chance to plant a seed.
The Anteaters, ranked No. 2, were swept by the top-ranked Cougars in Friday's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match before an overflow crowd. Another 5,600 filled the Smith fieldhouse Saturday, but the Cougar rooters left disappointed after UCI rebounded for a 23-30, 30-23, 33-31, 29-31, 15-8 victory.
"We were [ticked] at ourselves for how badly we played last night," UCI senior setter Brian Thornton said. "We wanted to get a little redemption."
The Anteaters (11-2, 6-2 in conference) outdid the Cougars (9-1, 5-1) in hitting, blocking, serving and passing to earn their first win in Provo since 1991.
UCI hit .312 as a team, 23 points better than BYU, and ahead of the Cougars, 17 1/2 -14 in team blocks.
The 17 1/2 blocks were a season high for the 'Eaters.
Senior Jayson Jablonsky, the 2006 National and MPSF Player of the Year, who hit .000 Friday, led the winners with 21 kills (hitting .381), and 10 digs. He also had two of UCI's five aces and added two block assists.
Senior All-American Matt Webber, who also hit .000 Friday, produced 14 kills and hit .393 to go with two aces and six block assists.
Senior middle blocker David Smith had 10 kills, hit .562, and led the team with 10 block assists, while junior middle Aaron Harrell added 13 kills and three block assists.
"I think this win shows how we can turn it around after being crushed last night," Jablonsky said. "After [Friday] everybody got together and we talked about wanting to come out and have some fun and just play Irvine volleyball."
UCI Coach John Speraw said Jablonsky and Webber came to the party Saturday, helping push the Anteaters over the top.
"We had some guys who hadn't played well the last couple weeks who came back and played well tonight," said Speraw, who ranked the victory near the top during his five-seasons at the UCI helm. "Specifically, both Jablonsky and Webber had great nights tonight."
Harrell, who when not on the court was yelling constant encouragement to his teammates between serves, said it was an emotional victory.
"I was playing so hard, I literally almost fainted a couple times on the court," said Harrell, who delivered the match-ending kill. "At the end of Game 4, I was thinking, 'We gotta win this now, because I don't think I can last another game.' But that fifth game was just pure adrenaline. I think I'm probably going to crash out in an hour here. We were just playing our hearts out and it was tiring."
BYU, which Speraw calls the most physical team in America because of its superior height and athleticism, controlled the opening game to extend its winning streak to 23 straight games.
But UCI, which swept BYU at home last season, used improved passing to work its attack more efficiently in the second and third games, interrupting the Cougars' streak of seven straight sweeps.
While Jablonsky, Webber and freshman Cole Reinholm (eight kills off the bench), gave Thornton (58 assists) better production outside, Smith and Harrell continued to abuse their rival middle blockers with an efficient quick attack.
"I think the main thing was, they won the serve-receive battle, which was a complete opposite of last night," BYU interim co-coach Ryan Millar said. "Last night, we passed and served better and [the Anteaters] passed and served better tonight.
In our sport, serving and service receive are the two most important things by far. If you win those two things, you're going to win 80 or 90% of the time, because it's too hard to run an effective, flowing offense when you're not passing the ball that well. [The Anteaters] could go to their middles and they did that a lot. They have good middles. Last night, they were effective, but they couldn't go to them as much, because we served better."
UCI had 20 service errors, compared to 15 for BYU Friday. Saturday, BYU misfired on 22 serves, to UCI's 17.
UCI rallied from a 29-27 deficit to win Game 3, with Webber finalizing with a block of Robby Stowell to interrupt the crowd frenzy.
"One of the toughest things about playing at BYU is the crowd," Harrell said. "We knew if we took crowd the crowd out of it, it would be a big advantage. The biggest thing we wanted to do was to shut this crowd up and we were able to do that. You could see that when the crowd wasn't in it, it was hard for [the Cougars] to get going."
BYU got it going to take Game 4, but UCI seized control of the deciding game, after BYU pulled to within 6-5.
"We sided out 100% in the fifth game, so we were doing the things we needed to do," Speraw said. "When we're doing that, we can beat anyone, including a team as big and talented as BYU."
"UCI had a spectacular fifth game and we played terrible," said Millar, who noted this would not likely be the final meeting between the two schools this season.
"We're definitely going to play them again," said Millar, who might face UCI in the MPSF Tournament. "Hopefully, it's here again and we have another packed house."
Even so, UCI now knows it can overcome the home-court advantage in Provo.
Consider that seed planted.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Cougars Beaten In Their Lair By The Eaters!
Harrell on the Prowl
February 3, 2007
NO. 2 UC IRVINE TAKES OUT NO. 1 BYU IN FIVE
Provo, Utah -- No. 2 UC Irvine heanded No. 1 BYU its first loss of the season with a 3-2 (24-30, 30-23, 33-31, 29-31, 15-8) victory in Smith Fieldhouse Saturday.
The Anteaters improve to 11-2 overall and 6-2 in the MPSF, while BYU goes to 9-1 on the year and 5-1 in league play. The Cougars had only lost one game the entire season prior to the match. The win is the first in Provo for the Anteaters since Feb. 22, 1991. UCI's last six victories over the Cougars have come in five games.
Senior Jayson Jablonsky led a balanced Anteater attack with 21 kills, 10 digs and two service aces. Matt Webber pounded 14 kills and had a season-high eight blocks, while middle blocker Aaron Harrell had a season-best 13 kills and five total blocks. Middle blocker David Smith hit .562 on 10 kills, one error in 16 attempts. He rejected a match-high 10 block assists, which is his season-high. Freshman Cole Reinholm pitched in eight kills. Senior setter Brian Thornton recorded 58 set assists, while guiding the Anteaters to a .312 hitting percentage.
UC Irvine recorded a season-high 17.5 blocks to the Cougars' 14.0. BYU also committed 22 service errors for the match.
Robby Stowell led BYU with 22 kills followed by Ivan Perez with 20 kills. Yosleyder Cala added 16 kills, while Rodnei Santos had 11 kills. Russell Holmes added nine kills and a team-high eight blocks.
BYU jumped out to a 12-5 lead in game one and never looked back going on to the 30-24 victory. Game two was all UC Irvine as the Anteaters led 20-13 on their way to a 30-23 victory.
UCI used a 8-3 run in game three to take a 18-14 lead. The Cougars responded with a 10-5 run of their own to go ahead 24-23. The teams would trade points until the score was tied 31-31 and a BYU service error was followed by a UCI triple block by Matt Webber, Cole Reinholm and David Smith on Robby Stowell to end the game 33-31 for the Anteaters.
BYU never trailed in game four and led 28-25 before UCI rallied with a kill by David Smith and two by Jablonsky coupled with a BYU attack error and kill by Rodnei Santos to tie the score at 29-29. Santos put away another kill before he fired a service to end the set, 31-29 and force another game.
In the deciding fifth game, UCI led 6-5 then opened up the game with four straight points on a 7-1 spurt which included two kills by Jablonsky to take a 13-6 advantage. Aaron Harrell ended the game and the match with a kill in the middle.
'Eaters swept by Cougars
Published Saturday, February 3, 2007 12:33 AM PST
Original Story @ http://dailypilot.com/articles/2007/02/03/sports/dpt-ucivolley03.txt
Sports
'Eaters swept by Cougars
VOLLEYBALL: UC Irvine, ranked No. 2, mistake prone and loses in three to top-ranked Cougars in crucial MPSF battle.
By Barry Faulkner
PROVO, Utah — While the altitude wreaked havoc on their serving and, to some degree, their hitting, the No. 2-ranked UC Irvine men's volleyball team was thoroughly brought down to earth by a 30-21, 30-22, 30-27 loss to top-ranked BYU Friday night.
An overflow crowd of 5,753 at the Smith Fieldhouse witnessed a dominant Mountain Pacific Sports Federation victory for the Cougars (9-0, 5-0 in conference) and a humbling loss for the Anteaters (10-2, 5-2), who committed 20 service errors, hit a season-low .146 as a team, and were bested in the blocking department, 11-5 1/2 .
"We haven't played our best volleyball the last couple weeks, but tonight we were just dead terrible," UCI Coach John Speraw said after the Anteaters' second loss in three matches (both sweeps) after opening the season 9-0. "We didn't pass well, we served horribly and we couldn't hit the ball in the court."
Senior All-Americans Jayson Jablonsky and Matt Webber both hit .000 as the Anteaters had 27 errors and 41 kills in 96 attacks.
BYU, which Speraw has called the most physical team in America for its combination of height and athletic ability, opened the match like a squad that has won 27 of 28 games this season, including eight straight sweeps.
The Cougars scored five of their first 13 points on blocks, though Speraw said it was more a matter of poor execution by his hitters than anything special by the BYU net defenders.
"The stuff blocks they had that they earned were very rare," Speraw said. "At one point, our top four hitters were all hitting [a negative percentage]."
Speraw called timeouts, changed the lineup and even moved players to different positions. But, ultimately, the Anteaters found little success.
UCI's only lead in Game 1 was 1-0. It had leads of 3-0, 10-6 and 16-15 before succumbing in Game 2. And it led, 3-0 and 10-7 in the finale, and was tied, 19-19, before the Cougars sent their raucous home crowd home happy.
"I would have been pleased with a four-game win tonight, but I'm even happier with a sweep," BYU interim Co-coach Shawn Patchell said. "We started out poorly in the third game, but I give the guys credit for pushing through."
Battling the thinner air at altitude, which allows the ball to sail farther, UCI made nine service errors in the opening game and seven more in the second game.
"Then the third game [with just four UCI service errors], we were serving lollipops and [the Cougars] did whatever they wanted with them," Speraw said. "We talked about ways of mitigating the altitude, but we did none of it tonight."
BYU, which hit .375 as a team, had three players with nine kills apiece. Ivan Perez, a 6-4 junior, had nine kills in 14 attempts on his way to a .500 hitting percentage.
Freshman Robby Stowell hit .333 while posting his nine kills and 6-8 sophomore Yosleyder Cala added nine kills.
Patchell, a former UCI assistant, said Irvine's plan to put two blockers on 6-8 junior middle blocker Russell Holmes, helped Perez get better opportunities.
Holmes, who did not have a kill until late in the second game, finished with five kills. He added a team-high five block assists and also produced two aces.
Another noteworthy performance for the winners was turned in by 6-6 freshman Rodnei Santos, who had six kills in seven attempts, without an error, for an .857 hitting percentage.
Santos, who some believe is the best leaper on a team of levitation artists, added four block assists.
UCI had some effectiveness hitting in the middle, as senior David Smith and junior Aaron Harrell led the team with eight kills apiece. Both hit .429 and Patchell said their quickness presented one of the few problems the Anteaters posed. Smith led UCI with three block assists.
"I thought David Smith had a nice match," Speraw said. "Otherwise, we were medium at best."
Webber finished with seven kills and a team-leading 10 digs, while Jablonsky had six kills and one of the 'Eaters' two aces.
Senior setter Brian Thornton had 34 assists for the visitors, while freshman Yamil Perez had 36 for the Cougars.
Freshman Cole Reinholm had four kills in relief of starter Taylor Wilson, who hit minus-.273 with two kills in 11 attempts.
Speraw said Jon Steller, a 6-7 sophomore opposite who hit .500 with five kills, did some positive things off the bench.
Speraw said the opportunity to play the Cougars again tonight is one he viewed as a challenge to his players.
"I told our guys, the only [BYU match] people are going to remember is the last one," Speraw said. "I told them we need to come out [tonight] and show what Irvine volleyball is all about."
Original Story @ http://dailypilot.com/articles/2007/02/03/sports/dpt-ucivolley03.txt
Sports
'Eaters swept by Cougars
VOLLEYBALL: UC Irvine, ranked No. 2, mistake prone and loses in three to top-ranked Cougars in crucial MPSF battle.
By Barry Faulkner
PROVO, Utah — While the altitude wreaked havoc on their serving and, to some degree, their hitting, the No. 2-ranked UC Irvine men's volleyball team was thoroughly brought down to earth by a 30-21, 30-22, 30-27 loss to top-ranked BYU Friday night.
An overflow crowd of 5,753 at the Smith Fieldhouse witnessed a dominant Mountain Pacific Sports Federation victory for the Cougars (9-0, 5-0 in conference) and a humbling loss for the Anteaters (10-2, 5-2), who committed 20 service errors, hit a season-low .146 as a team, and were bested in the blocking department, 11-5 1/2 .
"We haven't played our best volleyball the last couple weeks, but tonight we were just dead terrible," UCI Coach John Speraw said after the Anteaters' second loss in three matches (both sweeps) after opening the season 9-0. "We didn't pass well, we served horribly and we couldn't hit the ball in the court."
Senior All-Americans Jayson Jablonsky and Matt Webber both hit .000 as the Anteaters had 27 errors and 41 kills in 96 attacks.
BYU, which Speraw has called the most physical team in America for its combination of height and athletic ability, opened the match like a squad that has won 27 of 28 games this season, including eight straight sweeps.
The Cougars scored five of their first 13 points on blocks, though Speraw said it was more a matter of poor execution by his hitters than anything special by the BYU net defenders.
"The stuff blocks they had that they earned were very rare," Speraw said. "At one point, our top four hitters were all hitting [a negative percentage]."
Speraw called timeouts, changed the lineup and even moved players to different positions. But, ultimately, the Anteaters found little success.
UCI's only lead in Game 1 was 1-0. It had leads of 3-0, 10-6 and 16-15 before succumbing in Game 2. And it led, 3-0 and 10-7 in the finale, and was tied, 19-19, before the Cougars sent their raucous home crowd home happy.
"I would have been pleased with a four-game win tonight, but I'm even happier with a sweep," BYU interim Co-coach Shawn Patchell said. "We started out poorly in the third game, but I give the guys credit for pushing through."
Battling the thinner air at altitude, which allows the ball to sail farther, UCI made nine service errors in the opening game and seven more in the second game.
"Then the third game [with just four UCI service errors], we were serving lollipops and [the Cougars] did whatever they wanted with them," Speraw said. "We talked about ways of mitigating the altitude, but we did none of it tonight."
BYU, which hit .375 as a team, had three players with nine kills apiece. Ivan Perez, a 6-4 junior, had nine kills in 14 attempts on his way to a .500 hitting percentage.
Freshman Robby Stowell hit .333 while posting his nine kills and 6-8 sophomore Yosleyder Cala added nine kills.
Patchell, a former UCI assistant, said Irvine's plan to put two blockers on 6-8 junior middle blocker Russell Holmes, helped Perez get better opportunities.
Holmes, who did not have a kill until late in the second game, finished with five kills. He added a team-high five block assists and also produced two aces.
Another noteworthy performance for the winners was turned in by 6-6 freshman Rodnei Santos, who had six kills in seven attempts, without an error, for an .857 hitting percentage.
Santos, who some believe is the best leaper on a team of levitation artists, added four block assists.
UCI had some effectiveness hitting in the middle, as senior David Smith and junior Aaron Harrell led the team with eight kills apiece. Both hit .429 and Patchell said their quickness presented one of the few problems the Anteaters posed. Smith led UCI with three block assists.
"I thought David Smith had a nice match," Speraw said. "Otherwise, we were medium at best."
Webber finished with seven kills and a team-leading 10 digs, while Jablonsky had six kills and one of the 'Eaters' two aces.
Senior setter Brian Thornton had 34 assists for the visitors, while freshman Yamil Perez had 36 for the Cougars.
Freshman Cole Reinholm had four kills in relief of starter Taylor Wilson, who hit minus-.273 with two kills in 11 attempts.
Speraw said Jon Steller, a 6-7 sophomore opposite who hit .500 with five kills, did some positive things off the bench.
Speraw said the opportunity to play the Cougars again tonight is one he viewed as a challenge to his players.
"I told our guys, the only [BYU match] people are going to remember is the last one," Speraw said. "I told them we need to come out [tonight] and show what Irvine volleyball is all about."
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