Bruins Host Waves Saturday in MPSF Quarterfinals
April 16, 2013 | Men's Volleyball
April 16, 2013
This Week -- The fourth-ranked UCLA men's volleyball team enters the post-season with a three-match winning streak and will host fifth-ranked Pepperdine in the MPSF quarterfinals at the John Wooden Center on Sat., Apr. 20 at 7 p.m.
Live Coverage -- Fans can follow the match on UCLA's live audio and video (stream) broadcasts, GameTracker and Twitter @UCLAMensVB. Dave Marcus will call the action on the live audio broadcast.
In The Rankings -- The Bruins (20-10, 16-8) are No. 4 in the AVCA national rankings this week after sweeping USC on Friday night. Pepperdine (14-11, 13-11) is ranked fifth this week after beating UC Santa Barbara in four sets on Apr. 12.
Scouting the Opponent -- Pepperdine defeated UC San Barbara in four sets on Friday to secure the fifth seed in the MPSF Tournament. The Waves enter Saturday's match having lost two of their last three and five of their last seven.
The Series -- UCLA leads the all-time series with Pepperdine, 78-35, and won the season series without losing a set. Against the Waves in the MPSF playoffs, the Bruins are 2-2 since 1998. Pepperdine defeated UCLA 3-1 in the quarterfinals at Pauley Pavilion in 2008 and in four sets in the league championship in 1998. The Bruins beat the Waves 3-1 in the 2000 MPSF Championship and 3-0 in the 2006 semifinals.
In the history of the MPSF Tournament, UCLA is 21-13 in all matches. Since 2007, the Bruins have not advanced past the quarterfinals and are 0-7. UCLA has won five MPSF Tournament titles (1995, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2006) and all five have resulted in NCAA titles.
Recapping the Week -- On Apr. 10, UCLA swept No. 6 Pepperdine to clinch fourth place in the league race and secure a home berth in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals. Quiroga led all players with 16 kills (.414), an ace and three block assists for 18.5 points. Page added eight kills and 11 points and Kersten contributed seven kills and 10 points. UCLA served seven aces to Pepperdine's two, and recorded 40 kills to the Waves' 29. The Bruins won the regular season series from the Waves for the second straight season.
Last Friday, the Bruins defeated USC to capture the season series with a pair of sweeps. Against the Trojans, the Bruins dominated, limiting USC to an attack percentage of .105, while hitting .432 on 41 kills. The Bruins served five aces and were aced just once. They also out-blocked the Trojans, 8.5-2.0. Three players -- Trent Kersten, Robart Page and Dane Worley -- recorded eight kills, and junior Gonzalo Quiroga added seven along with a match-high three aces.
Speraw's First Season at UCLA -- John Speraw (UCLA '95) begins his first season as the head coach at his alma mater. In 10 seasons at UC Irvine, Speraw led the Anteaters to three NCAA championships, including the 2012 title, and a 199-106 (.646) overall record. Last summer, he also served as an assistant coach for the USA Men's National Team, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the London Olympics. Speraw earned AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2006 and was given the USA Olympic Committee's National Coach of the Year award in 2007. His current career record is 219-116 (.651). On Mar. 25, he was named head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team for the next quadrennial ending at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. He will continue in his role as the Bruins' head coach.
Coming Up -- Should UCLA win on Saturday, the MPSF Tournament semifinals and finals will be hosted at the home court of the highest remaining seed, Apr. 25 & 27.
For the 14th time in school history, UCLA will host the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship. The 2013 championship is scheduled for May 2 & 4 in Pauley Pavilion. For ticket information, please call 310-UCLA-WIN.