Micah Ma'a, Grant Maleski (10) and Sam Kobrine (5) battle at the net.
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
MVB Faces Trojans in MPSF Semifinals Thursday
April 16, 2019 | Men's Volleyball
THIS WEEK -- No. 6-ranked UCLA (19-8), the No. 2 seed, will meet No. 5-ranked USC (17-9), the No. 3 seed, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Semifinal match on Thursday, Apr. 18 in Malibu. Semifinal 1 will feature top seed Pepperdine (20-6) versus No. 5 seed BYU (13-11). Malibu will also be the site of the MPSF championship match to be played on Saturday, Apr. 20 at 7 p.m. The MPSF tournament champion will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA men's volleyball championship. The NCAA bracket and the two at-large selections will be announced on Apr. 21 at 10 a.m. PT on ncaa.com.
MATCH DAY: Thursday, Apr. 18
No. 3 seed USC vs. No. 2 seed UCLA - Firestone Fieldhouse at Pepperdine
Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
Live Stats: https://pepperdinewaves.com/sidearmstats/mvball/summary
Live Video:(this MPSF event is pay per view) https://mpsports.org/watch
Live Audio: https://ucla.leanplayer.com/
(should UCLA advance) MATCH DAY: Saturday, Apr. 20
MPSF Championship Match - Firestone Fieldhouse at Pepperdine
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
Live Stats: https://pepperdinewaves.com/sidearmstats/mvball/summary
Live Video:(this MPSF event is pay per view) https://mpsports.org/watch
Live Audio: https://ucla.leanplayer.com/
LAST MEETINGS -- On April 4, UCLA dropped a five-set decision to USC at the Galen Center. Scores were 25-19, 15-25, 25-14, 20-25, 11-15. Daenan Gyimah had 21 kills and hit .326, while Micah Ma'a had 18 kills and three aces. USC outhit the Bruins .357 to .342, won the service battle 8 to 7 and owned a 8.0 to 3.0 blocks edge over the Bruins at the net. On Feb. 24, UCLA defeated USC in three sets --- 25-21, 25-21, 25-22. UCLA out hit the Trojans .420 to .349 and had 12 aces (one shy of its season best 13 vs. BYU) to one for USC. The Trojans owned a 7.0 to 4.5 advantage in total blocks. Brandon Rattray had 17 kills and Gyimah totaled 14 kills and hit .722 for the match.
Pepperdine defeated UCLA 21-25, 31-29, 16-25, 17-25 on Mar. 27 in Malibu. The Bruins won on Apr. 27 in Pauley 29-31, 17-25, 25-20, 25-18, 15-9. Austin Matautia had 22 kills and 11 digs. BYU defeated UCLA 32-30, 25-21, 20-25, 16-25, 15-17 in Provo on Mar. 14 despite a triple-double from Micah Ma'a. The Bruins topped the Cougars 16-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-18 in the Wooden Center on Feb. 9.
ACE RECORD AND TRIPLE FOR MA'A -- Micah Ma'a, now with 205, moved into the top spot on the UCLA career aces list against GCU (old mark Gonzalo Quiroga, 2011-14 ---194) and became the all-time single-season leader in last Saturday's match against Concordia as his four aces pushed him to 64 on the year and past Mark Williams who recorded 63 aces in 2000. Ma'a began the week in the career ace lead among active NCAA I-II players, just ahead of Dimitar Kalchev of CSUN (197). Ma'a has also registered the lone triple-double in men's volleyball this season with15 kills, 44 set assists, 15 digs in a match at BYU on Mar. 14. It marked the first triple-double by an MPSF player since Ma'a had one in the 2016 season, also against BYU (10 k, 24 set asst., 14 digs).
NCAA STATS -- UCLA began the week 5th in the nation in hitting % (.326) and 5th in Aces/set (1.73) ... It was 6th in kills/set (12.87) and 8th in set assist average (12.18). Daenan Gyimah was 4th in the nation in hitting % (.443) ... Micah Ma'a rated 3rd nationally in aces (0.63 per set).
FOUR BRUINS NAMED TO ALL-MPSF TEAM -- Micah Ma'a and Daenan Gyimah were named to the first-team of the All-MPSF men's volleyball squad selected by the league coaches for the second straight season. Libero Cole Pender and setter Adam Parks were chosen to the All-Freshman team.
AT HOME -- UCLA is 10-1 at home (7-1 in Pauley) this season after posting a 19-2 record in its home venues of Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom (13-2) and in the Wooden Center (6-0) last season ... It was the most home wins ever by the Bruins, one more than the 18 wins registered in 1987 ... Over the past three-plus seasons, UCLA is 38-5 in Pauley (2016: 10-1, 2017: 8-1, 2018: 13-2, 2019: 7-1) ... The last team not named Long Beach State (which also won in Pauley in February 2018 and May 2018) to defeat UCLA in Pauley was CSUN in February of 2017 (note: the Bruins did lose three home matches in the Wooden Center after the 2017 CSUN loss).
ON THE ROAD -- UCLA is 7-7 on the road this season (losses at USC, at Pepperdine, at Stanford, at BYU, at Long Beach, at UCSB, at CSUN). The Bruins have posted key road wins against ranked teams from Loyola-Chicago and Lewis. Last year, UCLA was 6-6 in true road matches in 2018.
RECENT UCLA MPSF TOURNAMENT HISTORY — UCLA has won MPSF Tournament titles in 2006, 2001, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993. 2019 -- #2 UCLA def. #7 Concorida 3-0 in quarterfinals; 2018 -- #2 UCLA def. #7 Stanford 3-0 in quarterfinals; def. #4 Concordia (at BYU) 3-1 in semis, lost in final at #1 BYU 1-3; 2017 -- #5 seed UCLA lost at #4 UC Irvine 1-3 in quarterfinals 2016 - #2 UCLA def. #7 Hawai'i 3-1 in quarterfinals, def. #3 Long Beach St. in semis 3-1, lost at #1 BYU in championship 1-3; 2015 -- #8 UCLA lost at #1 UC Irvine in quarterfinals 0-3; 2014 -- #5 UCLA lost at #4 UC Santa Barbara in quarterfinals 2-3; 2013 -- #4 UCLA def. #5 Pepperdine in quarterfinals 3-0 and lost in semis at #1 BYU 2-3; 2012 -- #5 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at #4 UC Irvine 1-3.
BY THE NUMBERS
• The Bruins own a home record of 17-3 in MPSF Tourney matches --- UCLA is 9-1 in neutral matches and 3-13 in away MPSF Tournament contests.
• Micah Ma'a has totaled at least 3 aces in 12 matches this season: Concordia (MPSF)-4, at USC-3, Grand Canyon-6, at Stanford-5, at BYU-3, at Loyola-3, at UCSD-3, UCSD-3, USC-4, Long Beach-4, BYU-5 and Lindenwood-5 ... He has 23 aces, 66 digs in last 7 matches.
• Micah Ma'a, who began the week 3rd in the NCAA in aces/set (0.63), has at least one ace in 24 of the 27 matches (not CUI-home, at McKendree or at GCU).
• Daenan Gyimah has totaled 17 matches this season with at least a .400 (not vs. CUI, not at USC, vs. CUI, vs. GCU, at Pepperdine, at BYU, vs. Pepperdine, at GCU, vs. Princeton, at CSUN) ... Earlier, he had a streak of 13 straight matches hitting at least .400 stopped by Pepperdine-h (.211).
• UCLA is 19-0 when it hits for a higher % than the opponent ... In 11 home matches in 2019, UCLA is swinging at a .323 clip vs. .213 for opponents and owns a 89-43 edge in aces ... In 14 true away matches - UCLA hits .320 to .305 for opponents and the visitors own a 79-74 ace advantage.
• UCLA is 9-8 this year vs. teams ranked in the AVCA poll at the time of the match, after going 14-7 last season.
• UCLA has utilized 12 different starting lineups this season.
• In wins this season, the Bruins have out hit opponents .352 to .195 ... In losses, the team has hit .271 to .386 for opponents.
• UCLA has won the ace battle in 19 matches (16-3) this season; it has come up short this season in a loss (7-8) at USC, loss (4-7) at Pepperdine, loss (3-4) at BYU, loss (3-12) at Long Beach, win (7-9) at Loyola and (2-4) in loss at CSUN ... It was equal in victories at Grand Canyon (1-1) and at Lewis (3-3).
• The Bruins rebounded from a season-low .200 hitting percentage in a loss at CSUN to hit .475 in a win at McKendree ... Daenan Gyimah recorded a school record .917 % (11k-0-12att) in that win (old mark was .900 held by several players, last Allan Vince in 2005 v. UCI).
• Brandon Rattray registered a career-best 24 kills at Stanford ... Rattray was 26th in the NCAA in kills/set to begin this week (3.43) ... He has 257 kills in 2019 after totaling 40 a season ago at UH where he appeared in 12 matches, with one start.
• Grant Maleski, who has started the last 19 matches, compiled a career-best 9 kills at UCSB and totaled a career-best 7 block assists in win over Stanford ... He moved inside this season after seeing action in eight matches last season at OH, with two starts ... He had a career-best three aces in matches at USC and Concordia (h) ... He had a streak of 8 straight matches with at least one ace earlier this season which was stopped at BYU.
• Senior hitter Dylan Missry (returned to starting lineup at Pepperdine-Mar. 27) has at least one service ace in 9 of his 16 matches this season ... Missry is tied for sixth on the all-time school list for career aces with 90 (rally scoring era of 2001 to the present). Missry missed 11 matches due to injury before returning to play in a limited role at Stanford and then returning to the starting lineup against Pepperdine, GCU, CUI and at USC and last week vs. CUI.
• MB Matt Younggren has led or tied for team lead in block assists over the last four matches ... He registered a UCLA career-best seven kills at Pepperdine ... Younggren posted a season-high six block assists in the back-to-back MPSF home matches vs. BYU and Stanford and has appeared in 15 matches ... Last year, he saw action in 18 contests for UC Irvine.
• Libero Cole Pender has handled 199 of his last 206 serve receptions (.966) with seven errors over his last 9 matches.
• Setter Adam Parks had a career-best 14 digs in last week's win over Concordia.
MATCH DAY: Thursday, Apr. 18
No. 3 seed USC vs. No. 2 seed UCLA - Firestone Fieldhouse at Pepperdine
Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
Live Stats: https://pepperdinewaves.com/sidearmstats/mvball/summary
Live Video:(this MPSF event is pay per view) https://mpsports.org/watch
Live Audio: https://ucla.leanplayer.com/
(should UCLA advance) MATCH DAY: Saturday, Apr. 20
MPSF Championship Match - Firestone Fieldhouse at Pepperdine
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
Live Stats: https://pepperdinewaves.com/sidearmstats/mvball/summary
Live Video:(this MPSF event is pay per view) https://mpsports.org/watch
Live Audio: https://ucla.leanplayer.com/
LAST MEETINGS -- On April 4, UCLA dropped a five-set decision to USC at the Galen Center. Scores were 25-19, 15-25, 25-14, 20-25, 11-15. Daenan Gyimah had 21 kills and hit .326, while Micah Ma'a had 18 kills and three aces. USC outhit the Bruins .357 to .342, won the service battle 8 to 7 and owned a 8.0 to 3.0 blocks edge over the Bruins at the net. On Feb. 24, UCLA defeated USC in three sets --- 25-21, 25-21, 25-22. UCLA out hit the Trojans .420 to .349 and had 12 aces (one shy of its season best 13 vs. BYU) to one for USC. The Trojans owned a 7.0 to 4.5 advantage in total blocks. Brandon Rattray had 17 kills and Gyimah totaled 14 kills and hit .722 for the match.
Pepperdine defeated UCLA 21-25, 31-29, 16-25, 17-25 on Mar. 27 in Malibu. The Bruins won on Apr. 27 in Pauley 29-31, 17-25, 25-20, 25-18, 15-9. Austin Matautia had 22 kills and 11 digs. BYU defeated UCLA 32-30, 25-21, 20-25, 16-25, 15-17 in Provo on Mar. 14 despite a triple-double from Micah Ma'a. The Bruins topped the Cougars 16-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-18 in the Wooden Center on Feb. 9.
ACE RECORD AND TRIPLE FOR MA'A -- Micah Ma'a, now with 205, moved into the top spot on the UCLA career aces list against GCU (old mark Gonzalo Quiroga, 2011-14 ---194) and became the all-time single-season leader in last Saturday's match against Concordia as his four aces pushed him to 64 on the year and past Mark Williams who recorded 63 aces in 2000. Ma'a began the week in the career ace lead among active NCAA I-II players, just ahead of Dimitar Kalchev of CSUN (197). Ma'a has also registered the lone triple-double in men's volleyball this season with15 kills, 44 set assists, 15 digs in a match at BYU on Mar. 14. It marked the first triple-double by an MPSF player since Ma'a had one in the 2016 season, also against BYU (10 k, 24 set asst., 14 digs).
NCAA STATS -- UCLA began the week 5th in the nation in hitting % (.326) and 5th in Aces/set (1.73) ... It was 6th in kills/set (12.87) and 8th in set assist average (12.18). Daenan Gyimah was 4th in the nation in hitting % (.443) ... Micah Ma'a rated 3rd nationally in aces (0.63 per set).
FOUR BRUINS NAMED TO ALL-MPSF TEAM -- Micah Ma'a and Daenan Gyimah were named to the first-team of the All-MPSF men's volleyball squad selected by the league coaches for the second straight season. Libero Cole Pender and setter Adam Parks were chosen to the All-Freshman team.
AT HOME -- UCLA is 10-1 at home (7-1 in Pauley) this season after posting a 19-2 record in its home venues of Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom (13-2) and in the Wooden Center (6-0) last season ... It was the most home wins ever by the Bruins, one more than the 18 wins registered in 1987 ... Over the past three-plus seasons, UCLA is 38-5 in Pauley (2016: 10-1, 2017: 8-1, 2018: 13-2, 2019: 7-1) ... The last team not named Long Beach State (which also won in Pauley in February 2018 and May 2018) to defeat UCLA in Pauley was CSUN in February of 2017 (note: the Bruins did lose three home matches in the Wooden Center after the 2017 CSUN loss).
ON THE ROAD -- UCLA is 7-7 on the road this season (losses at USC, at Pepperdine, at Stanford, at BYU, at Long Beach, at UCSB, at CSUN). The Bruins have posted key road wins against ranked teams from Loyola-Chicago and Lewis. Last year, UCLA was 6-6 in true road matches in 2018.
RECENT UCLA MPSF TOURNAMENT HISTORY — UCLA has won MPSF Tournament titles in 2006, 2001, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993. 2019 -- #2 UCLA def. #7 Concorida 3-0 in quarterfinals; 2018 -- #2 UCLA def. #7 Stanford 3-0 in quarterfinals; def. #4 Concordia (at BYU) 3-1 in semis, lost in final at #1 BYU 1-3; 2017 -- #5 seed UCLA lost at #4 UC Irvine 1-3 in quarterfinals 2016 - #2 UCLA def. #7 Hawai'i 3-1 in quarterfinals, def. #3 Long Beach St. in semis 3-1, lost at #1 BYU in championship 1-3; 2015 -- #8 UCLA lost at #1 UC Irvine in quarterfinals 0-3; 2014 -- #5 UCLA lost at #4 UC Santa Barbara in quarterfinals 2-3; 2013 -- #4 UCLA def. #5 Pepperdine in quarterfinals 3-0 and lost in semis at #1 BYU 2-3; 2012 -- #5 UCLA lost in quarterfinals at #4 UC Irvine 1-3.
BY THE NUMBERS
• The Bruins own a home record of 17-3 in MPSF Tourney matches --- UCLA is 9-1 in neutral matches and 3-13 in away MPSF Tournament contests.
• Micah Ma'a has totaled at least 3 aces in 12 matches this season: Concordia (MPSF)-4, at USC-3, Grand Canyon-6, at Stanford-5, at BYU-3, at Loyola-3, at UCSD-3, UCSD-3, USC-4, Long Beach-4, BYU-5 and Lindenwood-5 ... He has 23 aces, 66 digs in last 7 matches.
• Micah Ma'a, who began the week 3rd in the NCAA in aces/set (0.63), has at least one ace in 24 of the 27 matches (not CUI-home, at McKendree or at GCU).
• Daenan Gyimah has totaled 17 matches this season with at least a .400 (not vs. CUI, not at USC, vs. CUI, vs. GCU, at Pepperdine, at BYU, vs. Pepperdine, at GCU, vs. Princeton, at CSUN) ... Earlier, he had a streak of 13 straight matches hitting at least .400 stopped by Pepperdine-h (.211).
• UCLA is 19-0 when it hits for a higher % than the opponent ... In 11 home matches in 2019, UCLA is swinging at a .323 clip vs. .213 for opponents and owns a 89-43 edge in aces ... In 14 true away matches - UCLA hits .320 to .305 for opponents and the visitors own a 79-74 ace advantage.
• UCLA is 9-8 this year vs. teams ranked in the AVCA poll at the time of the match, after going 14-7 last season.
• UCLA has utilized 12 different starting lineups this season.
• In wins this season, the Bruins have out hit opponents .352 to .195 ... In losses, the team has hit .271 to .386 for opponents.
• UCLA has won the ace battle in 19 matches (16-3) this season; it has come up short this season in a loss (7-8) at USC, loss (4-7) at Pepperdine, loss (3-4) at BYU, loss (3-12) at Long Beach, win (7-9) at Loyola and (2-4) in loss at CSUN ... It was equal in victories at Grand Canyon (1-1) and at Lewis (3-3).
• The Bruins rebounded from a season-low .200 hitting percentage in a loss at CSUN to hit .475 in a win at McKendree ... Daenan Gyimah recorded a school record .917 % (11k-0-12att) in that win (old mark was .900 held by several players, last Allan Vince in 2005 v. UCI).
• Brandon Rattray registered a career-best 24 kills at Stanford ... Rattray was 26th in the NCAA in kills/set to begin this week (3.43) ... He has 257 kills in 2019 after totaling 40 a season ago at UH where he appeared in 12 matches, with one start.
• Grant Maleski, who has started the last 19 matches, compiled a career-best 9 kills at UCSB and totaled a career-best 7 block assists in win over Stanford ... He moved inside this season after seeing action in eight matches last season at OH, with two starts ... He had a career-best three aces in matches at USC and Concordia (h) ... He had a streak of 8 straight matches with at least one ace earlier this season which was stopped at BYU.
• Senior hitter Dylan Missry (returned to starting lineup at Pepperdine-Mar. 27) has at least one service ace in 9 of his 16 matches this season ... Missry is tied for sixth on the all-time school list for career aces with 90 (rally scoring era of 2001 to the present). Missry missed 11 matches due to injury before returning to play in a limited role at Stanford and then returning to the starting lineup against Pepperdine, GCU, CUI and at USC and last week vs. CUI.
• MB Matt Younggren has led or tied for team lead in block assists over the last four matches ... He registered a UCLA career-best seven kills at Pepperdine ... Younggren posted a season-high six block assists in the back-to-back MPSF home matches vs. BYU and Stanford and has appeared in 15 matches ... Last year, he saw action in 18 contests for UC Irvine.
• Libero Cole Pender has handled 199 of his last 206 serve receptions (.966) with seven errors over his last 9 matches.
• Setter Adam Parks had a career-best 14 digs in last week's win over Concordia.