Men's Volleyball Defends Title With Early 2013 Season Challenges
October 03, 2012 | Men's Volleyball
IRVINE, Calif. --- The UC Irvine men's volleyball team unveiled its 2013 schedule as the Anteaters look to defend their 2012 national title.
First-year head coach David Kniffin returns to his alma mater to tackle the always difficult Mountain Pacific Sports Federation slate.
"The season after a National Championship is always a test of character and culture," Kniffin said. "We experienced this in both 2008 and 2010. In 2013, we have the opportunity and the talent to make another run. I'm thankful that we have a schedule that will test us early."
After opening with the year with the UC Santa Barbara Invitational, the Anteaters start exciting MPSF action as they host Pepperdine Jan. 8 before a showdown with USC on Jan. 11 in a rematch of the 2012 NCAA championship duel.
UCI will visit new MPSF member Cal Baptist on Jan. 16, BYU on Jan. 18 and Cal State Northridge on Jan. 23 then host Long Beach State on Jan. 25 in the Black & Blue Rivalry Series presented by Duke's of Huntington Beach.
The Anteaters start a four match road trip with a battle against UCLA on Jan. 29 then return home on Valentine's Day with a match against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 14. The University of Hawaii comes to town for a pair of matches on Feb. 22-23 followed by Cal Baptist on Feb. 27 and BYU on Mar. 1.
UCI will host the final six matches of the regular season at home taking on UC San Diego (Mar. 28), UCLA (Mar. 30), and Stanford (Apr. 5) at the Bren Events Center then entertain Pacific (Apr. 6), Cal State Northridge (Apr. 10) and non-conference opponent Penn State (Apr. 13) at Crawford Court.
A talented team of returners are back this season highlighted by first team All-American Kevin Tillie. The outside hitter was also honored as a first team All-MPSF choice and was named to the All-NCAA and MPSF Tournament teams. The senior from France led the team with a 3.80 kill average and was ranked third in the country in hitting percentage at .387.
Other top retunees include outside hitters Jermey Dejno and Connor Hughes and setter Chris Austin. Dejno, a junior, was a first team All-MPSF selection, after ranking sixth in the nation in hitting percentage (.347) and 11th in service aces (0.38). Hughes, who will be a junior in 2013, came on strong at the end of last season was named to the All-NCAA Tournament team along with Austin. Austin, a senior, was ranked 12th nationally in set assists with a 10.48 mark.
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2013 Ticket Information
Current season tickets and courtside seat holders should renew their seats by December 20, 2012. Online renewal applications can be accessed by clicking here. The ticket office can be contacted for assistance activating your account.
Season tickets, mini plans, single game and group tickets are also on sale now by clicking here. For more information including ticket prices and ticket packages, click here. The ticket office can be contacted by emailing athletics.tickets@uci.edu or calling 949-824-5000, Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM.
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UC Irvine fans can now easily download the official UC Irvine Men's Volleyball schedule directly into their calendar and mobile devices by clicking here. By subscribing to the official UC Irvine Men's Volleyball Flogs calendar you'll always be in the loop as the calendars update automatically with any game changes or updates.
About Flogs:
Flogs and UC Irvine Athletics have partnered to offer a free calendar too for UC Irvine fans. By subscribing to the official calendar you'll always be in the loop as the calendars update automatically with any game changes or updates. Fans can customize their calendar by choosing which events to add or subscribe to the entire season. It's free and easy to use. If you're a first time user you just need to create a free user account to get started. All team schedules are offered here.
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For UC Irvine Athletics ticket information, please call (949) 824-5000 or e-mail athletics.tickets@uci.edu. For more information click here.
For information on how you can help support UC Irvine Athletics, please call (949) 824-6933 or e-mail aaf@uci.edu. For additional information, click here.
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