THIS WEEK

No. 8 UC Irvine will take a break from NCAA competition this week, but will battle the Alumni Saturday (Feb. 18) at 1:00 p.m. in Crawford Court.

After taking on the current team in a scrimmage, the Alumni are encouraged to enjoy post-match festivities.

LAST WEEK RECAP

UCI dropped a 3-0 decision to Long Beach State before grinding out a 3-2 win over CSUN.

Thomas Hodges led UCI against LBSU with 10 kills. The Forty-Niners out-hit UCI .496-.196 and out-blocked the Anteaters 10.5-3.0. For the first time all season, UCI did not record an ace.

Versus CSUN, Tamir Hershko tied his season-high with a match-best 19 kills, going a perfect 7-0-7 in the fifth set. Hodges totaled 15 kills, while Karl Apfelbach had a season-high 12 kills and a career-high six block assists. Scott Stadick tied his career-high with eight block assists and nine total blocks to go with seven kills. Michael Saeta hit .714 (5-0-7), while recording a career-high 55 set assists, two aces and three blocks.

LOOKING AHEAD

Next week, UCI will battle UCLA (Feb. 24) and UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 25). The UCSB match will be held in Crawford Court, beginning at 5:00 p.m. as part of UCI's Homecoming festivities.

Following the Bruins and Gauchos, UCI will head out on the road for the next seven matches throughout the month of March.