UC IRVINE BATTLES BYU IN MPSF SEMIFINAL: Third seed UC Irvine will battle second seeded BYU (23-5) in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinal match Thursday (Apr. 26) at Firestone Fieldhouse at approximately 8:00 p.m. Prior to the match, No. 1 Pepperdine will entertain fourth seeded UC Santa Barbara at 5:30 p.m. (Complete MPSF Tournament Coverage)

VS THE COUGARS: Second ranked BYU holds a 29-8 advantage over UCI in the series records with the teams splitting a pair of matches in Provo this year. In the first match, then No. 1 BYU swept then No. 2 UCI 3-0 with the Anteaters hitting a season low .142 and committing 20 service errors. UC Irvine then handed BYU its first loss of the season with a 3-2 victory the next night. Senior Jayson Jablonsky led a balanced Anteater attack with 21 kills, 10 digs and two service aces, while middle blocker Aaron Harrell had a season-best 13 kills to go with five total blocks. UC Irvine recorded 17.5 blocks to the Cougars' 14.0. UCI's last six victories over the Cougars have come in five games.

POST-SEASON PLAY: UCI's quarterfinal win over Hawaii was only the second post-season victory in school history. The Anteaters are 2-5 in the MPSF Tournament, picking up their only other win, a 3-2 victory at Stanford, in 2003 with current assistant coach David Kniffin as the Anteaters' setter. Following the win at Stanford, UCI played its lone MPSF match on the Firestone hardwood, a 3-0 loss to the Waves. UCI is 0-2 versus BYU in the post-season (2001, 2004), both first rounds losses in Provo.

HIGH POWERED OFFENSES COLLIDE: UCI ranks fourth in the country in hitting percentage, while BYU ranks fifth (.350). UCI was third in the league in hitting percentage and second in aces (1.7), while BYU was second in the conference in hitting (.350) and kills (16.05).

ON THE RECORD: UC Irvine is 25-5 on the season and 17-5 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The teams' 25 victories are the second most in program history behind last year's 27 wins. The 17 league victories were the second most in program history behind last year's 20-2 MPSF season. UCI has won 46 of the last 53 matches dating back to Jan. 31, 2006.

HITTING THE ROAD: UCI is 3-0 playing on a neutral court this season and 9-3 away from Irvine. The Anteaters are 13-2 at home this year and are 28-3 dating back to last season.

ANTEATERS STAY NO. 3 IN THE POLLS: UC Irvine stayed at No. 3 in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll. It is the fourth week this year the Anteaters have been ranked third (also Feb. 12, Apr. 9, Apr. 15). Except for those four weeks at No. 3, the Anteaters have been ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 25 times since Feb. 20, 2006. UCI has been ranked No. 1 at some point in three of the last five years, including a school record eight weeks in 2006.

ANTEATERS RALLY TO BEAT WARRIORS: UC Irvine rallied from two games down to defeat No. 9 Hawaii 26-30, 27-30, 30-23, 30-22, 15-11 in the quarterfinal match last Saturday at Crawford Court.

Four Anteaters recorded double-digit kills led by senior Jayson Jablonsky, who totaled 23. Matt Webber added 18 kills while David Smith had a season-high 16 kills. Sophomore Taylor Wilson put away 12 kills while hitting .450 for the match and picked up a career-high 11 digs sharing the lead with libero Brent Asuka. Senior setter Brian Thornton dealt 72 assists while junior Aaron Harrell led the team with seven block assists.

Smith hit .855 (5-0-6) in game five and was errorless in the final three sets 9-0-13.

JABLONSKY CLIMBS CHARTS: Senior outside hitter Jayson Jablonsky moved into second on the UCI career attack attempts list with 2,922, passing Mike Rupp (1996-99) who had 2,845. He is also second on UCI's career kills list with 1,452. He is the all-time leader in aces with 124 and ranks and fourth in digs (579) at UCI.

Jablonsky leads the team with 42 aces, which ranks second in the UCI season record books, four shy of the school record of 46 set by Spencer Bemus in 2004. Opposite Matt Webber is second on the team with 41 aces, which is third in the season records.

April 19, 2007

SIX UC IRVINE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS GARNER ALL-MPSF HONORS
(MPSF Release)

Irvine, Calif. – Six UC Irvine men's volleyball players earned All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honors, including middle blocker David Smith who was named to the first team.

Smith earned first-team honors after leading the league with a .573 hitting percentage. He also ranked third in blocking at a 1.44 clip. The 6-7 senior is currently second in the country in hitting percentage overall (.556) and is sixth in blocking (1.42). Smith has hit .500 or better in 20 of 29 matches this year and set the school record for hitting percentage in a match with a .938 performance (15-0-16) at UC Santa Barbara. Smith was a third team All-MPSF honoree last season.

Seniors Jayson Jablonsky and Matt Webber garnered second team All-MPSF accolades. Jablonsky led the team against MPSF opponents with a 3.80 kill and 4.57 point average. He is second all-time in UCI career kills (1,429) and is the school record holder for career aces with 121. The outside hitter ranked fourth among MPSF players in aces with a 0.38 mark. Jablonsky grabbed MPSF Player of the Year and first team All-MPSF honors last season as well as being named AVCA National Player of the Year.

Webber averaged 3.61 kills in league play and tops the squad with a 3.85 kill average overall. He has fired 41 ervice aces this season, five shy of the current season mark. The opposite shared the fourth spot in aces (0.38) with Jablonsky. Webber was also awarded second-team all-conference honors in 2006.

Senior setter Brian Thornton, junior middle blocker Aaron Harrell and sophomore libero Brent Asuka were named to the All-MPSF third team.

Thornton was fourth in the MPSF (12.65) and is fourth nationally in set assists with a 13.09 average. The setter has guided the Anteaters to .353 team hitting percentage this year which ranks fourth nationally. Thornton is third all-time in UCI assists (4,339), the most in the rally score era. He earned second-team All-MPSF honors last season.

Harrell hit .456 against MPSF opponents this season, which ranked fourth and was 10th in service aces (0.27). The middle blocker ranks ninth nationally in hitting percentage (.456) and is averaging 2.17 kills and .12 blocks per game overall. The junior also earned third-team recognition in 2006.

Asuka averaged 1.91 digs against league opponents and 2.26 overall, which ranks 15th nationally. He had 21 digs against Cal State Northridge which is the fourth most in the country this year and ranks second in the UCI match record books. Asuka was a first team honoree and MPSF Newcomer of the Year, a year ago.

It is the second consecutive year UC Irvine has had six athletes earning All-MPSF honors.

The third-ranked Anteaters will host No. 9 Hawaii in a MPSF Quarterfinal match Saturday (Apr. 21) at Crawford Court beginning at 7:00 p.m.

April 5, 2007

SPERAW NAMED U.S. MEN'S VOLLEYBALL ASSISTANT COACH

ANAHEIM, Calif. – USA Volleyball has announced that John Speraw, head coach of UC Irvine's men's volleyball team, will also serve as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men's Volleyball Team, based at the American Sports Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Speraw will continue to coach the Anteaters, who are ranked No. 2 in the country in this week's CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men's Top 15 Coaches Poll, for the rest of the season before joining the U.S. Men this summer. Speraw's assistant coaches at Irvine will help with recruiting and other duties this summer before Speraw returns to UC Irvine for the beginning of the 2008 season.

"Obviously, I'm pretty excited," Speraw said. "I will learn so much from (U.S. Men's Team Head Coach) Hugh McCutcheon and (U.S. Men's Team Assistant Coach) Ron Larsen and seeing that high level of volleyball."

Speraw has gained international experience as head coach of the 2005 U.S. Men's Junior National Team, which won a silver medal at the NORCECA Junior Men's Continental Volleyball Championship in 2005. He served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Boys' Youth National teams in 1998 and 2001, for the men's teams at the World University Games team in 1997 and 1999 and for the men's Pan American Games team in 1999.

"John and I have worked together in past on number of occasions. I think he's a very good coach and a guy that can really add some value to our program," McCutcheon said. "His background as a player is at middle blocker. I'd like him keep him involved with blocking and defense. However he will be involved with all aspects of the team."

Speraw is in his fifth season with Irvine. He was named 2006 AVCA National Coach of the Year as well as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year following UC Irvine's most successful season in school history.

UC Irvine rewrote its men's volleyball record book in 2006 starting with a school-best 27-5 record (.844), a win total that was the most among all NCAA Division I-II schools a year ago. The Anteaters claimed their first-ever Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title, finishing with a 20-2 league record.

This year, the Anteaters are 22-4 on the season and 15-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation heading into a Friday match against UCLA.

Prior to UCI, Speraw served in various roles with the UCLA volleyball program for 12 years. He played middle blocker for the Bruins from 1990-95 and was a member of two national championship teams. He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team in 1995 when he had 11 kills and eight blocks in the championship victory over Penn State. Speraw became a volunteer assistant coach with the Bruins before assuming a full-time assistant's position in 1998.

He graduated from UCLA in 1995 with a bachelor of science degree in microbiology and molecular genetics.

April 2, 2007

UC IRVINE CONTINUES ON THE ROAD TRAVELING TO NO. 4 UCLA: No. 2 UC Irvine will stay on the road this week, traveling to No. 4 UCLA Friday (Apr. 6) at 7:00 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion in the lone match of the week.

VERSUS THE BRUINS: UCLA holds a 35-7 advantage in the series records, but the Anteaters have won the last four outings.

UCI has swept the Bruins twice this season, once in the championship match of the UCSB/Elephant Bar Tournament and most recently at the Bren Center. At the Bren, Matt Webber led the Anteaters with 16 kills, eight digs and three blocks. Middle blocker David Smith added eight kills, while hitting .636 (8-1-11). The Bruins were led by Steve Klosterman with a match-high 21 kills.

UCLA enters the week, 15-10 overall and 10-9 in MPSF play, but entertains Cal Baptist in a non-conference match before hosting UCI.

CLINCHING POST-SEASON: The Anteaters are one of four schools to have currently clinched a spot in the MPSF Tournament. UCI currently sits in second place with a 15-4 record. The team that wins the MPSF regular season hosts the MPSF Tournament April 26 and 28. UCI has made a post-season appearance three of the last four years.

ANTEATERS REMAIN NO. 2 IN THE POLLS: UC Irvine remained No. 2 in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll. The Anteaters have been ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in 25 of the last 26 polls since Feb. 20, 2006. UCI has been ranked No. 1 at some point in three of the last five years, including a school record eight weeks in 2006.

ON THE RECORD: UC Irvine is 22-4 on the season and 15-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The teams' 22 victories so far this year are the second most in program history behind last year's 27 wins. The 15 league victories are the second most in program history behind last year's 20-2 MPSF season. UCI has won 43 of the last 49 matches dating back to Jan. 31, 2006.

ON THE ROAD: This season, UCI is 8-2 when playing on opponents' home courts, but the Anteaters have only won three matches at Pauley Pavilion (2006, 2003, 1999) all-time. UCI is 11-2 at home this year and are 27-3 dating back to last season.

SMALL IN STATURE; BIG IN TALENT: Senior setter Brian Thornton stands at 6-3, but recorded four solo blocks last week. He has seven on the year, which is fifth on the team. He is fourth on the team in total blocks with 63.

JABLONSKY MOVES UP THE RECORD BOOKS: Following last week's action, senior outside hitter Jayson Jablsonky is fourth all-time on UCI's career attack attempts list with 2,778. He is also third in career kills with 1,385 and is the all-time leader in aces with 114.

UCI LOSSES HEARTBREAKER IN MALIBU: UCI pushed No. 1 Pepperdine to five games, but came up short, 3-2 in Malibu last week.

UCI was its own worst enemy in game five as they committed six service errors in the 15-13 loss. The Waves hit just .167 (5-3-12) in the final game.

It was a balanced UC Irvine offensive attack as Matt Webber and Jayson Jablonsky each had 19 kills, while David Smith added 14 kills and Taylor Wilson had 11 kills. Aaron Harrell posted nine kills. Smith led the team with seven block assists. Libero Brent Asuka led all players with 10 digs. Setter Brian Thornton tallied 65 assists, the second most this season for the senior, and had a match-high two solo blocks to go with five digs.

For the match, UCI committed 25 service errors, the second most this season.

Pepperdine snapped UCI's nine-match winning streak in the first match and snapped a 10-game winning streak in the second meeting. Over the two matches, Pepperdine out-blocked UCI, 34-18.

JABLONSKY LEADS UCI TO VICTORY OVER NO. 12 USC: Senior Jayson Jablonsky pounded 17 kills to help UC Irvine to a 3-0 victory over USC Thursday night.

Jablonsky hit .538 (17-3-26) on the night and had two aces and five digs. Setter Brian Thornton had five total blocks, including two solos, while recording 36 assists. Matt Webber ended the night with nine kills, six total blocks, and a team-high seven digs while middle blockers David Smith and Aaron Harrell each had five kills and six blocks.

The Anteaters out-blocked the Trojans 17.5 to 3.5 and out-hit USC .346 to -0.24.

GOING THE DISTANCE: UCI is 3-2 this season when the match has been decided in five games.

FROM THE SERVICE LINE: The Anteaters have recorded 155 service aces this year overall and are ranked second in the MPSF with a 1.6 ace average. 11 different players have recorded an ace with Webber leading the team with 37, which ranks fourth in the UCI season record books, nine shy of the school record of 46 set by Spencer Bemus in 2004.

On the flipside, in UCI's four losses, the team has averaged 21.5 service errors.

JABLONSKY TAKES CONTROL: In two matches last week, Jayson Jablonsky averaged 5.12 points, 4.50 kills and 0.38 aces per game.

February 19, 2007

AARON HARRELL SWEEPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS

Irvine, Calif. -- Middle blocker Aaron Harrell was named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week as well as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Player of the Week after helping UC Irvine to three wins.

This is Harrell's first career Player of the Week honor. He joins Jayson Jablonsky (Jan. 22) as the second Anteater to garner the national distinction this season and is the third UCI player to earn the league accolade (Thornton, Jablonsky) this year.

For the Week, Harrell committed just two attacking errors, hitting .545 (20-2-33) over three matches. The junior had a match-high seven block assists versus Pacific, as the Anteaters out-blocked the Tigers 11.5-5.0. He also added six kills and two service aces in that match. Following last week's action, Harrell moved into sixth all-time on the UCI career block assist list (267). UCI did not lose a game last week, defeating UC Santa Cruz, Stanford and No. 11 Pacific, 3-0.

Second-ranked UC Irvine (15-3, 9-3 MPSF) travels to No. 3 UC Santa Barbara Wednesday before hosting No. 10 Cal State Northridge Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.

February 2, 2007

RAFTER TO BE INDUCTED INTO UCI HALL OF FAME

Irvine, Calif. -- Former All-American Donnie Rafter is one of a quartet of honorees that will be inducted into UC Irvine's Athletic Hall of Fame Feb. 3 during the Homecoming Alumni brunch at the Hilton – Irvine/O.C. Airport beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The 2007 includes Graham, Ed Ahlmeyer (men's cross country/track and field), Scott Carnahan (men's tennis), and Donnie Rafter (men's volleyball). This year's class joins 65 previous inductees. In addition, David Baker (men's basketball) will receive the Varsity Club Alumnus of Merit Award. The new inductees will be introduced during the UCI-Cal State Northridge men's basketball game that night at the Bren Events Center.

Rafter competed in men's volleyball from 1996-99, earning second-team All-America honors in 1999. He became the first UCI player named to the All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation first team in 1999, when he was selected as National Player of the Week once and twice was chosen the MPSF Player of the Week. Rafter ranks second at UCI in career service aces (93), third in digs (608) and seventh in kills (1,165). In single-season records, he is third and fourth in digs per game (2.33 in 1999 and 2.29 in 1998), third in kills per game (5.59 in 1999) and fourth in total digs (219 in 1999).

He is the first men's volleyball player to be inducted into UCI's Hall of Fame.

January 22, 2007

JAYSON JABLONSKY SWEEPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS

Irvine, Calif. -- Senior outside hitter Jayson Jablsonky was named Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week as well as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week accolades after helping UCI to two wins last week.

For the week, Jablonsky averaged 5.50 kills, 2.25 digs, 0.62 blocks, and 6.0 points per game, while hitting .507 on 69 attacks. Versus Cal State Northridge, Jablonsky tallied 16 kills on 25 attempts and added seven digs, while compiling a .480 hitting percentage. In the five-game thriller with UC Santa Barbara, the senior totaled a career-high 28 kills, hitting .523 and tying his career high of 11 digs. He had six kills in six attempts to lead the Anteaters in game five.

This is the third time that Jablonsky has won the national honor and the seventh time overall it has gone to a UC Irvine player. It is Jablonsky's third conference distinction.

January 11, 2007

UC IRVINE NAMED HOST FOR 2008 NCAA MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

IRVINE, Calif. --- The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has designated UC Irvine as host of the 2008 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship. The formal announcement was made during a luncheon attended by campus, City of Irvine and NCAA representatives at the Bren Events Center Thursday afternoon.

The semifinal matches are scheduled for May 1 with the championship match May 3, 2008, at the 5,000-seat Bren Center on the UCI campus.

This will be the first time that UCI has hosted the national championship for men's volleyball. The last national tournament that UCI hosted was the 1998 men's water polo semifinals and final at Corona del Mar High School.

"We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of our volleyball program and look forward to an exciting event," said UCI Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, Michael Gottfredson.

"The NCAA recognized the Orange County community as a growing area of volleyball support," said John Speraw, currently in his fifth season as head coach at UCI. "I think our success over the last couple of years put us in a position to show the community's tremendous appreciation of the sport and help us host this event.

"It is a great honor and opportunity to have a great national sporting event on our campus. All of the UCI students and faculty should be proud to host this event," Speraw said.

UCI reached the semifinals of the 2006 national championship at Penn State University. This year's NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship will be contested at Ohio State University's St. John Arena May 3 and 5.

The top-ranked Anteaters (4-0) host No. 4 Hawaii Friday (Jan. 12) night at 7:00 and Saturday evening at 7:30 in the Bren Events Center. UCI has nine home matches scheduled in the Bren Center this season.

January 9, 2007

THORNTON NAMED MPSF PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Irvine, Calif. -- UC Irvine senior setter Brian Thornton (San Clemente/San Clemente HS) has been named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation/Molten Men's Volleyball Player of the Week. It is Thornton's first career Player of the Week distinction.

Thornton was named Most Valuable Player of the 43rd UCSB Elephant Bar Invitational leading the Anteaters to three wins and the team title. He averaged 15.78 assists per game while directing the offense to a .406 team hitting percentage (164-41-303) during the tournament. Thornton also had a career-high 12 digs and a season's best 60 set assists in a win at Cal Baptist to begin the week.

Top-ranked UCI is 4-0 to begin the season and will host No. 4 Hawaii Friday (Jan. 12) at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday (Jan. 13) at 7:30 p.m. in the Bren Center.

December 21, 2006

UC IRVINE RANKED NO. 1 IN PRE-SEASON POLL

Irvine, Calif. -- The UC Irvine men's volleyball team is ranked No. 1 in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Preseason Poll.

UC Irvine topped the list with 234 points, garnering 11 first place votes.

The Anteaters, who were 27-5 a year ago, return All-Americans Jayson Jablonsky (Sr., OH), Brent Asuka (So., L), Matt Webber (Sr., OPP) and Brian Thornton (Sr., S) as well as All-MPSF selections David Smith (Sr., MB) and Aaron Harrell (Jr., MB).

UCI has been ranked No. 1 at some point during the season in three of the last five years.

Head coach John Speraw's team will open the season traveling to Cal Baptist Jan. 3, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.

CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men's Top 15 Coaches Preseason Poll

Rank (First Place Votes) Total Points 2006 Record 2006 Final Rank
1. UC Irvine (11) 234 27-5 2
2. BYU (3) 224 18-9 7
3. UCLA (2) 203 26-12 1
4. Hawaii 192 23-5 4
5. Pepperdine 179 17-8 6
6. UC Santa Barbara 153 13-16 10
7. IPFW 130 23-7 9
8. Penn State 124 21-9 5
9. Cal State Northridge 117 18-11 8
10. Long Beach State 111 23-10 3
11. Ohio State 81 20-12 15
12. USC 54 11-18 13
13. Loyola-Chicago 47 23-7 11
T14. Pacific 25 8-20 NR
T14. Ball State 25 33-3 14
Others receiving votes: George Mason, 21

December 6, 2007

UC IRVINE INKS THREE RECRUITS

Irvine, Calif. – UC Irvine head men's volleyball coach John Speraw announced the signing of Kevin Carroll, Carson Clark and Bryce Danker to national letters of intent.

"I think these three guys help us across the net," Speraw said. "We get a great outside hitter in Kevin, losing All-American Matt Webber at opposite gives Carson a chance to compete right away and losing David Smith in the middle gives Bryce a chance to get on the court. They will all have a chance to make an immediate impact on our program."

Kevin Carroll, 6-3, Outside Hitter, Los Alamitos, Calif./Los Alamitos HS
Hails from Los Alamitos High School...named a 2006 Mizuno Volleyball Magazine third team All-American...earned Volleyball Magazine's Top 25 underclassmen distinction...played on the USA Men's Junior National Team...first-team All-Sunset League...All-CIF...two-time Press Telegram Dream Team selection...team was Sunset League Champions and Division I CIF semi-finalist as a sophomore...earned a bronze medal and was named to the all-tournament team with the Riptides Volleyball Club at the 2005 Junior Olympics.

Carson Clark, 6-6, Opposite, Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Barbara HS
Three-time All-CIF selection from Santa Barbara High School...named one of 50 Players to Watch by Volleyball Magazine... member of the 2006 USA Boy's Youth National Team that earned the silver medal at the NORCECA Championships in the Dominican Republic and qualified for the 2007 World Championships..he was the second leading scorer at the tournament with 75 points, 60 kills, nine blocks and six aces...won a silver medal with the Southern California Volleyball Club Boys 18s team at the 2005 Junior Olympics and won a bronze medal in 2004...earned all-tournament honors at the 2003 Junior Olympics.

Bryce Danker, 6-6, Middle Blocker, Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS
First-team All-Sunset league selection from Esperanza High School...played two years on the Southern California Volleyball Association High Performance team that went to Italy last summer...won a bronze medal at the 2005 Junior Olympics with the Southern California Volleyball Club...garnered All-Academic honors as well as Principal's Honor Roll.

November 27, 2006

SPERAW FEATURED ON BLUE & GOLD REPORT: Head coach John Speraw is one of three guests on this week's Blue & Gold Report on KUCI 88.9 FM.

The Blue & Gold Report airs live Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. and then are archived at http://www.kuci.org/sports.shtml. The Blue & Gold Report is a weekly look inside Anteater Athletics hosted by Mark Roberts. Joining Speraw on this week's show are women's basketball player Christina Zdenek and men's basketball player Patrick Sanders.

November 24, 2006

UC IRVINE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL TOPS MPSF COACHES PRE-SEASON POLL

Irvine, Calif. -- UC Irvine topped the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Volleyball Pre-season Coaches' Poll with seven first-place votes to earn the top ranking.

Brigham Young garnered three first-place votes and was second in the coaches poll. Hawaii, Pepperdine and UCLA were tied for third, each generating one first-place. UC Santa Barbara was sixth before Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State tied for seventh. USC was ninth, Pacific was 10th, Stanford was 11th and UC San Diego was 12th to round out the poll.

UCI finished the 2006 season as the MPSF regular-season champion and advanced to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship where they lost to host Penn State in five games in a semifinal match.

The Anteaters return all but one starter from last year's team that went 27-5 overall and ended the year ranked No. 2 nationally.

National and MPSF Player of the Year, Jayson Jablonsky, returns to lead head coach John Speraw's veteran crew. Jablonsky, an AVCA first team All-American, averaged 4.17 kills per game last season which ranked 17th in the country. The 6-5 outside hitter earned NCAA All-Tournament team honors and was ranked 18th in points (4.89) and 11th in aces (.367) nationally a year ago.

All-Americans Brian Thornton, Matt Webber and Brent Asuka also return for UC Irvine. Thornton, a 6-3 senior setter, was named second team All-America as well as second-team All-MPSF. He averaged 13.70 set assists which led the nation in 2006.

Webber topped the team, averaging 4.66 kills, which ranked eighth nationally and was ninth in the country in points per game (5.32). The 6-7 senior opposite was named second team All-America and second team All-MPSF.

Asuka, a sophomore libero was honored as the AVCA National and MPSF Newcomer of the Year, becoming the first libero to ever garner the distinction. He was also tabbed first team All-America and All-MPSF after averaging 3.03 digs per game.

Middle Blockers David Smith and Aaron Harrell round out the UC Irvine returnees. Smith, a 6-7 senior, was named All-MPSF honorable mention last year. He averaged 2.19 kills per game and owned a .412 hitting percentage which ranked 16th nationally. Harrell, a third team All-MPSF choice, led the team in hitting percentage at .463, which was fifth in the nation and bettered his own school record for hitting percentage in a season. The 6-5 junior led the team at the net, averaging 1.30 blocks per game which was 12th nationally.

UC Irvine opens the 2007 season traveling to Cal Baptist on Jan. 3, 2007.

2007 MPSF PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Rank School (Points & 2006 Record)
No. 1 UC Irvine 17 points (7 first-place votes) 27-5/20-2 MSPF
No. 2 Brigham Young 29 points (3 first-place votes) 18-9/14-8 MPSF
No. 3T Hawaii 41 points (1 first-place vote) 23-5/19-3 MPSF
No. 3T Pepperdine 41 points (1 first-place vote) 17-8/15-7 MPSF
No. 3T UCLA 41 points 25-12/12-10 MPSF
No. 6 UC Santa Barbara 62 points 13-16/9-13 MPSF
No. 7T Cal State Northridge 70 points 18-11/13-9 MPSF
No. 7T Long Beach State 70 points 23-10/14-8 MPSF
No. 9 USC 92 points 11-18/7-15 MPSF
No. 10 Pacific 100 points 8-20/6-16 MPSF
No. 11 Stanford 108 points 4-24/2-20 MPSF
No. 12 UC San Diego 121 points 2-27/1-21 MPSF

November 20, 2006

UCI GOES 1-2 AT PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT USING FULL ROSTER

Los Angeles, Calif. -- Head coach John Speraw used his entire roster during the UCLA pre-season tournament giving lots of playing time to the younger players as the Anteaters went 1-2 overall.

UC Irvine defeated UCLA in four games in the first match of the UCLA's pre-season tournament.

The Anteaters defeated the Bruins, 30-21, 30-25, 30-32, 30-24, playing the first team in games one and two.

On Saturday morning, Cal State Northridge defeated UC Irvine 30-24, 30-26, 31-29. Freshman Cole Reinhom led the Anteaters with 11 kills and Brandon Mel added five.

UC Santa Barbara beat UC Irvine 30-27, 30-24, 27-30, 30-26 in the afternoon. Matt Webber had 31 kills (.650) for UC Irvine.

November 9, 2006

UC IRVINE TRAVELS TO UCLA FOR SCRIMMAGE; MEET THE NEW FACES

Irvine, Calif. -- UC Irvine will head to UCLA for a scrimmage tournament Nov. 17-18 at the Student Activity Center. UCI will battle the Bruins Friday at 4:00 p.m. then take on Cal State Northridge Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and UC Santa Barbara at 3:00 p.m. The Anteaters will close the pre-season with two exhibition matches at Ohio State Dec. 16-17.

You know UCI has All-Americans Brian Thornton, Matt Webber, Brent Asuka as well as National Player of the Year Jayson Jablosnky returning to the hardwood this season. You know All-MPSF honorees Aaron Harrell and David Smith return in the middle. But you might not know a few new faces, eight to be exact, that are showing that the future of UCI volleyball is bright.

"I'm excited these guys came in togther," head coach John Speraw said. "Not only are they talented but they are competitive. They come from successful programs and expect to win. We want to maintain that expectation. A number of these guys will contribute immediately, but all of them will in the long run."

Setter Anthony Spittle hails from Redondo Union High School where he was a two-time Bay League Most Outstanding Player. The two-time All-CIF choice is the last of the Spittle brothers following Paul who graduated last year and Nick who is currently on the squad.

Cole Reinholm is a 6-5 outside hitter from Thousand Oaks High School. He was the a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection and All-CIF honoree. He was one of 24 athletes that trained with the boys Youth National Volleyball this summer and was named MVP of the USA High Performance Volleyball Camp in 2005.

Cory Yoder was a two-time South Coast League MVP at San Clemente High School. The 6-3 outside hitter helped the Tritons to its fifith consecutive South Coast League title. He was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection as well as a two-time first team All-selection.

Jordan DuFault, a 6-4 outside hitter, was the Serra League MVP at St. John Bosco High School. He was named all-league and All-CIF as a senior as well as Long Beach Press Telegram Player of the Year.

Kevin Wynne is the tallest of the newcomers standing as 6-7. The middle blocker hails from Capistrano Valley High School where he was a first team All-South Coast League honoree.

Alex Da Pron is a 6-5 outside hitter who was the Valley League Player of the Year as well as Division III Player of the Year at Valley Center High School.

Kenny Webster, a 6-0 libero from Edison High School, was named first team All-Sunset league and All-CIF in 2006. He helped the Chargers capture their first CIF title.

Matt DeLotto is the only transfer joining the squad in 2007. He was a member of Long Beach City's 2006 state championship team that became only the second squad in state history to go undefeated (18-0). The 6-5 outside hitter was prepped at Clovis West High School.

UCI will open the 2007 season at Cal Baptist Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m. Following the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament Jan. 5-6, the Anteaters will host Hawaii Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bren Center.

October 12, 2006

SPERAW NAMED IN DAILY PILOT TOP 103 MOST INFLUENTIAL

Irvine, Calif. -- Head coach John Speraw was selected No. 76 in the Daily Pilot's Most Influential 103.

It is Speraw's first entry into this prestigious list. Speraw was named National Coach of the Year after guiding the Anteaters to a 27-5 overall record and No. 2 final ranking. He was also the MPSF and Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year.

The Pilot annually selects 103 peole that have made an impact in the Newport and Costa Mesa area. UCI Athletic Director Bob Chichester was No. 63 and UCI Chancellor Michael Drake was No. 13.

October 9, 2006

DAVID KNIFFIN NAMED MEN'S VOLLEYBALL ASSISTANT COACH AT UC IRVINE

Irvine, Calif. -- David Kniffin has been named an assistant coach with the UC Irvine men's volleyball team, head coach John Speraw announced Monday.

Kniffin returns to his alma mater after playing two years of professional volleyball in Spain.

"I couldn't be happier that the timing worked out for David to join us at UC Irvine again," Speraw said. "The day he graduated I wondered if he would ever come back to coach. I was very happy with my staff but I knew that they would someday have other opportunities. When an opening was available he was the first person I called. He has a diverse playing background and sees the game from the setters' point of view. That will help this program continue to get better."

Kniffin, who was a setter on the Anteaters' 2002 and 2003 teams, holds the UCI single season record for most assists with 1,632 in 2003 and is currently fourth in career assists (2,806). He averaged 13.95 set assists per game as a senior, ranking third nationally and second among MPSF players. Kniffin quarterbacked UCI its first No. 1 ranking and first MPSF post-season victory in 2003.

Professionally, he was the MVP for the championship team CAI Voleibol Teruel of the second division Liga FEV in Spain.

Kniffin attended Pierce College before coming to UCI, playing on the State Championship team in 2001. He began his playing career at Loyola Marymount before the program was dropped. Kniffin is a graduate of Chico High School.

He graduated with a degree in philosophy at UCI, earning UCI Scholar-Athlete and MPSF All-Academic honors. He is currently working on a Master's in Education and a Credential in Special Education at Prescott College.

September 12, 2006

UC IRVINE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL CALLS BREN HOME IN 2007

Irvine, Calif. -- The UC Irvine men's volleyball team announced its 2007 schedule, playing nine of their 14 home matches at the Bren Events Center this upcoming season.

The Anteaters start the season hosting Hawaii Friday January 12 at 7:00 p.m. UCI entertains the Warriors the following night (Jan. 13), but will have a start time of 7:30 p.m. due to playing the second half of a double-header with the women's basketball team.

Along with Mountain Pacific Sports Federation competition the schedule is highlighted by a rematch of the 2006 NCAA semifinal match with Penn State March 14 at Crawford Hall.

UC Irvine returns all but one starter from last season's 27-5 squad. The returnees feature four All-Americans and are led by National Player of the Year Jayson Jablonsky.

July 5, 2006

ANTEATERS SWEEP VOLLEYBALL MAGAZINE HONORS

Irvine, Calif. -- The July issue of Volleyball Magazine tabbed Jayson Jablonsky Player of the Year, Brent Asuka, Freshman of the Year and head coach John Speraw as Coach of the Year.

Jablonsky and Asuka were named first-team Asics/Volleyball Magazine All-Americans, while Brian Thornton and Matt Webber were second team selections.

A number of incoming recruits also garnered recognition. Jordan DuFault and Anthony Spittle were named Mizuno Volleyball Magazine first team All-Americans. Cory Yoder was a second team choice, while Cole Reinholm was an honorable mention selection.

June 15, 2006

STEFFIN RANGEL NAMED MPSF MEN'S VOLLEYBALL ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE

IRVINE, Calif. - Senior Steffin Rangel was a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Volleyball Academic All-Conference selection.

Rangel will graduate with a degree in sociology. The outside hitter averaged 1.0 kills in 37 games this season.

To qualify for this honor, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and carry a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average. Additionally, the student-athlete must have completed one full academic year at the member institution prior to the season for which the award is received as well as participated in at least fifty percent of the games in his or her respective sport.

A total of 40 MPSF men's volleyball players from 12 institutions were named to this year's All-Academic team.