Initial look at upcoming conference tournament matches

Four months of regular season matches and the brackets are finally settled for the MIVA Tournament and MPSF Tournament.

Check out the match-ups and historical information to know for the upcoming MIVA Tournament quarterfinals, MPSF Tournament quarterfinals and Conference Carolinas semifinals.


MPSF TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS

No. 1 seed UC Irvine (25-4, 19-3 MPSF) vs. No. 8 seed UCLA (13-13, 9-13 MPSF)
Match vitals:
7 p.m. Saturday in Irvine, California
Season series: UC Irvine leads 2-0
Last MPSF Tournament title: UC Irvine (2012); UCLA (2006)
Historical stats to know: The last two times UC Irvine was the No. 1 overall seed in 2006 and 2009 it did not win the MPSF Tournament. UCLA is on a seven-match postseason road losing streak dating back to 2007.

No. 2 seed Hawai’i (23-5, 18-4 MPSF) vs. No. 7 seed Long Beach State (15-12, 11-11 MPSF)
Match vitals:
7 p.m. Saturday in Honolulu
Season series: Hawai’i leads 2-0
Last MPSF Tournament title: Hawai’i (never); Long Beach State (never)
Historical stats to know: Hawai’i is 8-3 at home all-time in postseason play, including winning its most recent home playoff match in 2010. This is the second consecutive year that Long Beach State earned the No. 7 seed for the MPSF Tournament.

<

No. 3 seed Pepperdine (22-5, 17-5 MPSF) vs. No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara (18-9, 13-9 MPSF)
Match vitals:
7 p.m. Saturday in Malibu, California
Season series: Tied at 1-1
Last MPSF Tournament title: Pepperdine (2005); UC Santa Barbara (2011)
Historical stats to know: Pepperdine is 12-2 all-time in MPSF Tournament home matches during the rally scoring era. This is the second all-time meeting between Pepperdine and UC Santa Barbara in the MPSF Tournament with the Waves winning the first match in 2007.

No. 4 seed USC (18-8, 15-7 MPSF) vs. No. 5 seed BYU (17-9, 14-8 MPSF)
Match vitals:
7 p.m. Saturday in Los Angeles
Season series: Tied at 1-1
Last MPSF Tournament title: BYU (2014); USC (2009)
Historical stats to know: USC has not lost an opening round postseason match at home since 1993. BYU will be the lower seed and road team in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2009 when it lost to CSUN.


MIVA TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS

No. 1 seed Lewis (24-2, 15-1 MIVA) vs. No. 8 seed Grand Canyon (14-16, 5-11 MIVA)
Match vitals:
7 p.m. Saturday in Romeoville, Illinois
Season series: Lewis leads 2-0
Last MIVA Tournament title: Lewis (2012); Grand Canyon (never)
Historical stats to know: Lewis in the last 16 years has lost two home postseason matches. Grand Canyon was the last road team to pull off an upset in the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals when it beat Ohio State in 2013.

No. 2 seed Loyola (22-2, 14-2 MIVA) vs. No. 7 seed Quincy (13-14, 5-11 MIVA)
Match vitals:
Friday in Chicago
Season series: Loyola leads 2-0
Last MIVA Tournament title: Loyola (2014); Quincy (never)
Historical stats to know: Loyola has not lost to Quincy since 2011, including beating the Hawks last season in the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals. The last time Quincy had at least three conference regular season victories it pulled off an upset in the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals.

No. 3 seed Ohio State (21-8, 11-5 MIVA) vs. No. 6 seed Ball State (13-15, 6-10 MIVA)
Match vitals:
7 p.m. Friday in Columbus, Ohio
Season series: Tied at 1-1
Last MIVA Tournament title: Ohio State (2011); Ball State (2002)
Historical stats to know: Ohio State is attempting to advance beyond the MIVA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2012. Ball State is on an eight-match postseason losing streak against Ohio State with the most recent loss occurring in 2012.

No. 4 seed IPFW (18-11, 8-8 MIVA) vs. No. 5 Lindenwood (12-11, 7-9 MIVA)
Match vitals:
Friday in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Season series: IPFW leads 2-0
Last MIVA Tournament title: IPFW (2007); Lindenwood (never)
Historical stats to know: IPFW is 7-2 in MIVA Tournament home matches during the last 20 years under Hall of Fame head coach Arnie Ball, who will retire at the end of the season. Lindenwood is attempting to win its first postseason match since joining the MIVA in 2013.

CC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS

No. 1 seed Pfeiffer (19-3, 17-1 CC) vs. No. 4 seed Limestone (14-14, 11-7 CC)
Match vitals:
7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Misenheimer, North Carolina
Season series: Tied at 1-1
Last CC Tournament title: Pfeiffer (2013); Limestone (never)
Historical stats to know: The No. 1 seed has advanced to the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship every year expect for once since the conference added men’s volleyball in 2011. However, Limestone was the team that upset a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament semifinals as it beat Mount Olive in 2013.

No. 2 seed Erskine (20-6, 15-3 CC) vs. No. 3 seed Mount Olive (13-10, 11-7 CC)
Match vitals:
7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Due West, South Carolina
Season series: Erskine leads 2-0
Last CC Tournament title: Erskine (2014); Mount Olive (2011)
Historical stats to know: Erskine has swept its last three conference tournament matches, including beating Mount Olive in the championship match last season. Mount Olive is 2-0 all-time as the road team in conference tournament semifinal matches and as the No. 3 seed upset Pfeiffer in the semifinals last season.