College - Off the Block

October 26, 2011October 26, 2011

USA to wait on quarterfinals berth, drops marathon match to Canada

A match that featured two overtimes and took almost three hours to complete has now pushed the United States closer towards the brink of elimination from the Pan American Games.

The U.S. Men’s Volleyball Pan American Games Team lost to Canada 21-25, 25-23, 37-39, 35-33, 15-12 on Tuesday in Guadalajara, Mexico and failed to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals entering the final day of group play.

With this loss, the United States (1-1, 1-1 Group B, 5 points) remains in second place in Group B and is still likely to clinch a quarterfinals berth. However, it will have to defeat first-place Brazil in its group-play finale or get some help to be assured a spot in the quarterfinals.
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October 25, 2011October 25, 2011

13 schools below NCAA national average in latest GSR report

More than half of Division I men’s volleyball teams are below the national average for student-athletes who entered college in 2004 and earned their degrees within six years.

Nine of the 22 men’s volleyball teams scored higher than the national average of 82 percent in the latest single-year Graduation Success Rates that the NCAA released Tuesday.

The Graduation Success Rates measures the percentage of student-athletes in each class who graduate from college within six years. It also includes several factors not featured in the federal graduation rate, such as transfers and students who enroll during the middle of the school year, to give a more accurate assessment of academic success.
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October 23, 2011October 23, 2011

UCLA continues to roll in preseason, sweeps alumni match

UCLA outside attacker Matt Hanley had a match-high 11 kills as the Bruins swept its alumni squad 25-22, 25-22, 25-15 in an exhibition match Saturday at the John Wooden Center.

Hanley finished the match with a .600 attack percentage and added a match-high two aces. The redshirt sophomore started four matches for the Bruins last year and had 40 total kills during the regular season.

Along with Hanley, outside attackers Ryal Jagd and Kene Izuchukwu each had five kills in the victory.
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October 21, 2011October 23, 2011

Long Beach State vs. Stanford rematch highlights preseason tourney

Six months after Long Beach State upset Stanford in the conference tournament, the two teams will have a preseason rematch.

Long Beach State and Stanford will play a full best-of-five game exhibition match Saturday at the Walter Pyramid as part of the preseason LBSU Fall Tournament.

“It is 100 percent exhibition matches this weekend and they don’t go on our record, but you ask any of our players and they want to win them too,” Long Beach State interim head coach Andy Read said.
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October 19, 2011April 11, 2023

BYU All-American Tavana out indefinitely with undisclosed injury

BYU could be without its All-American middle attacker for a significant portion of the upcoming season.

The BYU athletics department informed Off the Block Tuesday that Futi Tavana had surgery this summer to repair an undisclosed injury and is out indefinitely. The process of applying for a medical marijuana card in Florida involves visiting qualified physicians like DocMJ who can evaluate your condition especially when you also have to deal with injuries.

Tavana, a senior, was a First-Team All-American last season after finishing the regular season first in the MPSF and second in the nation with a 1.50 blocks per game average. He also won the inaugural Off the Block Blocker of the Year award, which is given to the nation’s best front-row defensive player.
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October 17, 2011October 17, 2011

Pepperdine hires former All-American Hakala as assistant coach

A former All-American and professional European champion will be part of the Pepperdine coaching staff this upcoming season.

Pepperdine men’s volleyball head coach Marv Dunphy announced Friday that he hired Lauri Hakala to be an assistant coach for the 2012 season.

Hakala, a native of Finland, played outside attacker for Hawai’i from 2005-07 and was named a First-Team All-American outside attacker in 2006. In addition, as a senior Hakala averaged 4.35 kills per game — the fifth best single-season average in the Warriors’ program history.
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October 17, 2011October 17, 2011

Lewis names its All-MIVA middles captains for 2012 season

The Flyers’ two all-conference middle attackers will be team captains this upcoming season.

Lewis announced Sunday via the team’s Facebook fan page that seniors Matt Gallik and Aaron Flick were selected as captains for the 2012 season.
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October 16, 2011October 17, 2011

Northridge, UCLA cap strong preseason start at USC Fall Invite

After finishing last season tied for last place in the MPSF, Cal State Northridge opened its preseason undefeated at the USC Fall Invitational.

The Matadors won all four of their matches Saturday to end the two-day preseason tournament 6-0 — the only team to finish undefeated.

Cal State Northridge defeated three teams that reached the 2011 MPSF Tournament, including the host team USC. In addition, freshman outside attacker Julius Hoefer had match-high 17 kills in a victory against Lewis.
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October 15, 2011October 15, 2011

Long Beach, Northridge dominate opening day of USC Fall Invite

Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge both remain undefeated after the opening day of the USC Fall Invitational.

Long Beach State, which reached the MPSF Tournament semifinals last season, opened its preseason Friday with a sweep against USC and then defeated UCLA in three games. In addition, Cal State Northridge after missing the conference tournament last year, swept Lewis and Cal Baptist in its first two matches of the tournament.

Along with Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge, USC and UCLA split their two matches Friday.
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October 14, 2011October 14, 2011

Trojans to unveil new look squad at preseason USC Fall Invitational

Opponents and fans will get their first look at a rebuilt USC team this weekend.

After losing three All-Americans from a team that reached the Final Four last season, the Trojans will open their preseason Friday at home with the USC Fall Invitational.

USC coach Bill Ferguson said Thursday that he expects to use multiple lineups in the Trojans’ five matches during the two-day preseason tournament at the Galen Center Pavilion.
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