UC Irvine - Off the Block

January 17, 2012January 17, 2012

My men’s volleyball media poll ballot

For the second straight week there is a new No. 1 in the men’s volleyball national media poll.

BYU’s two victories against then-No. 1 UC Irvine was enough to move the Cougars back to No. 1 after a one-week absence from the top spot in the rankings. Despite the two losses, UC Irvine didn’t fall far the top and finished at No. 2.

Check out this week’s top 10 men’s volleyball media poll and my ballot with explanations on why ranked each team where I did.
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January 14, 2012January 14, 2012

Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

Several matches tonight could be previews of Final Four matches in four months.

Three matches tonight pit top 10 ranked against each other teams, including No. 1 UC Irvine and No. 3 BYU closing out their two-match series. In addition, No. 5 Penn State renews its rivalry with No. 8 Ohio State, while No. 6 Long Beach State and No. 10 Pepperdine meet each other in conference play.

Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches from around the nation to follow tonight.
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January 10, 2012January 10, 2012

UC Irvine becomes new No. 1 in national media poll

There is a new No. 1 this week in the national media poll.

UC Irvine received eight of 10 first-place votes to jump one spot to No. 1 in the Volleyball Magazine Men’s Division I-II Top 10 Poll that was released Tuesday.
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January 9, 2012January 10, 2012

UC Irvine’s Speraw: Interested in U.S. head coach job for future Olympics

UC Irvine coach John Speraw would like the chance to be the head coach of the U.S. Men’s Volleyball National Team for the 2016 or future Olympics.

Speraw said Monday on the weekly volleyball radio show “The Net Live” that he would like to be the United States’ head coaching when the position becomes open for a future Olympics.
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January 8, 2012January 8, 2012

Clark, Dejno pound Anteaters past Bruins for UCSB Invite title

UC Irvine’s outside attackers lived up to the preseason hype and lifted the No. 2 Anteaters to the UC Santa Barbara Invitational championship.

All three of the Anteaters starting outside attackers had more than 10 kills as UC Irvine defeated No. 3 UCLA 23-25, 25-21, 35-33, 25-18 in the UC Santa Barbara Invitational championship match on Saturday.
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January 7, 2012January 7, 2012

Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

And just in case you didn’t get enough top 10 teams play each other Friday, there are more of these matches today.

Seven of the top 10 ranked teams will be in action Saturday. Highlighting these matches is battle between the two undefeated teams — No. 2 BYU and No. 3 UC Irvine — in the UC Santa Barbara Invitational championship match.

Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches from around the nation to follow tonight.
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January 6, 2012January 6, 2012

Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

The most anticipated day to open a NCAA men’s volleyball season is officially upon us.

The biggest event this weekend is the UC Santa Barbara Invitational, which features a No. 1 versus No. 2 match-up and a NCAA championship rematch. However, there are also several other non-conference and conference matches of interest today.

Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches from around the nation to follow tonight.
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January 6, 2012January 6, 2012

In a sentence or two about every NCAA men’s volleyball team

Most of the time all the preseason talk surrounding a team can be summed up in one or two sentences — and that’s what we did.

With the NCAA men’s volleyball season beginning in earnest this weekend, get a quick breakdown of every men’s volleyball team from around the nation as they enter the 2012 season.

Check out what to know about each Division I-II men’s volleyball team at the start of the 2012 season.
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January 5, 2012January 5, 2012

Players to watch for the 2012 AVCA Newcomer of Year award

A new season in college men’s volleyball also means plenty of new players — freshmen and transfer students — for each team in the nation.

Predicting how well a player will do in his first season with a new team is always a challenge. With the NCAA men’s volleyball season starting this week, though, there are several candidates who could become the 2012 AVCA Newcomer of the Year.

Check out the top 10 preseason favorites to win the 2012 AVCA Newcomer of the Year award at the end of the regular season.
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January 5, 2012January 5, 2012

Players to watch for the 2012 AVCA Player of Year award

The field is wide open this year for the biggest individual award in college men’s volleyball.

With the NCAA men’s volleyball season starting this week, there are numerous candidates who could be the 2012 AVCA Player of the Year this season.

Check out the preseason favorites and the dark horse candidates who could win the Division I-II AVCA Player of the Year at the end of the regular season.
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