Off the Block

Category: Division I-II

  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • Top USC recruit Christenson to battle in preseason for starting setter

    A top freshman recruit will be on the USC roster for the upcoming season.

    USC coach Bill Ferguson said Thursday that freshman setter Micah Christenson, the 2011 Honolulu Star-Advertiser Boys Volleyball Player of the Year, will not be redshirted and could be in the starting lineup for the 2012 season.

    Christenson will compete against junior Jeff Carlson throughout the preseason for the Trojans’ starting setter position, Ferguson said.
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  • Ball State releases 2012 schedule: 5 things to know about this schedule

    A non-conference match against Cal State Northridge and a rematch against Ohio State highlights the 2012 Ball State regular season schedule that the team released Tuesday.

    Ball State finished last season third in the MIVA and lost in the conference tournament quarterfinals. The Cardinals have five starters returning for the upcoming season, including All-MIVA outside attacker Larry Wrather.

    Check out the five things to take away from Ball State’s schedule for the 2012 season.
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  • Two Lewis conference matches in 2012 to air on regional TV

    Lewis will have two regionally televised matches in the upcoming season.

    The Flyers athletics department recently announced that Lewis’ home matches against MIVA rivals Ohio State and Ball State in 2012 will be televised on Lakeshore Public Television.

    The Lakeshore Public Television is a station available in 3.5 million households through DirecTV and the Dish Network. It also is available on cable in the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana.
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  • Former All-American Tanner enshrined into Waves hall of fame

    A former multiple All-American and NCAA champion received one of the highest honors for a Pepperdine athlete.

    Former Waves men’s volleyball player and college assistant coach Troy Tanner was formally inducted into the Pepperdine Hall of Fame on Sunday.

    Tanner was a three-time All-American outside attacker and setter during his college career from 1983-87. After redshirting as sophomore in 1984, Tanner returned to the court and helped guide the Waves to back-to-back NCAA championships in 1985 and 1986.
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