Off the Block

Category: MPSF

  • The five teams that could surprise everyone in 2013

    Tons of teams enter a season with preseason hype, but then there are those teams that enter with little expectations and surprise everyone

    Whether it was Harvard finishing last season ranked in the national coaches poll or UC Santa Barbara’s run to the 2011 NCAA championship match last season, each season always has men’s volleyball teams that surprise everyone.
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  • The dark horse teams that could crash the 2013 Final Four

    Who doesn’t enjoy an underdog team making a surprise postseason run — especially when you have been the person since the start of the season saying they were the team to watch.

    With the regular season starting this week, there are the likely favorites to reach the Final Four. BYU, UC Irvine, Stanford and Pepperdine are the early favorites from the MPSF, while Lewis is the favorite in the MIVA and Penn State is the favorite in the EIVA.
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  • Top 10 non-conference matches to follow in 2013 season

    The 2013 college men’s volleyball season begins this week and there are plenty of intriguing non-conference matches to keep an eye on throughout entire regular season.

    Everything from early season matches that could be previews of Final Four matches to underdog teams traveling out west looking for a signature victory highlights the non-conference lineup this year.

    Off the Block dissected all the NCAA Division I-II teams’ non-conference schedules to come up with the top 10 non-conference matches for fans to follow during the 2013 season.
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  • UC Irvine unanimous No. 1 in preseason coaches poll

    UC Irvine will open the upcoming season in the rankings where it finished last season.

    The defending NCAA champion Anteaters received all 16 first-place votes to finish atop the preseason AVCA coaches poll released Friday afternoon.
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  • UC Irvine projected to win MPSF in conference’s preseason poll

    UC Irvine was not only projected to win the MPSF championship for upcoming season — it the choice by almost unanimous consensus.

    The defending-NCAA champion Anteaters received all but two of the 13 first-place votes and 143 points to finish atop the MSPF preseason coaches poll released Tuesday afternoon.
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  • UC San Diego lands 2 high school recruits for 2014 season

    A conference most valuable player award winner and an all-state honoree have committed to play at UC San Diego.

    UC San Diego announced Monday that it signed high school seniors Griffin Galvin and Adam Martell to national letters of intent to join the Tritons beginning in the 2014 season.
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  • 2013 Off the Block Preseason All-American Teams released

    A nationwide voting committee selected 20 players to the Off the Block Preseason All-American Teams.

    The Off the Block Preseason All-American Teams recognizes the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball players projected to be the best in the nation during the upcoming season. Ten players were selected as Preseason First-Team All-Americans and 10 players were named Preseason Second-Team All-Americans.
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  • New UC Irvine coach Kniffin announces his first recruiting class

    First-year UC Irvine head coach David Kniffin has signed his first two recruits.

    UC Irvine announced last week that it signed high school seniors Tucker Pikula and Reid Dominguez to letters of national intent to join the Anteaters beginning in the 2014 season.
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  • UCLA finishes home preseason event undefeated

    UCLA’s preseason home tournament could not have gone much better for the Bruins and new head coach John Speraw.

    UCLA defeated Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara on the final day of the SAC Tournament on Saturday to finish the preseason event undefeated.
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  • Page leads UCLA past rival USC in preseason tournament

    Outside attacker Robart Page led the Bruins with 15 kills as UCLA overcame a one-game deficit to defeated its cross-town rival USC 19-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-17 on Friday at SAC Tournament.

    Page was one of three Bruins with at least nine kills in the opener of its UCLA’s preseason home tournament. Outside attackers Kene Izuchukwu and Gonzalo Quiroga each had nine kills in the victory.
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