Off the Block

Category: MPSF

  • D-II men’s volleyball teams ineligible for new NCAA scholarship benefits

    Five Division II men’s volleyball teams, despite playing in a conference with Division I schools, would be prohibited from providing an additional $2,000 to its full-ride scholarship athletes.

    The NCAA informed Off the Block via email Thursday that its newly adopted scholarship policy only applies to Division I schools, and Division II schools regardless of conference affiliations would be ineligible from giving their players the extra benefit.

    The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted last week to allow schools to provide full-scholarship athletes up to an extra $2,000 for cost-of-living expenses. Schools would not be required to add the benefit, but the NCAA requested that conferences consider common applications.
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  • Three Hawai’i matches to be nationally televised in upcoming season

    Three Hawai’i home matches at the beginning of the 2012 season will be nationally televised.

    The Hawai’i athletics department announced Tuesday that its men’s volleyball team’s matches against UC San Diego and UCLA in January will air live on Fox College Sports.

    Hawai’i will open its season with a two-match series against UC San Diego on Jan. 5-6 with both matches being televised. In addition, Hawai’i will play UCLA to conclude its home non-conference tournament, the Outrigger Invitational, on Jan. 14.
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  • Stanford releases 2012 schedule: 5 things to know about this schedule

    A rematch against Long Beach State and non-conference matches against the top MIVA and EIVA teams highlights the 2012 Stanford regular season schedule that the team released Tuesday.

    The Cardinal ended the 2011 regular season No. 3 in the national rankings but was upset in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals and missed the Final Four. Stanford has six returning starters, including All-American outside attacker Brad Lawson.

    Check out the five things to take away from Stanford’s schedule for the 2012 season.
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  • Report: Several teams with biggest budgets struggled in 2011 season

    More money does not necessarily mean more success for college men’s volleyball teams.

    Of the 10 schools with the highest operating budgets for the 2011 season, four failed to finish in the top 10 of the national rankings and only two reached the Final Four, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s latest Equity in Athletics report.
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  • MPSF to discuss new NCAA scholarship policies in January

    The MPSF will look towards its five charter conferences for direction before discussing any common practices among its members on providing full-ride scholarship athletes an additional $2,000.

    MPSF commissioner Al Beaird informed Off the Block via email Thursday that the federated conference will discuss the new NCAA scholarship policy at its Administrative Committee meeting on Jan. 24, 2012.

    The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted earlier Thursday to allow schools to give full-scholarship student athletes up to an additional $2,000 for cost-of-living expenses. The NCAA will not require schools to add the benefit, but it did inform conferences to consider common application of this new rule within their membership.
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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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  • 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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