Off the Block

Tag: Pepperdine

  • Voting now open for the 2011 Off the Block Fan Choice Offseason Award

    Off the Block selected the eight finalists, and now it is up to the fans to determine who should win the 2011 Off the Block Fan Choice Offseason Award.

    The Offseason Award recognizes the best performances from current NCAA men’s volleyball players in international tournaments during the summer and gives volleyball fans the chance to determine who was the best player.

    Fans will determine the winner of the Offseason Award through online voting on the Off the Block website. The online poll will open at 12:01 a.m. (EST) Tuesday and end at 12:01 a.m. (EST) Thursday.
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  • Finalists selected for inaugural Off the Block Fan Choice Offseason Award

    UPDATE: Click here to vote in the online poll that is now open.

    Eight college men’s volleyball players have been selected as finalists for the 2011 Off the Block Fan Choice Offseason Award.

    The Offseason Award recognizes the best performances from current NCAA men’s volleyball players in international tournaments during the summer and gives volleyball fans from around the nation the chance to determine who was the best player.

    Off the Block selected the finalists for this inaugural award, which includes UCLA middle attacker Thomas Amberg, USC setter Micah Christenson, UC Irvine outside attacker Carson Clark, UC Santa Barbara middle attacker Dylan Davis, UCLA outside attacker Gonzalo Quiroga, Penn State middle attacker Aaron Russell, BYU outside attacker Taylor Sander and Pepperdine outside attacker Matthew Tarantino.
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  • Pepperdine recruit Tarantino directs USA to upset victory against No. 2 Russia

    With the U.S. Boys’ Youth National Team at match-point in the fifth game, it was fitting that outside attacker Matthew Tarantino got the final kill to upset No. 2 Russia.

    Tarantino had a match-high 19 kills as the No. 9 United States defeated Russia 25-20, 20-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-13 in its World Championship consolation second-round pool-play match Thursday in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    The victory keeps the United States (2-3, 1-1 Pool H, 2 points) alive for a chance to finish the international tournament in ninth place. It was also the highest ranked team any U.S. junior or youth team has defeated in tournament-play this year.
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  • Tarantino, Caldwell power USA pass Egypt in marathon match at World Championship

    It took awhile — longer than any match at the tournament — but the U.S. Boys’ Youth National Team finally won its pool-play opener at the World Championship.

    In a match lasting almost three hours, No. 9 United States avoided blowing a two-game lead and defeated No. 10 Egypt 25-16, 25-21, 27-29, 34-36, 17-15 on Friday in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    The two-hour-and-32-minute match was the longest match during the first day of the international tournament by more than 30 minutes. In addition, no other World Championship match had three games go into overtime, and the 70 combined points in the fourth game was the longest single-game so far in the tournament.
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  • The aftermath of the World Championship: 5 things to take away from Team USA

    The World Championship ended Wednesday, but there are many things college men’s volleyball teams and fans should take away from the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team’s performance.

    No. 9 United States reached the final four for the first time in World Championship history before losing to No. 1 Argentina in the semifinals and No. 5 Serbia in the bronze medal game. The United States roster was comprised of 15 current college men’s volleyball players and four incoming freshmen.

    Check out the top five things to take away from the World Championship for the upcoming NCAA men’s volleyball season in January.
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  • Sander, Torres boost USA past Spain and into World Championship semifinals

    No. 11 Spain could only contain Taylor Sander for so long before the BYU All-American outside attacker unloaded and help lift the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team to the World Championship semifinals.

    After being held to five kills in the first two games, Sander ended with a match-high 25 kills as the No. 9 United States defeated Spain 25-21, 20-25, 26-24, 28-30, 15-11 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    With this second-round victory the United States (4-1, 2-0 Pool E) clinched a spot in the semifinals for the first time in the tournament’s 40-year history. The United States previous best finish at a World Championship in the last 10 years was seventh place in 2007.
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  • Pepperdine recruit Taylor sparks USA to second-round upset vs. No. 4 Iran

    Pepperdine incoming freshman outside attacker Joshua Taylor made the most of his chance in the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team’s second-round opener at the World Championship.

    Coming off the bench midway through the first game, Taylor had a team-high 12 kills as No. 9 United States upset No. 4 Iran 22-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-17 on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro.

    Taylor replaced Pepperdine outside attacker Maurice Torres with the United States (3-1, 1-0 Pool E) trailing in the first game and remained on the court the rest of the match. Prior to this match, Taylor had started one game in the United States’ first three matches at the tournament.
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  • USA Volleyball reveals roster for 2011 World University Games

    Five current college men’s volleyball players and seven recent graduates will represent the United States at the World University Games.

    USA Volleyball announced Monday its 12-player roster and six alternates for the 2011 World University Games on Aug. 12-23 in Shenzhen, China.

    “The team motto is ‘The Tradition Continues,’” head coach Gordon Mayforth said in a statement released Monday. “The USA has had a long tradition of doing well at this event. When you read the players and names on the list, I think we should expect to be in the mix.”
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  • 11 incoming freshmen win USA Volleyball junior national championship

    Eleven incoming Division I-II freshmen men’s volleyball players ended their junior careers as national champions.

    Balboa Bay 18 Quiksilver swept Santa Monica Beach Club 25-17, 25-23 to win the 18-Open Division championship at the 2011 USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships on Saturday in Minneapolis.

    Balboa Bay, a volleyball club located in Southern California, went undefeated and lost one set in its 11 matches during the four-day tournament. Eleven of the 12 players on the Balboa Bay roster had committed to a Division I-II men’s volleyball team prior to the national tournament.
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  • U.S. Men’s Junior National Team roster announced for 2011 World Championship

    Fifteen current college men’s volleyball players will play for the United States in the World Championship.

    USA Volleyball announced Monday its U.S. Men’s Junior National Team 12-player roster and seven alternates for the 2011 FIVB Men’s Junior (U-21) World Championship in Brazil.

    “Most of our players have played a major role on their collegiate teams and that experience should carry over quite well for us,” head coach John Hawks said in statement released Monday. “I feel like we are not going to be physically outmatched by anyone. This year’s team has tremendous depth and we can start a wide variety of lineups and still maintain a high level of cohesion on the court.”
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