Off the Block

Tag: UCLA

  • UCLA, Lewis, Springfield in, Penn State out for 2012 Outrigger Invitational

    One of the biggest men’s volleyball non-conference tournaments will have a different look from previous seasons in 2012.

    Hawai’i coach Charlie Wade said Thursday that UCLA, Lewis and Springfield College will play in the 2012 Outrigger Invitational in January. It is the first time in the 17-year history of the Hawai’i home tournament that Springfield College will play in it and the first time for Lewis since 2005.

    “There is no shortage of teams that want to come out here and play in Hawaii,” Wade said. “It’s going to be fun to play them, and it’s going to be fun for our fans to see some nice teams come out that they don’t normally get to see.”
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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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  • Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year: Round 2

    Off the Block created the bracket and seeded 64 of the best college men’s volleyball players. Now it’s up to you determine who should be the Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year.

    After the first round, 32 players remain in the only national player of the year award that is completely determined by the fans.

    The online voting for the 16 second-round matches will end at 11 p.m. Thursday. The winners will advance to the third round Friday.

    Check out the second-round online ballots below and vote for the players who you think should move to the next round.

    [Editor’s note: The poll results for the second round matches Murphy Troy vs. Joshua Walker and Joe Sander vs. Jay Petty are not appearing for some people when viewing this page. Walker defeated Troy 147-132 and Sander defeated Petty 144-37.]

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  • Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year: Round 1

    Off the Block created the bracket and seeded 64 of the best college men’s volleyball players. Now it’s up to you determine who should be the Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year.

    The Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year tournament is the only contest that allows the fans to completely determine who should be the national player of the year.

    The online voting for the 32 first-round matches will end at 11 p.m. Wednesday. The winners will advance to the second round Thursday.

    Check out the first-round online ballots below and vote for the players who you think should move to the next round.

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  • Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year tournament to begin Wednesday

    The Off the Block Fan Choice Player of the Year will begin Wednesday, giving fans from around the nation the opportunity to determine the best college men’s volleyball player during the 2011 season.

    Off the Block has created a six-round 64-player bracket tournament matching up the best men’s volleyball players. Now it’s up to the fans through online voting to determine who should be the winner of each match-up.

    Every round will last one day with the polls closing at 11 p.m. (EST). The player with the most votes when the polls close will advance to the next round.
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  • Q&A with UCLA coach Al Scates about his upcoming retirement

    Fifty years as UCLA’s head coach is long enough for Hall of Famer Al Scates.

    Scates, the winningest coach in NCAA volleyball history, announced Tuesday that he would retire following the 2012 season.

    As the only men’s volleyball head coach in UCLA history, Scates won a college volleyball record 19 NCAA championships and more than 1,200 matches. The Bruins have also had 52 First-Team All-Americnas, 27 Olympians and seven National Player of the Year awards during the head coach’s tenure.

    Off the Block conducted an interview with Scates on Thursday to discuss why he decided to retire, the affect his retirement could have on the upcoming season and who could replace him as the next Bruins’ head coach.
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  • Hall of Fame UCLA coach Scates will retire at end of 2012 season

    The most successful coach in NCAA men’s volleyball history will retire following the 2012 season.

    The UCLA athletics department announced Tuesday that Hall of Fame coach Al Scates will retire on June 30, 2012 after 50 years with the the Bruins.

    “It is a privilege to coach the fine men that have participated and continue to compete for UCLA volleyball,” Scates said in a statement. “I have enjoyed being a continuous member of UCLA volleyball since I walked onto the team as a junior in 1959. … And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
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  • My men’s volleyball media poll ballot

    There will not be any type of split national champion in men’s volleyball this season.

    Ohio State received every first-place vote to be ranked No. 1 in the final men’s volleyball media poll released Tuesday.

    Ohio State defeated UC Santa Barbara in five games in the NCAA championship match to become first MIVA team to win a national title in the 42 years of the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes jumped up six spots to No. 1 from the last media poll that was released at the end of the regular season.

    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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  • Winners announced for EIVA, MIVA, MPSF Reporters of the Year

    The Daily Trojan reporter Sean McCormick, The Daily Collegian reporter Joe McIntyre and The Ball State Daily News reporter Andrew Mishler were selected as the Off the Block Men’s Volleyball Conference Reporters of the Year.

    The Off the Block Men’s Volleyball Conference Reporters of the Year recognizes the best college newspaper reporters in the EIVA, MIVA and MPSF.
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