Match Notes

The sixth-ranked University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team begins Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament action with a quarterfinal round match against No. 3 UC Irvine, Saturday, April 23 at Crawford Court in Irvine, Calif. Match time is 7:00 p.m. PT (4:00 p.m. HT).

 

The Warriors (15-12, 13-9 MPSF) are seeded fifth in the eight-team tournament while the Anteaters (18-11, 14-8) are the fourth-seed. UC Irvine swept the two-match series between the schools in Irvine, Calif., in February winning both matches in four sets.

 

After starting the season 1-5, the Warriors finished the year winning nine of their last 12 matches and vaulted from No. 13 to No. 6 in the national rankings. UH is making its second straight postseason appearance after advancing to the MPSF Tournament semifinals a year ago. Hawai'i defeated Pepperdine in the quarterfinals last season.

 

The Warriors are led by All-American opposite Jonas Umlauft who leads the country with a 5.55 kills per set average. Outside hitter Joshua Walker is averaging 3.57 kills per set while setter Nejc Zemljak has directed the team to a hitting percentage of .326, seventh-best nationally.

 

UCI returns to the MPSF Tournament for the first time since 2009, the same year the Anteaters captured the national title. The Anteaters finished the season as the league's hottest team, winning their final six matches including four straight road wins to end the year. Outside hitter Carson Clark leads the team with a 4.55 kill average while Cory Yoder averages 3.31 kills per set on .414 hitting. As a team, UCI is hitting .342, which ranks fourth nationally.

 

The Anteaters won both matches earlier this year at Crawford Court, despite Umlauft averaging 5.50 kills per set on .410 hitting. UCI served up 18 aces in the series and hit .391 compared to .390 for UH.

 

What: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament Quarterfinals

Who: No. 6 Hawai'i (15-12, 13-9 MPSF) vs. No. 3 UC Irvine (18-11, 14-8 MPSF)

When: Saturday, April 23, 2011

Time: 7:00 p.m. PT / 4:00 p.m. HT

Where: Crawford Court (capacity 800); Irvine, Calif.

Television Coverage: KFVE-TV (Ch. 5) will televise both matches live with Russell Yamanoha (play-by-play) and Sean Carney (color). Rebroadcast of UH match at 10:30 p.m.

Radio Coverage: ESPN 1420 AM will broadcast the match live with Blaine Kauwe calling the action.

Audio Webcast: Available at espn1420am.com

Live Stats: Available at UCIsports.com

Series Information: UH leads the all-time series 29-12, however, the Anteaters have won the last seven matches played in Irvine, Calif., including a 2007 MPSF quarterfinal victory. In the match, UH won the first two sets before watching UCI rally to win, 26-30, 27-30, 30-23, 30-22, 15-11.