Match Notes

After just completing a five-week homestand, the No. 8 University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team begins a grueling four-match Mountain Pacific Sports Federation road swing at third-ranked Cal State Northridge, March 5 & 6 at the Matadome in Northridge, Calif.. The Warriors (10-5, 6-4 MPSF) will then play at No. 7 USC, March 8 & 9 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

 

UH completed its homestand with a 6-2 record (not including a series split with Alberta) and swept MPSF series against UC Irvine and BYU. The Warriors are 6-4 in league play and tied with Long Beach State for fourth place in the standings heading into the weekend.

 

Hawai'i is coming off a sweep of fourth-ranked BYU. In the series, opposite Jonas Umlauft and outside hitter Joshua Walker each averaged 4.25 kills per set while middle blocker Matthew Rawson came up huge at the net, averaging 1.62 blocks per set. The Warriors also served 12 aces in the series compared to only one for BYU.

 

Cal State Northridge (12-5, 9-5) has dropped three of its last four matches and slipped from No. 1 nationally two weeks ago to No. 3. The Matadors return to the Matadome this week after having played their last five matches on the road, and most recently dropped a four-setter at top-ranked Pepperdine, Feb. 26. On the year, Theo Edwards leads the CSUN with a 3.92 kill average while the middle attack of Kevin McKniff (.495, 2.95 kps) and Jacek Ratajczak (.453, 2.82) are deadly accurate, with both hitting for over 40 percent.

 

USC (8-6, 6-5) has not played since a Feb. 24 home loss to Cal State Northridge and will only play UC Santa Barbara on March 5 before the UH series. The Trojans, in the midst of a seven-match homestand, have lost three of four at the Galen Center. The bulk of USC's offense comes from the outside with Murphy Troy (4.32), Tony Ciarelli (3.81), and Tri Bourne (2.51).

 

Who: No. 8 Hawai'i (10-5, 6-4 MPSF) vs. No. 3 Cal State Northridge (12-5, 9-5 MPSF)

When: Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6

Time: 7:00 p.m. on March 5 and 2:00 p.m. on March 6

Where: The Matadome; Northridge, Calif.

Television Coverage: None

Radio Coverage: None

Live Stats: Available at gomatadors.com

Series Information: UH leads 41-14

Series vs. Cal State Northridge: UH leads 41-14 with a 15-6 edge in Northridge, Calif. The Warriors swept the series over top-ranked CSUN last season in Honolulu.

 

Who: No. 8 Hawai'i (10-5, 6-4 MPSF) vs. No. 7 USC (8-6, 6-5 MPSF)

When: Monday, March 8 and Tuesday, March 9

Time: 7:00 p.m. both nights

Where: Galen Center; Los Angeles, Calif.

Television Coverage: None

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

Audio Webcast: Available at espn1420am.com

Live Stats: Available at usctrojans.com

Series Information: UH leads 34-29

Series vs. USC: UH leads the overall series 34-29 including a slight 16-15 advantage in Los Angeles. The teams split the season series in each of the last three seasons. UH upset the top-ranked Trojans earlier this season in the championship match of the Outrigger Hotels Invitational.