Top-ranked Anteaters meet USC in MPSF semis

The No. 1-ranked UC Irvine men’s volleyball team will put a series of winning streaks on the line when it battles USC in the semifinals of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament at 7:30 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.

The Anteaters (25-4) have won six straight, 13 consecutive at home and 10 straight against the Trojans (18-10).

With a win, UCI will advance to the MSPF title match Saturday at 7 p.m. against either Pepperdine or Cal State Northridge.

USC is the No, 5 seed in the eight-team MPSF Tournament. The Trojans rallied to upset No. 4-seeded Stanford on the road in the quarterfinals.

UCI has defeated USC twice this season, including a four-game triumph two weeks ago at the Bren Center.

Coach John Speraw’s Anteaters are led by 6-foot-9 senior setter Ryan Ammerman and 6-5 freshman opposite Carson Clark. Clark was also a first-team All-MPSF choice and was the conference Freshman of the Year.

The ’Eaters lead the nation in blocking (3.6 per set) and rank fourth nationally in hitting percentage (.316).

This is the first postseason meeting between the two schools.

The other semifinal precedes the UCI-USC match tonight at 5 p.m.

— Barry Faulkner