Men’s Volleyball Notebook: UCI lone contender from West
With four NCAA championships in the previous eight seasons and just two wins away from a fifth in nine campaigns, including three of the last four, few could argue that UC Irvine is not the preeminent collegiate men’s volleyball program in the country.
The Anteaters, however, are the only team west of Illinois with a chance to win this year’s NCAA crown, after Penn State eliminated Mountain Pacific Sports Federation representative Hawaii in Tuesday’s play-in round to join UCI, Lewis and defending champion Loyola of Chicago in Thursday’s semifinals at Stanford University.
If the No. 1-ranked and No. 2 seeded Anteaters (28-4), winners of the MPSF regular-season and tournament titles, are beaten by No. 3-ranked and No. 3-seeded Loyola (25-2), it would mean the first NCAA final in which a West Coast school, or an MPSF representative, did not compete.
A California school has competed in 44 of the 45 previous finals, with a BYU-Lewis matchup in 2003 the lone exception. Further, California schools have squared off in 29 of the previous 44 title matches.
UCI Coach David Kniffin appeared surprised to learn that he was the lone West of the Rockies representative still remaining at Wednesday media conferences between practices for all four teams at the 7,000-seat Maples Pavilion.
“That’s right,” Kniffin said after learning UCI was carrying the West Coast flag. “Sure. Cool. I think we have to fly our own flag first, but that’s a neat deal, too. We don’t mind being a tribute to the MPSF.”
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•Loyola Coach Shane Davis, whose Ramblers knocked off then-No. 1-ranked Lewis to with the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. tournament crown on Friday, said the prospect of an NCAA final without the sport’s western civilization, has been in the works for some time.
“I think it says a lot about the balance throughout the country,” said Davis, whose team swept Pfeiffer in the play-in round for its eight straight win, its 13th in its last 14 matches and its 14th sweep in its last 15 triumphs. [Loyola senior outside hitter and Newport Harbor High product Cody] Caldwell is an example of [California] players not staying home. They are venturing out a little bit and checking out some other options. That’s a good thing and it’s good for parity in men’s volleyball.”
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•Kniffin, the MPSF Coach of the Year in his third season, said he was also in favor of the expanding power base in the sport, though he absorbed some criticism for being the only coach not to vote Loyola No. 1 in the preseason American Volleyball Coaches Assn. poll.
“I have perspective and I have my viewpoint, so I offer that with my very limited understanding of what’s going on around the country,” Kniffin said of his mindset about not giving Loyola the top preseason nod. “[The things I see are most tangible to me and that’s what is closest and that’s our conference. I do really have a hard time believing that the level of volleyball being played night-in and night-out by [MPSF] teams could have been better anywhere else.
“But certainly we have a great field of teams [at Stanford] and I think that anybody who fits into the top 10 is pretty competitive. I think any of the coaches who are from one to 10, want to be here at the end of the year. And everything leading up to that is just kind of fun discussion points.”
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•Kniffin said another point open for discussion would be who will be the Anteaters’ starting setter on Thursday.
Senior Roberto Frazzoni has started six of the last nine matches, after sophomore Michael Saeta started the first 23.
Kniffin said he was leaning toward Frazzoni, but that could change.
“I’ve changed my mind five minutes before a match started, including in the MPSF final [a four-set triumph over Pepperdine on Friday at UCI]. So we will see.”
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•After averaging nearly 2,700 spectators in the MPSF semifinals and final last week at the Bren Events Center, UCI is expected to play in front of about half that many on Thursday, and potentially in Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. final.
A paltry 539 attended the two play-in matches on Tuesday.
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•Among those in attendance will be Darrin Nelson, a senior associate athletic director at UCI, who is in the College Football Hall of Fame after starring at Stanford prior to graduating in 1981.
Nelson, who was an administrator in the Stanford athletic department before coming to Irvine, said he remains a Cardinal season ticket holder, who returns to campus about three times each fall to attend football games.
Nelson, who played with John Elway for two seasons before going on to an 11-season NFL career, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings, chose academics when asked one of his favorite memories on The Farm.
“I petitioned to create my own major in urban and environmental planning,” said Nelson, who fields regular requests from Stanford professors to come address their classes.