‘Eaters’ season on line

As the achievements of the UC Irvine men’s volleyball program continue to mount, there become fewer and fewer things the Anteaters have yet to accomplish.

But while owning the No. 1 national ranking, playing in the four-team NCAA Championships, and winning a regular-season Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title have already been crossed off the to-do list of the team’s four senior starters, there remains new ground to break in tonight’s MPSF semifinals at Pepperdine.

The No. 3-ranked Anteaters (25-5) will face No. 2-ranked BYU (23-5) in one semifinal at 8 p.m., hoping to advance to Saturday’s conference title match against either No. 1 Pepperdine (25-1) or No. 4 UCSB (20-11).

A victory would mark the first time UCI has won more than one postseason match in any season.

The Anteaters were 1-6 in the postseason prior to Saturday’s five-game comeback victory over visiting Hawaii in the MPSF quarterfinals.

A victory over the Cougars, who have won eight straight and 14 of their last 15, would not only be historic, it very well could punch the ‘Eaters ticket to the Final Four, May 3-5 at Ohio State.

If UCI and Pepperdine win their semifinal matches, both would almost certainly represent the MPSF in the four-team Final Four.

The MPSF Tournament champion receives an automatic berth, while the MPSF traditionally receives the lone at-large berth to the Final Four.

Should UCI and UCSB prevail in the semifinals, UCI would need to beat UCSB to advance, since Pepperdine would likely claim the at-large berth.

If Pepperdine extends its winning streak to 24 with wins Thursday and Saturday, UCI and BYU are the top candidates for the at-large berth. Tonight’s UCI-BYU winner will have won two of three matches between the two teams this season.

UCI split the two teams’ MPSF regular-season meetings Feb. 2 and Feb. 3 in Provo. The Cougars, ranked No. 1 at the time, swept Coach John Speraw’s then-No. 2-ranked squad, 30-21, 30-22, 30-27, Feb. 2. UCI came back to earn a 23-30, 30-23, 33-31, 29-31, 30-27 triumph Feb. 3.

Speraw said there is no sense trying to downplay the importance of tonight’s semifinal with his players.

“You can’t tell the players that [the season] is not riding on this match, because they’re definitely aware that it is,� Speraw said. “If the guys know that should they lose, they’re done and should they win, they have a chance to go to the Final Four, you can’t sell it any other way.�

What Speraw is trying to sell his team on is the idea of playing together to overcome a taller and, some would say, more talented BYU lineup.

“We need to play great team volleyball,� Speraw said. “We can try to match up as best we can with their physicality. The truth is, that team is probably the most physical team that maybe has ever played at the collegiate level. We’re going to have to be good at ball control and be as efficient as we can. And, no question, we’re going to have to serve real tough. We can’t be hitting the ball out of bounds.�

UCI made 10 service errors in dropping Game 1 against Hawaii. In its five losses this season, UCI has averaged nearly 22 service errors per match.

The Anteaters are led by seniors Jayson Jablonsky, Matt Webber, David Smith and Brian Thornton.

The 6-foot-7 Smith led the MPSF with a .573 hitting percentage in conference play. His .550 overall hitting percentage ranks No.2 nationally. He was named first-team All-MPSF.

Jablonsky, a 6-5 outside hitter, and Webber, a 6-6 opposite, are the Anteaters’ go-to hitters. Both are second-team All-MPSF performers, but Jablonsky was MPSF and National Player of the Year in 2006 and Webber was a first-team All-American as a junior.

Jablonsky has 1,452 career kills, No. 2 in UCI annals, and his 124 aces are tops in school history.

Thornton, a second-team All-American as a junior and a third-team all-conference pick this year, ranks fourth in the country with 13.2 assists per game.

BYU is paced by 6-8 sophomore outside hitter Yosleyder Cala, a first-team All-MPSF performer. Cala has 320 kills.

Robby Stowell, a 6-7 freshman opposite, leads the team with 330 kills, followed by 6-4 junior outside hitter Ivan Perez (316) and 6-8 junior middle blocker Russell Holmes (229).

BYU freshman setter Yamil Perez is the MPSF Newcomer of the Year.