SURPRISE, Ariz. – The OUAZ men's volleyball team will head on the road this week to play a pair of Golden State Athletic Conference matches. OUAZ will play at UC Merced on Friday, February 7 at 7 p.m. (AZ) before visiting No. 5 Menlo on Saturday, February 8 at 2 p.m. (AZ).
 
Both games will be available to watch live online and through the NAIA Network app on Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku devices. Live stats will also be available for both matches. Links to follow online can be found at OUAZSpirit.com/live.
 
OUAZ head to the road with a 6-2 overall record and 3-0 in road matches. The Spirit are currently fourth in the GSAC standings with their 2-1 record in league matches. They are among the other teams receiving votes in this week's NAIA Coaches' Top 10 Poll.
 
The Spirit will enter the road trip ninth in the NAIA with an average of 11.00 digs per set and they rank 13th nationally with their 12.07 kills per set. The team is hitting .228 overall and they average 1.45 service aces and 1.84 blocks per set.
 
Quaid King leads the Spirit and ranks 11th in the NAIA by getting 3.85 kills per set. He has recorded double-digit kills in a match six times with a season high of 18 on three separate occasions. King hits .278 and has three aces.
 
Quentin Campbell is averaging 2.93 kills per set and is coming off a school record 26 kills in the win over Hope International last Saturday.
 
Joaquin Santa Cruz is third in the NAIA by averaging 3.64 digs per set and he has been in double figures six times, including five straight. He has also tallied four service aces and 30 assists.
 
Ian Fields is the team leader in assists at 9.86 per set to rank 12th in the NAIA. Blake Music is 14th nationally with his .419 hitting percentage. Music also leads the team with his 0.85 blocks per set that are 42nd-best in the NAIA.
 
UC Merced begins the week with a 6-5 overall record and fifth in the GSAC at 1-1. The Bobcats are 3-1 at home this season and they have won three of four overall. They rank eighth in the NAIA by averaging 2.37 blocks per set and 10th by hitting .271.
 
OUAZ has faced UC Merced four times in program history with each team winning twice with the home team winning each time. Three of the four matches have gone to five sets, including both matches the teams played last season.
 
Menlo has started the season with 10 straight win and moved up to No. 5 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll. They are 2-0 in GSAC matches to sit in a three-way tie for first at this point of the season. The Oaks are the nation's top hitting team at .381 and they also lead the NAIA by getting 2.21 service aces per set.
 
The Spirit hold a 5-1 all-time lead in their series against Menlo. They won two of three matchups last season – both at home – and have gone 1-1 against the Oaks in Atherton.