San Diego Mesa MVB Mission Statement
The San Diego Mesa College men's volleyball program seeks to positively impact student-athletes and promote the sport of men's volleyball by:
- attracting student-athletes who desire to further their academic and volleyball careers at the four-year college/university level;
- providing them high-level volleyball training, appropriate transferable coursework, personal & leadership development, and academic support;
- identifying opportunities at NCAA and NAIA men’s volleyball programs, and matching our players to those opportunities
The Mesa men’s volleyball program seeks men who are willing and driven to find out how good they can be, as a volleyball player and as a person. If you're looking to take your game to the next level, please fill out the online recruiting questionnaire (you’ll find the link to the left), or feel free to contact head coach John Landicho by phone at 619-388-2993, or via e-mail at mesamvb@gmail.com.
Landicho joins UCSD women's volleyball staff
8/27/10 - Mesa MVB coach John Landicho has joined the UC San Diego women's volleyball staff as a volunteer assistant coach. He will provide UCSD head coach Ricci Luyties with assistance in the Tritons practice gym, on a part-time basis.
This is Coach Landicho's second stint with the Tritons; he was an assistant coach & technical coordinator for the UCSD men's volleyball team in 2007. Landicho is the first asst. coach for Mesa's women's volleyball team, in addition to his duties leading the Mesa MVB program.
Fall 2010 training information
The SD Mesa College MVB team will train during the Fall 2010 semester within the following classes:
-PHYE 161 - Volleyball, CRN 80840, Fridays 9:10am-12:00pm
-PHYE 166 - Weight Training, CRN 46506, Mondays/Wednesdays 2:20-3:45pm
Prospective team members MUST be enrolled in both classes to participate in Fall '10 training activities. Students with questions or wishing to prepare to tryout for the 2011 Mesa MVB team should contact head coach John Landicho at mesamvb@gmail.com.
Landicho to coach in USA Volleyball A3/YT camp
7/09/10 - Mesa MVB head coach John Landicho is part of the coaching staff for USA Volleyball's annual men's A3 and Youth Training camp, at Long Beach State University, July 12-15.
Attending at the request of camp head coach John Crutchfield of Long Beach State, Landicho will spend the week coaching some 60 HS boys along with Crutchfield, Springfield College head coach Charlie Sullivan, Golden West College's Tim Sullivan, LBSU's Scott Lane, and Orange Coast College's Scott Panaro, among others.
"It's always an honor to coach for the USA Volleyball High Performance program, and to be part of such a strong camp staff," states Landicho. "It's also a great opportunity to keep up to date with the latest techniques and theories being passed down by Alan Knipe, Hugh McCutcheon, and the senior USA National Team staff - volleyball knowledge we can pass along to the players in our program to aid them in their quest to be better players for Mesa and at the NCAA and NAIA levels."
Landicho previously coached in USAV's Boys Holiday HP camp last December, coaching the members of the 2010 USA Youth National Team and other camp attendees. He has been part of the USA High Performance program since 2001.
2010 Mesa MVB Season
For information on the 2010 Mesa men's volleyball season, please click on any of the links below.
5/20/10 - Golden West College today notified SD Mesa that it would be forfeiting the Rustlers' 30-28, 31-29, 30-20 win over the Mesa MVB team on March 10th, and its subsequent April 7 win over Mesa (30-15, 27-30, 30-19, 30-26) for the use of an ineligible player in the matches.
"Looking back, it's a shame that the matches' outcome was determined in part by this, for both teams played hard and performed well in those matches", said Mesa MVB coach John Landicho. "I appreciate GW athletic director Albert Gasparian and GW coach Tim Johnson doing the right thing and addressing this. It was a challenging year for GW men's volleyball, and it reflects well on Albert and Tim for handling this in a stand-up way."
The forfeits make the Olympians final 2010 record 4-14.
5/12/10 - Four Mesa MVB players were honored for their efforts in 2010, at the Olympians' annual season-ending banquet.
Stephen Spieker was honored as the team’s 2010 Most Valuable Player, J.J. Snarponis was recognized as the team’s Most Improved Player, and Ray Blackmon was presented with the Coaches’ Award, signifying excellence in individual effort, teamwork, and team spirit. Spieker and Snarponis were also presented plaques signifying their selections on the 2010 All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference teams. Spieker was an All-PCAC first team selection, while Snarponis earned a spot on the All-PCAC second team.
The Mesa MVB program congratulates Spieker, Snarponis, and Blackmon on their awards, and honors each member of the 2010 team for their efforts this season.
Mesa MVB players Stephen Spieker and J.J. Snarponis earned All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference honors, for the 2010 season. Spieker, a two-year starting setter from Ramona HS (Ramona, CA), earned a spot on the All-PCAC first team. Snarponis, a freshman opposite/outside hitter from Mar Vista HS (Imperial Beach, CA), was honored on the All-PCAC second team. The Mesa MVB program congratulates Stephen and J.J. on their award-winning seasons.
4/14/10 - After losing three starters at the beginning of the week, and now down to eight eligible players, one might expect the Mesa men's volleyball team to just mail in the last two matches of the season and move on to next year. However, the remaining Olympian MVB members had entirely different thoughts on Wednesday night. Against a hot Palomar squad motivated by needing a win to clinch a PCAC playoff spot, a revamped Mesa lineup gave the Comets all it could handle before falling in five sets, 26-30, 30-24, 30-19, 27-30, 15-10, at San Marcos.
Palomar honored its sophomores playing in their last home match by altering its lineup, and the Olympians took advantage. Tied at 17-17, back-to-back blocks by J.J. Snarponis and Stephen Spieker gave the Olympians a 19-17 lead. Kills by Ryan Arthur and Adrian Papps held off a late Comet surge, and a Snarponis kill and a Palomar hitting error gave the set one win to Mesa.
Palomar returned to its starting lineup in set two, and established early leads in both sets to offset 13 Snarponis kills to win both going away. However, the Olympians came right back in set four. Back-to-back Gabe Lopez aces narrowed a Palomar lead to 22-23, and three straight Spieker aces forged a 27-24 lead. An Arthur kill on the right gave Mesa the 30-27 set win.
Palomar once again established an early lead in the fifth set, but the Olympians kept fighting. Two more Snarponis kills and another Spieker ace drew Mesa close at 7-9, but the Comets then went on an 8-1 run to seal the win, the final point coming on a block of a Snarponis swing. Palomar clinched the third and final PCAC playoff spot with the win.
Spieker had a strong night with 48 assists, six kills, five aces, and a block. Snarponis finished with 28 kills and a block. Arthur contributed 10 kills, and Papps added nine kills and two aces. Lopez had eight digs and five aces in his return to the libero position.
3/26/10 - An undermanned Mesa MVB team was overwhelmed by PCAC co-leader Irvine Valley College on Friday, 30-22, 30-19, 30-19.
With OH Cody Wender out with an injured shoulder, OPP J. J. Snarponis limited to one set with a bad shoulder of his own, and two other starters limited to one set each due to disciplinary action, the Olympians simply struggled to compete with the stronger Lasers. Mesa managed to keep even in set one at 21-21, until a 9-1 run by IVC decided the set. With Snarponis sitting after set one, the Olympians could muster little offense against the Lasers through the remaining two sets.
Ryan Arthur had 10 kills on the night, splitting time between the OH and OPP positions. Snarponis managed seven kills and two blocks in his only set of action. Setter Stephen Spieker had 24 assists, three kills, and three digs, and Gabe Lopez had 11 digs on the evening.
Mesa now takes the Spring Break week off, before returning to action on Tuesday, April 6th, at 4:00 pm against Orange Coast. The Olympians will honor Spieker, its lone sophomore, in his last match in the Mesa Gymnasium in pre-match ceremonies.
3/24/10 - The evening started off bright for the Mesa MVB team, as they went out to a one-set lead over Grossmont. That lead would evaporate as the Griffins used Olympian errors and the loss of a key Mesa starter to post a 29-31, 30-26, 30-26, 30-27 win at the Mesa gymnasium.
Grossmont was helped to the set two win as Mesa would commit a combined 17 hitting & serving errors. OH Cody Wender could not continue after the second set due to an injured shoulder, and while the Olympians tried to ride the hot hitting of J.J. Snarponis, they would struggle to replace Wender's offensive presence as the Griffins used rode the arms of OPP Kyle McDonald (21 kills) and OH Jose Mendoza (18 kills) to the match win.
Snarponis finished the evening with 28 kills in 51 attempts (.290). Stephen Spieker turned in another strong performance with 47 assists, eight kills, three aces, and seven digs. Gabe Lopez had nine digs, and Thomas Canfield was again stout in serve receive with a 2.6 rating on 25 pass attempts.
3/19/10 - After a sterling effort in a five-game loss to San Diego City on Wednesday, the Mesa MVB team could not replicate that effort on Friday night, and visiting Palomar College took advantage in posting a three-game win over the Olympians, 30-22, 30-27, 30-19.
Mesa mounted its best effort in game two, as both teams traded one-point leads through 19-20, until late Mesa errors extended a Comet lead the Olympians could not overcome. Mesa could not muster any offense against a strong Palomar block, as the error-prone Olympians hit only .070 in the match.
After a torrid three matches, OPP J.J. Snarponis cooled off, but still led Mesa with 11 kills. OH Cody Wender added 10 kills and eight digs, and S Stephen Spieker had 25 assists and five kills. L Thomas Canfield continued his strong play with 11 digs..
3/17/10 - The SD Mesa and SD City men's volleyball teams waged a stirring battle Wednesday night, with the Knights coming from two games down to capture an exciting match, 28-30, 28-30, 30-24, 30-26, 15-11, at the Mesa Gymnasium.
The Olympians came out strong in games one and two, riding the arms of Cody Wender and J.J. Snarponis and some strong serving to hold the Knights at bay and earn close set one & two wins. A lineup change by SD City proved fortuitous, as the Knights went out to early leads in sets three and four and held off the Olympians to tie the match. Mesa would go out to an early lead in the deciding set, before the Knights came back to earn a one point lead. A critical Mesa hitting error at 11-12 extended City's lead, and they went on to earn the final two points and the match win.
Snarponis ended his evening with 30 kills on .304 hitting. Wender added 13 kills, five aces, and seven digs. Stephen Spieker had an outstanding all-around night with 44 assists, two aces, seven kills, and seven digs.
3/12/10 – While the Mesa MVB team got better as the match went on & put up a great battle in set three, a physically superior Orange Coast team prevailed in the end, with a 30-25, 30-27, 38-36 win at Costa Mesa.
The Pirates methodically extended an early lead and took advantage of Mesa service errors to offset J.J. Snarponis' eight kills & win set one. The Olympians fought off early OCC leads to tie at 19-19, until late Mesa hitting errors helped the Pirates to a second set win. Undaunted, Mesa fought back hard to lead throughout set three, including a 20-18 lead after a Thomas Canfield ace, a Ray Blackmon block for 25-24, and a Stephen Spieker ace for 27-26. Snarponis gave Mesa a set point with a block for a 35-34 lead, and another set point with his eleventh kill in the set at 36-35. The Pirates then put together a three-point surge to end a marathon third set 38-36, and gain the match win.
Snarponis finished a monster night with 24 kills on .330 hitting and also had nine digs. OH Cody Wender added eight kills and seven digs. Spieker tallied 39 assists and eight digs, and Canfield also had eight digs on the night.
The Olympians open a four-match homestand to get to the Spring Break, hosting SD City on Wednesday, March 17 at 6:00pm.
UPDATE 5/20/10 - Golden West College notified SD Mesa today that it would be forfeiting the Rustlers' 30-28, 31-29, 30-20 win over the Olympians on March 10, for using an ineligible player in the match.
3/10/10 – Visiting Golden West College netted a 3-0 sweep over the Mesa MVB team, but had to work for it as the Olympians went toe-to-toe with the Rustlers in sets one and two, before falling 30-28, 31-29, 30-20.
The two teams would trade leads thru a spirited game one, as Mesa rode a combined 13 kills from Cody Wender and J.J. Snarponis before GW maintained a late lead for the set win. Wender and Snarponis remained hot as the Olympians would lead for most of set two. The two teams went point-for-point late before the Rustlers took advantage of key Mesa errors at the end of the second set. GW went out to a big lead in set three and cruised to the win, as the Mesa offense went cold.
Wender once again led Mesa with 18 kills. Fellow freshman Snarponis added 16 kills, 11 digs, and four aces in his first night as the opposite. Sophomore setter Stephen Spieker tallied 32 assists and five digs, while freshman Thomas Canfield added nine digs in his return to the libero position.
3/3/10 - In the PCAC opener for SD Mesa, Irvine Valley used superior athleticism and strong net play to forge a 30-19, 30-19, 30-27 win, at IVC.
The Lasers broke open a close first set with an eight-point run in the middle of the set. IVC would use strong serving and an out-of-system Olympian offense to gain set two. Mesa would lead much of set three, but untimely errors and a late IVC push at 23-23 would earn the set and match victory for the host Lasers.
OH Cody Wender had nine kills on the night, while MB J.J. Snarponis added six kills on .400 hitting. S Stephen Spieker tallied 21 assists and added three aces, 2.5 blocks, and two kills. Mesa drops to 2-5 on the season.
2/17/10 - SD Mesa freshman outside hitter Cody Wender was awarded Athlete of the Week honors by the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, for the week ending February 14th. Wender shares the week's award with Southwestern College baseball player Eduardo Arroyo.
Wender's selection was based on an outstanding week of performance. He tallied 20 kills, four aces, and two blocks against defending state champion Long Beach City, in the Olympians' strong four-game losing effort on Wednesday. Wender followed up that match with a combined 43 kills, five aces, three blocks, and 16 digs in Mesa's two Saturday wins over L.A. Pierce and Santa Monica, the first Olympian wins over a Western State Conference foe in four years.
Congratulations to Cody on his award and a fine week of volleyball.
2/19/10
El Camino def. Mesa 30-28, 30-25, 27-30, 30-26
Mesa finishes inter-conference play 2-4
2/13/10 - at Palomar College:
Mesa def. Santa Monica 30-28, 28-30, 30-19, 30-26
Mesa def. L.A. Pierce 16-30, 30-28, 28-30, 30-28, 15-11
2/10/10
Long Beach City def. Mesa 24-30, 30-28, 38-36, 30-22
2/6/10 - at Santa Monica College
Moorpark def. Mesa 3-0
Santa Barbara City def. Mesa 30-24, 30-22, 30-25