PEEK AT THE WEEK:Anteaters welcome Hawaii to the Bren

To say the UC Irvine men’s volleyball team is at its peak might be technically accurate, but not in the eyes of John Speraw.

The UCI coach doesn’t settle for regular-season rankings or any type of compliments during the season. It may sound like a cliché but the coach and his team take it one match at a time and one game at a time.

For this week, the big matches on the slate include a visit from Hawaii Friday and Saturday at the Bren Events Center.

UCI, ranked No. 1 in the nation, is coming off a championship in the Elephant Bar Invitational at UC Santa Barbara.

The ‘Eaters swept Speraw’s alma mater, UCLA, the defending NCAA champion, 30-22, 30-26, 30-23 to claim the title.

Senior setter Brian Thornton, the son of Orange Coast College women’s basketball coach Mike Thornton, was named tournament MVP.

Seniors Matt Webber, an All-American last season, and Jayson Jablosky, the 2006 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and NCAA Player of the Year, were named to the all-tournament team.

Friday is the MPSF opener for both teams. Hawaii (2-3) is on a three-match losing streak.

The Warriors finished second in the conference last year, as the Anteaters won their first MPSF title. Hawaii was ranked No. 4 in the American Volleyball Coaches’ Assn. Preseason poll.

Hawaii should also be a bit jealous of UCI’s ability to attract fans to the Bren Center.

The Warriors had 1,629 fans at their home on Friday in their loss to the University of British Columbia.

Last year, UCI averaged 2,221 fans in four matches at the Bren and the ‘Eaters sold out Crawford Court (with a capacity of just more than 800) three times.

Friday’s clash is the first of nine UCI home matches at the Bren this season.

Here’s a look at some more key games during the week.

But this season, Sage Hill Coach Noureddine El Alam believes the Lighting can win it outright. His players will take a big step in proving he’s right with a win here.