COSTA MESA, Calif. - The seventh-ranked Vanguard University Men's Volleyball team (5-2, 2-0) overcame a two-set deficit against (RV) Hope International University (3-2, 0-2) before falling in the fifth set after a wild back and forth affair. The stars shone brightly for these two teams as Kyle Anema recorded 24 kills while HIU's Joshua Nehls finished with 33 kills. 

What Happened? The Royals would get out to a 6-3 advantage before a couple of attacking errors would allow the Lions to narrow their early deficit. With the score at 15-14 in favor of the visitors, the Royals would go on an 8-2 run riding a .429 hitting percentage to a first set victory; their third first-set victory in three games against the Pride. Set two was a nail-biter from end to end as it featured 20 ties and six lead changes. The Royals were able to pull away late in the set thanks to a kill from Alfonso Meza Ramos and a solo block from Chase Larson, taking a 2-0 lead into the third set with a 25-23 victory.

Kyle Anema violently found the hardwood on back-to-back occasions to open up the third set and then would record back-to-back blocks with Glen Linden to go ahead 14-12. The Lions would continue to press the advantage as they built up a five-point lead late in the third, recording 14 kills with only one error. Bryce Thomson would end the third with consecutive service aces as the Lions cut their deficit in half by a score of 25-20.

The Royals would break the back-and-forth affair in the beginning of the fourth set with a 7-1 run to go up 15-11, but Anema would record his 16th and 17th kill of the match to stop the run and bring the Lions back within two. Joshua Nehls would record his 24th kill of the night to give the visitors a 22-20 lead, forcing a timeout by Head Coach Brad Rostratter. Out of that timeout, the Lions would regain the upper edge with a kill by Anema, a block by Valesis Vaisual + Bryce Thompson, and a service ace by Cody Watts. Two timeouts by Hope International couldn't stop the Lions' momentum as an attacking error by the Royals would tie things up at two sets apiece.

Vaisual would record his second block of the day and Anema would record kill number 21 in the early going of the deciding fifth set, while another massive denial at the net by Caleb Twyman would give the Lions a 5-3 edge. The block fest continued as the reigning NAIA Defender of the Week Cody Watts, recorded a solo block, forcing a timeout by Hope International. The Royals would tie things up out of the timeout with some defensive stops of their own, but a kill by Twyman and a block by Watts and Thompson would put the Lions back on top. Nehls would record his 27th kill of the match and a service ace by Holderbauch would tie things up at 13. The Pride would go to match point twice before the Royals would take a 16-15 lead with kill number 28 for Nehls. Back and forth these two teams went, matching each other point for point before two attacking errors would end an intensely competitive game in favor of the visitors. 

Why It's Important? The Lions had earned two four-set victories over Hope International coming into tonight, but the Royals finally broke through and earned the five-set victory. The final stat line was nearly identical for these two teams, but 25 service errors for the Lions compared to 19 for the visitors would be significant in a game as tightly contested as this one. 

Top Performers: Anema led the Lions with 24 kills, 13 digs, and 2 blocks, while Bryce Thompson had an incredibly well-rounded game with 50 assists, seven digs, and seven blocks. Matthew Roussin recorded 13 kills and Filippo Meoni would tally 12 kills and seven digs to round things out for the Blue and Gold.

What's Next: Wednesday, March 3rd at Hope International University with a start time of 7:00 p.m.

#ClawsUp