FULLERTON, Calif. - The Vanguard University Men's Volleyball team (9-3, 6-1) earned a three-set victory in their seventh and final matchup against Hope International University (4-7, 1-6). This would be the seventh time that these two teams would play each other and the sixth victory for the Blue and Gold. 

What Happened? Matthew Roussin found the hardwood three times early on as the Lions built an 8-3 advantage in the first set. Vanguard was able to hold the Royals to a -.200 hitting percentage as they pushed out to a six-point lead, courtesy of a solo block by Cody Watts, forcing the home team to call a timeout. A kill by Valesis Vaisual would seal things for the Pride as they took the first set without too much trouble.

Vanguard struggled offensively early in the second set as they only managed four kills while recording five errors as the Royals took an 11-7 lead, forcing a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Lions went on a 6-2 run to tie things up at 13. Vaisual continued to be a force at the net as he recorded two blocks as the Pride pushed their lead to four late in the set. The Royals went on a run to make things interesting, but a kill by Roussin and a couple of attacking errors would give VU a 2-0 lead. 

The third set featured 10 ties and two lead changes as Hope International recorded their best hitting percentage of the match as they fought to push the game into a fourth and fifth set. Tied at 20 the Lions proceeded to go on a 5-1 run capped off by a couple kills by Kyle Anema and a block by Valesis Vaisual and Filippo Meoni to move their record to 6-1 in the season series. 

Why It's Important? With the win, Vanguard will advance to the GSAC Conference Championship for a winner-take-all matchup between the Lions and the OUAZ Spirit (11-3, 7-0). The winner of the match will receive the conference's automatic berth into the NAIA National Championship, which will be played in Des Moines, Iowa

Top Performers: Roussin had a game-high 13 kills with a .333 hitting percentage while adding two blocks. Anema finished with eight kills and 13 digs while Meoni recorded seven kills. Cory Davidson finished with 30 assists and Cameron Way rounded things out with 13 digs of his own. 

What They Said: "The past two nights showed the fight Hope had as a team and the quality of volleyball we play daily as a group," said Head Coach Brad Rostratter. "We are so grateful for the completion of this regular season and are excited to get back to work on Monday."

What's Next: Saturday, March 21st against twelfth-ranked OUAZ for the GSAC Conference Championship at 1:00 p.m.

#ClawsUp