Costa Mesa -- The home opener for Vanguard men's volleyball went off without a hitch, as the team powered through a matchup with Simpson.  The Lions swept the Red Hawks in straight sets 25-20, 25-12, and 25-16.  VU goes to 3-1 overall and Simpson drops to 0-3.

What Happened?  The first set was the closest of the entire match, as the guests got the first two points of the night.  Filippo Meoni (SO/Macerata, Italy) then got good service from Bryce Thompson (SR/Los Alamitos, CA) to get the Lions on the board.  VU went on a 4-0 run to pull ahead but the Red Hawks stormed back to tie the game at 7-7.  Both sides netted points but then Simpson went on their own 4-0 streak to take a 12-9 advantage.  Christian Nowtash (SR/Vista, CA) put an end to their run and Meoni then took over the match with four kills in five rallies to send the Lions ahead 15-13.  The lead started to grow from there, with Matthew Roussin (SR/Anaheim Hills, CA) getting a kill and Meoni sliding in an ace to stretch the gap to 20-15.  Vanguard soon reached 24 points but it took a while for the squad to end the set, as Simpson battled back.  But a kill from Jacob Van Groningen (SO/Manteca, CA) gave VU the 25-20 decision in the first frame.  The Lions hit .304 and held Simpson to .000.

Set Two 

While the percentages might not stand out, the Blue and Gold certainly did in the second period.  Glen Linden (SO/Newport Beach, CA) got the first two kills for VU in the second and he then distributed two aces in a row to help the lead grow to 7-4.  Ahead 10-6, Vanguard went on a tear, making a 9-3 leap that was powered by some solid defense and kills from Meoni and one from Thompson. An ace from Roussin sinched up the frame for the Lions 25-12, as the team hit .263 in the second with nine kills and four errors.  Simpson hit -.143.

Set Three

Linden slammed a ball down to the floor to score the first kill of the set and Nowtash delivered an ace to make it 2-0.  The home side then hit the gas to pull ahead 7-3, as the Lions forced Simpson into some errors.  Ahead 11-7, Nowtash powered down two kills and Tomas Berales (JR/Newburg, OR) called off the outsides on a free ball and pummeled a shot down the line that got the bench on their feet.  Vanguard once again had to wait a couple of rallies to finish off the match but an attack error by Simpson handed VU set three 25-16 and the match 3-0.  The Lions hit .296, with 12 kills and four errors, while the Red Hawks hit -.087.

As a team, VU hit .290 on the night, with 33 kills and 13 errors in 69 total attempts.  Meoni had 11 kills to top the team, with Roussin second with six, and Nowtash and Van Groningen tied for third with five.  Thompson had 25 assists while Cameron Way (SR/Dana Point, CA) had nine digs to lead the lineup.  Roussin had four aces to lead the way in that category, as the Lions had 11 total on the night.  The Blue and Gold also had eight solo blocks and two block assists.  The team held the Red Hawks to a -.070 hitting percentage, as the guests had 15 kills and 19 errors in 57 attempts.

What was said?  "It was so great for us to be back in The Pit with fans," said Head Coach Brad Rostratter.  We loved all the support and we can't wait to have more chances to compete in front of them in the future."  

What's Next? Saint Katherine will come to The Pit on Wednesday, February 2, at 6:00 p.m.