LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Behind a team-high 13 kills from Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA), the Vanguard men's volleyball team hung tough with USC, but ultimately fell in four sets on Friday at the Galen Center. Set scores were 25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16.

What Happened?: Filippo Meoni (SO/Macerata, Italy) added 10 kills and hit .316 for the Lions, while Glen Linden (SO/Newport Beach, CA) tallied eight kills on .467 hitting.

The Trojans received 18 kills from Simon Gallas, who hit .500. Sam Kobrine also posted 17 kills as the Trojans hit .452 (60-13-104) for the match.

Set One

USC led the entire set, jumping out to 4-0 lead and pushing the advantage to 16-10. Two Anema kills and a Bryce Thompson (SR/Los Alamitos, CA) service ace brought the Lions to within 20-16.

Vanguard continued to push the issue and got within 23-21 on a USC service error. But a USC kill and VU attack error ended up in a 25-21 victory.

Set Two

Five ties resulted in a 7-7 stalemate as both teams traded points to start the second frame. The Trojans used a 6-2 surge to take a 13-9 lead on Kyle Paulson's kill.

But the Lions responded with a 5-2 run of their own to climb within 15-14.

Vanguard eventually knotted the score at 22-22 on a solo block from Christian Nowtash (SR/Vista, CA). The Trojans scored the final three points of the set though for the 25-22 win.

Set Three

Vanguard hit .481 in the third set to seize the momentum. Anema and Meoni had four kills apiece to lead the way.

The Lions burst out to a 10-6 lead and remained in control at 14-9 as Anema blasted a kill. Vanguard still led by five, 21-16, but USC received consecutive kills from Gallas and Paulson to force a Lion timeout.

Meoni and Nowtash delivered back-to-back kills to reclaim the five point advantage for the Lions as USC called timeout trailing 23-18. Meoni polished off the set with a kill as the Lions won 25-21.

Set Four

VU cooled off in the fourth set after its strong showing in the third. The Lions hit -.222 while the Trojans swung at a .400 clip.

The Lions were in range, down just 9-7. But the Trojans reeled off eight of the next 10 points to grab a 17-9 advantage.

VU never threatened as USC led by as many as 10, 21-11, on a kill from Kobrine. Gallas put one away on match point as the Trojans took the fourth set, 25-16.

Why Is It Important?: Vanguard battled valiantly against USC, ranked No. 6 in the AVCA Division I-II poll.

What Was Said?: "Tonight was a good experience for our program," said Head Coach Brad Rostratter. "We did a lot of things well, but one of the best things tonight was the love and support from our fans."

What's Next?: The Lions focus their attention back on Golden State Athletic Conference play as the second half of the conference slate begins on Saturday. No. 4 Vanguard travels to No. 8 The Master's for a 1:00 p.m. match.