COSTA MESA -- Vanguard men's volleyball got back inside the Pit Wednesday night against the Ottawa University Braves, who had made the trek out to California from Kansas.  The Lions rode the service game all night long, helping the team capture a three-set to one victory over the Braves by set scores of 25-12, 25-17, 25-27, and 25-19.  Vanguard improves to 11-5 overall and Ottawa drops to 11-8. 

What Happened?  Set 1:  The Braves would get on the board first with a kill from Ashan Jordan but a service error handed the ball to VU.  Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA) began his historic night with a solid kill, with the assist going to Bryce Thompson (SR/Los Alamitos, CA).  Christian Nowtash (SR/Vista, CA) then got an ace and Anema would get another kill to push the gap to 4-1.  A couple of points from Ottawa followed but another mistake put Anema back to serve for VU.  Thus began an impressive feat, as Anema tied his own personal high for aces in a match in one go, putting seven aces down in succession to take the lead from 6-3 to 13-3.  The Braves never recovered, as Vanguard finished off the first set 25-12 from an attack error by the visitors.  Vanguard hit .308 in the first frame.

Set 2: The Blue and Gold jumped out early in the second frame courtesy of two kills from Glen Linden (SO/Newport Beach, CA).  Anema then notched another ace, as VU pulled out to a 7-3 lead.  Perhaps a little more dialed in, Ottawa bounced back to eventually tie the game at nine-all.  However, Anema was there to answer again for the Lions, as he powered two kills in a row to give Vanguard a 13-9 advantage.  He got another ace a few rallies later to give him nine on the night and a kill from Filippo Meoni (SO/Macerata, Italy) put VU ahead 20-15.  Cody Watts (JR/Clovis, CA) then had a successful run behind the service line for Vanguard to close out the set, as the Braves made two attack errors on his first two serves.  After that, Anema and Valesis Vaisuai (SO/Hayward, CA) each put down kills to hand the second set to the Lions 25-17.  VU posted a .292 attack percentage in the second set.

Set 3:  Once more, VU got the head-start in the period, rolling out to a 4-2 lead thanks to a few errors from the Braves and an ace from Thompson.  Anema then put down ace number 10 on the night to increase the lead to 7-3.  A kill and an ace from Matthew Roussin (SR/Anaheim Hills, CA) and another big kill shot from Watts put the Blue and Gold ahead 13-5.  Despite the set looking like a runaway, Ottawa was not ready to concede.  The guests went on an 11-3 run to tie the game at 16-all, giving the VU faithful inside the pit something to worry about.  Back and forth went the two teams, with neither able to establish much of a lead.  Tied at 22-22, Roussin slammed down a ball to put the Lions ahead, with Linden putting the squad on the precipice of a sweep with a kill on the next rally.  But Ottawa dug in and responded with two-straight kills to knot the score at 24-24, and the Braves would score three of the next four points to win, putting down an ace of their own to claim set three 27-25.  VU struggled to hit in the third, netting a .031 percentage in the period.

Set 4:  Thompson got an ace to start the fourth set and the Lions would get two more points off of an error by Ottawa and a kill from Roussin.  The Braves then stormed back to take a 5-4 advantage and the lead would ping-pong between the two squads until the score was tied at 8-8.  Kills from Anema and Roussin would slowly give Vanguard a lead, with the two helping the squad eventually go up 15-10.  The Braves shaved off a couple of points but an ace from Linden and a block from Meoni and Watts allowed the Lions to pull ahead 18-12.  Meoni throttled a ball across the court for a kill to get VU to 20 first but the Braves sliced the lead to 22-18.  A ball then got stuck in the rafters on the way over to the VU side, with the officials rewarding Vanguard despite the protest of the Ottawa coach.  Another strike from Meoni gave the Loins a 24-18 cushion and Linden followed that by putting down the final kill to give VU the fourth set 25-19 and the match 3-1.  VU hit .320 in the final set.

Vanguard hit .213 for the match, with 43 kills and 23 errors.  The Braves hit .133 for the match, with 32 kills and 21 errors.  Roussin had 11 kills to lead the squad, with Anema next up with 10.  Meoni chipped in seven and Watts and Linden each had six.  Thompson had 36 assists for the night.  The Lions also had 27 digs, with Watts leading the pack with five.

Why is it Important? Anema's 10 aces is a new personal best as well as a new individual record for aces in any match for VU.  In addition, the team set a new record for aces with his help, as the lineup put down 18 in total.

What was Said?  "Tonight wasn't the cleanest and it was due to me not preparing us well enough," said Head Coach Brad Rostratter.  "However, our ability to serve with pace consistently allowed us to stay in control of the match."

What's Next?  Perhaps the biggest game of the regular season, as OUAZ comes to The Pit for the reverse fixture in Golden State Athletic Conference action.  While each team has Menlo left on the schedule, the winner quite possible could host the conference tournament.  The match is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 18.