COSTA MESA – Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA) knocked down a match-high 17 kills and the Vanguard men's volleyball team hit .419 in a convincing four-set win against No. 2 OUAZ on Friday at The Pit.

What Happened?: The fourth-ranked Lions avenged a four-set loss to the Spirit on March 5 in which Emery Outin pounded 17 kills and hit .467. Vanguard neutralized the 6-5 OUAZ outside hitter in the rematch, holding him to two kills and -.067 hitting.

VU hit above the .400 plateau for the second time this season – the first since a .492 mark against Saint Katherine on February 2.

The Lions served tough with 13 aces, led by five from Matthew Roussin (SR/Anaheim Hills, CA) and four more by Filippo Meoni (SO/Macerata, Italy). Anema, who had a school record 10 aces against Ottawa (KS) on Thursday, chipped in two tonight.

Balanced hitting throughout the rest of the VU lineup was on display as Roussin had nine kills, Glen Linden (SO/Newport Beach, CA) and Meoni eight apiece, and six from Christian Nowtash (SR/Vista, CA).

Bryce Thompson (SR/Los Alamitos, CA) directed the Lion offense with 43 assists to go along with five digs and two block assists.

Quaid King led OUAZ with 14 kills on .462 hitting. Jordan Moses added 12 kills.

VU is now tied with OUAZ in the loss column in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings. The Lions are 12-5 overall and 6-1 in the conference, while the Spirit fell to 20-3 and 7-1 in GSAC action.

Set 1

Vanguard held a slim 6-5 lead but took control with a 5-1 run. Roussin's ace punctuated the run as OUAZ called timeout.

The break in action didn't help as the Lions continued to push forward, opening up a nine-point lead at 21-12 on a double stuff by Nowtash and Thompson.

OUAZ reeled off four consecutive points to close within 24-20, but VU took the first set by five.

The Lions got three kills apiece from Anema, Roussin and Meoni as VU hit a torrid .571 in the first set.

Set 2

OUAZ hit .308 and limited VU to .136 efficiency to take set two by a 25-21 score.

The Spirit broke out to a 5-0 lead and forced an early VU timeout. OUAZ controlled the action and led by seven, 13-6, after a Lion error.

VU tried to climb back in, using a 4-1 run to trim OUAZ's lead down to 18-15. After a Spirit timeout, OUAZ extended the lead to 20-15 following a VU service error and a kill by Colin Donisthorpe.

The Lions could get no closer than three points as Moses connected with the court on set point to tie the match at 1-1.

Set 3

Both teams hit above .300 in the set but the Lions won the battle at the service line. The Lions recorded six aces in the frame while the Spirit committed five service errors.

After the teams traded points early on, Vanguard engineered a 6-1 run to take a 12-6 lead. Anema's four kills helped create the lead.

Roussin helped widen the lead as his three consecutive aces gouged OUAZ and created a 10-point gap at 20-10.

The Lions needed only to sideout from there, and Roussin's slam gave VU the 25-16 win.

Set 4

Vanguard showed no signs of letting up in the fourth set, stifling OUAZ's attack and excelling with its own. The Lions hit a match-best .600 (14-2-20) while the Spirit were held to .200 (9-5-20) efficiency.

Despite trailing 3-0, the Lions took 11 of the next 15 points for an 11-7 advantage. A VU service error made it 11-8, but OUAZ would not get any closer than three points.

The Lions utilized a dispiriting 7-2 run to lead 18-10 as a pair of OUAZ attack errors and an Anema ace created the separation VU needed to win the match.

Meoni's ace, his fifth of the match, gave VU a 23-15 lead. The Spirit crept within 23-19 after a 4-0 run, but a service error and a Linden smash ended the match with the Lions winning in four.

Why Is It Important?: VU needed the victory to stay in contention for the GSAC regular season crown and a shot at hosting the postseason conference tournament.

What Was Said?: "Tonight was all about our growth as a team," said Head Coach Brad Rostratter. "Our goal is to improve with each day and maximize the opportunities to compete so we were thankful for the competition and excited to serve, pass, and defend at a higher level at this point of the year. We still have a ways to go as a group, but we are loving the work and blessed to have this group developing on and off the court."

What's Next?: The Lions host Arizona Christian on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in The Pit. Vanguard will honor its six seniors – Kyle Anema, Kenneth Buen (SR/Las Vegas, NV), Declan Holder (SR/Irvine, CA), Christian Nowtash, Bryce Thompson and Cameron Way (SR/Dana Point, CA).