FULLERTON, Calif. – The second-ranked Vanguard men's volleyball team won its fifth straight match and moved into a tie for first place in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings, defeating Hope International in straight sets Wednesday night at Darling Pavilion. Set scores were 25-15, 25-15, 25-23.

The Lions (14-5, 8-1 GSAC) are tied with OUAZ in the conference standings with one match left to play. Vanguard overpowered the Royals (7-14, 1-8) in the first two sets but battled in the third to win their ninth match in straight sets this season.

What Happened?: Vanguard hit .352 for the contest, marking the sixth time in the last eight matches the Lions have swung at a .300 or better clip. The Lions held the Royals to .119 hitting.

Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA) recorded a match-high 16 kills and hit .414. It was the ninth straight match he tallied double-digit kills. He nearly collected his second double-double of the season finishing with nine digs. Matthew Roussin (SR/Anaheim Hills, CA) contributed 11 kills on .421 hitting. Over the five matches, Roussin is hitting .396 (59-17-106).

Bryce Thompson (SR/Los Alamitos, CA) handed out 38 assists to go with an ace, three digs and three block assists. Cameron Way (SR/Dana Point, CA) tied for match-high honors with 11 digs.

Isaac Liva led the Royals with nine kills.

Set 1

Vanguard scored four straight points to take a 6-2 lead. The Royals trailed 10-8 when the Lions went on another 4-0 run to force an HIU timeout.

The Lions extended their lead to eight, 21-13, on an Anema kill that led to another HIU timeout. VU ended the set on a Glen Linden (SO/Newport Beach, CA) kill for the 25-16 victory.

Set 2

The Lions turned a 7-5 lead into a 15-8 bulge as Filippo Meoni (SO/Macerata, Italy), Christian Nowtash (SR/Vista, CA) and Anema all provided kills during that stretch.

The visitors kept plugging away and eventually opened up a 21-11 lead on a kill from Jacob Van Groningen (SO/Manteca, CA). HIU had no answers as Anema slammed one down for the 25-15 triumph.

Set 3

A 4-0 run gave the Lions an early 7-3 lead, but the Royals would not go quietly. HIU utilized a 6-2 run to knot the score at 9-9.

HIU took its first lead at 12-11 on a double block. After several ties, the Royals created two-point leads at 17-15 and 19-17. VU scored three of the next four points, two on kills by Cody Watts (JR/Clovis, CA), to tie the score at 20-20.

The Royals leaned on a couple of VU errors to lead 22-20, but the resilient Lions got a Roussin kill and a huge double stuff from Linden and Thompson to even the score at 22-22 and force an HIU timeout.

Out of the break, an HIU attack error gave VU the 23-22 lead, and the Royals spent their final timeout.

A VU attack error tied the score again at 23-23, but Anema finished the match with back-to-back kills as the Lions took the 25-23 victory.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions are positioned to earn at least a share of the GSAC regular season title and clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with a win in their next match. VU will need to beat No. 5 Menlo on the road Saturday.

What Was Said?: "The team was ready to take care of business tonight," said Head Coach Brad Rostratter. "Just another step along our path of this season. Our passing and defense is improving which is going to help us through the last stretch of the season."

What's Next?: Before the showdown at Menlo, the Lions face another tough opponent in their final regular season home match on Thursday. VU welcomes No. 8 Benedictine Mesa to The Pit at 5:00 p.m.