ATHERTON, Calif. – Newly anointed No. 1 Vanguard impressed in a Golden State Athletic Conference men's volleyball showdown against second-ranked Menlo, toppling the Oaks in a 25-19, 25-20, 25-23 sweep on Friday afternoon at Menlo High School.

The Lions displayed dominant defense, winning the blocking battle 10.0-5.0 and limiting the Oaks to .097 hitting for the match. Vanguard hit .342 – the eighth time in nine contests the Lions exceeded .300 efficiency – and got a match-high 12 kills from outside hitter Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA).

Anema hit .381 (12-4-21) while adding two service aces, three digs and a pair of block assists.

Cody Watts (SR/Clovis, CA) contributed .750 hitting with nine kills in 12 errorless attempts, and Will Anderson (JR/Tualatin, OR) posted seven kills, a match-high nine digs and five block assists. Tanner Woods (JR/Portland, OR) notched six kills.

Valesis Vaisuai (JR/Hayward, CA), tied for third in the NAIA with 1.21 blocks per set, furnished a match-best eight total blocks to lead the Lion charge at the net.

Ryan Smith (SR/Parker, CO) handed out 31 assists as the distributor for the nation's second-ranked team in hitting percentage (.365).

Konrad Stoklosinski led the Oaks with nine kills. Their .097 hitting percentage was a season-low.

VU is now 7-2 on the season, while the Oaks suffered their first loss to fall to 10-1.

What Happened?

Set 1 – The Lions overcame an early deficit and took charge late in the 25-19 victory. VU held Menlo to -.238 hitting as the Oaks posted just two kills and had seven errors in 21 attempts.

The Lions hit only .045 themselves but had six blocks.

Stoklosinski put Menlo up 8-6 with a kill, but the Lions reeled off five straight points to take a three-point lead. Anderson and Vaisuai teamed up for consecutive blocks on Edin Ibrahimovic during the spurt.

The Lions maintained their three-point lead at 14-11 before a Menlo service error and an Anema kill extended the advantage to five. Menlo got within four at 17-13, but the Lions went on another 5-0 run to put the set out of reach. The Anderson and Vaisuai combo rejected Stoklosinski twice while Smith served up an ace during the run.

Menlo tried to fight back with a 6-2 run, but with VU leading 24-19, Lucas Larson served one into the net to secure the Lion win.

Set 2 – The two teams followed a similar script to set one. Menlo took a slight lead as Stoklosinski's kill made it 5-4. But the Lions stuck with the theme of 5-0 runs, rolling out another one on the strength of Woods at the service line. Three Oak attack errors resulted in a 9-5 VU lead.

The Oaks crept back to within 11-9, but Vaisuai pounded a kill and teamed with Woods on a stuff of Julius Stiemer. Another Stiemer attack error opened up a 14-9 Lion lead.

Menlo trimmed its deficit to three at 17-14, but the Lions kept the pressure on. Anema had a pair of kills during a 5-2 run as VU led 22-16. Woods and Watts polished off the 25-20 victory with kills as VU took a 2-0 lead in the match.

VU hit .367 (15-4-30) in set two, while Menlo registered a .031 (10-9-32) mark.

Set 3 – Menlo was successful on its first eight attempts of the third set to seize momentum and a 10-6 lead. Five different Oaks registered kills in claiming the early lead.

The Lions still trailed by four at 15-11, but a 4-1 run whittled the deficit to one as Anema's kill made it 16-15. The Oaks pushed their advantage back to three, 19-16, but an Anderson kill and Menlo attack error got the Lions closer.

With the Oaks leading 21-19, the Lions forged their first tie since 3-3 thanks to consecutive Menlo errors. The teams traded points and Anema's kills knotted the score again at 23-23.

Vaisuai then had a huge solo stuff on Stoklosinski to bring the Lions to match point. Smith set Vaisuai and the 6-8 middle slammed it down to give the Lions the 25-23 win.

Why Is It Important?: The last two Lion victories have come against No. 1 The Master's and No. 2 Menlo. VU sits atop the GSAC with a 3-0 record.

What's Next?: The Lions return to action on Wednesday, March 1 against NCAA Division I foe UC Santa Barbara. First serve in Santa Barbara is set for 7:00 p.m.