COSTA MESA – Vanguard men's volleyball played the second match of its four-game home stand Tuesday night, as the Lions welcomed the Westcliff Warriors to the OCC gym.   The Warriors played some very inspired volleyball in set one but could not get over the hump in any of the sets, as VU swept Westcliff 25-22, 25-17, 25-18.  Vanguard improves to 4-1 overall, while the Warriors fall to 1-3.

What Happened? The offense was highly efficient for the Blue and Gold on the night, as the team hit above .400 in each set and .451 for the match overall.  Kyle Anema (SR/La Mirada, CA) led the lineup with 10 kills and Tanner Woods (JR/Portland, OR) was second with nine.  Fresh off a Golden State Athletic Conference Defender of the Week award, Valesis Vaisuai (JR/Hayward, CA) hit .778 in the match, collecting eight kills and one error on nine attempts.  He also had two block assists.

Set 1 – Westcliff would hold the early lead, as the visitors ran out a 6-3 advantage.  The gap remained around three points for a few rallies, but down 9-6, VU rolled off four points in a row.  Anema collected kills to sandwich a Ryan Smith (SR/Parker, CO) ace that helped the Lions take their first lead of the night at 10-9. The teams exchanged a couple of points before the Lions were able to hit a good rotation and pull away for a while.  Ahead 12-11, the Lions put up a 4-1 run to claim a 16-12 advantage, forcing WU to take a timeout. The Warriors regained some lost energy during the break, eventually tying the game at 21-21.  But Vanguard played better down the home stretch, as the defense forced three attack errors and Cody Watts (SR/Clovis, CA) pounded down the final kill to give VU the first set 25-22.  Westcliff hit .400 in the frame and VU hit .500 in the opening set, posting 15 kills and three errors on 24 attempts. 

Set 2 – The two sides swapped points early on, and despite a short 3-0 run for the Lions, they could not hold that advantage for long.  Westcliff soon knotted the match at eight-all and stayed within a point over the next few rallies.  The Warriors then committed a service error, which the Blue and Gold happily took advantage of.  Up 12-11, two straight kills for Woods and an ace for Will Anderson (JR/Tualatin, OR) helped VU take a 16-11 lead.  Vanguard outscored Westcliff 9-5 over the rest of the set, taking the period 25-17, as Woods landed the winning kill.  VU hit .417 in the second, with Westcliff hitting at a .286 rate.

Set 3 – The Lions trailed 2-1 to open the third but once more rolled off four unanswered points to take a 5-2 lead.  This time though, Westcliff was unable to make a sustained charge.  The VU defense had figured out Gabriel Pizza, who had helped the Warriors stay in contention in the first set.  Even though he would lead Westcliff in kills on the night, Vanguard held him to only three kills in the final set, making it hard for the guests to make a comeback.  Ahead 20-16, VU would score five of the next seven points, taking the 25-18 victory off an attack error.  Westcliff was held to a .000 hitting percentage in the frame.  On the flip side, Vanguard hit .435 in the third, with 12 kills and two errors on 23 attempts. 

Smith had 33 assists and three aces to lead all players in both categories.  Ryan Jew (SR/Roseville, CA) had five digs, tying Smith for the team lead.  Watts and Anderson paced the squad in block assists with three each.

Why is it Important?: This was the first matchup against Westcliff all-time and now gives Vanguard three-straight sweeps and four wins in a row.

What was Said?: "Again, our team showed the ability to adjust to different situations," said Head Coach Brian Rofer.  "We struggled a bit from the service line in the first set but I have full confidence in our team's ability to serve aggressively and consistently.  All 21 of our guys were supporting each other tonight.  It's great to see and will be a big part of our success.  Glen Linden III did a fantastic job coming in and serving tonight and was a huge reason why we got the win."

What's Next?: Vanguard signed up to play Benedictine-Mesa three times this year and will conclude the series on Friday, February 10, at 7:00 p.m., with the match being played at OCC.