COSTA MESA -- Make it back-to-back sweeps for Vanguard men's volleyball, as the Lions claimed win number two of the season Friday night.  Vanguard took on the Redhawks of Simpson, and though the Redhawks slowly earned their stripes in the contest, VU would prevail 25-15, 25-18, 25-23.  Will Anderson bounced back from an off opening night to lead VU with 13 kills and four service aces.  Vanguard starts the year at 2-0 and Simpson falls to 0-3. 
 
What Happened? The Blue and Gold struck for the first two points of the night, with Anderson landing the first kill to make it 2-0.  While the Redhawks then tied the score, Anderson and Micah Sybesma swung away to start a 4-0 VU run, as the Lions soon held a 6-2 edge.  SU was still up for an early tussle and tied the score at 8-8 a few rallies later, but a booming kill by Reza Tahmasebi and a block by Andrew Sheveland and Glen Linden III put the Lions up 10-8.  From there, it was all Vanguard, as the Lions outscored the Redhawks 15-4 the rest of the set to claim the opening period 25-15.  Sheveland had a long run from the service line during that stretch, netting two aces in the process. Anderson and Tahmasebi each pocketed two kills down the run and the Lions got the set on a service error.  VU hit .320 in the frame, with 13 kills and five errors on 25 attempts.  Simpson was kept lassoed offensively in the first set to the tune of a .043 attack percentage.
 
Set 2 SU was the better side early one, taking the first three points before a block by Sheveland put VU on the board.  A strike by Tahmasebi and an ace for Sybesma helped the Lions to tie the score at 4-all, and the teams would walk the score up from there.  The Blue and Gold held a one-point lead through the middle stages until another service error by Simpson put VU ahead 17-15.  Sheveland then threw down a thumping kill to force Simpson to take a timeout, but it did not stop the Vanguard attack.  A ball handling error and a kill by Anderson put VU up 20-16 and the Lions would end the frame on a 5-2 run.  A triple block by Linden III, Tahmasebi, and Ryan Smith gave Vanguard the set 25-18 and a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.  VU would hit exactly the same in the second and hold the Redhawks to a .000 efficiency, though both teams fasted from the service line the frame.  The squads combined for 10 service errors in the middle period, almost half of the 22 total service errors in the contest. 
 
Set 3
The Lions were down early to begin the third, as Simpson grabbed an ace and a kill to open proceedings.  A pounding kill by Sybesma got Vanguard on the board, but Simpson would continue to lead at 6-5  But the Lions revved the engine and scooted away with a 7-0 run to snare a 10-6 advantage.    Simpson called a timeout and though the Redhawks grabbed the first tally after the break, VU got kills by Linden III and Smith to stay ahead 12-7.  A few rallies later, Simpson got aggressive at the net, trimming a 16-11 VU lead into a 17-16 Redhawk edge with the help of two blocks.  A Vanguard timeout led to the Lions tying the score and the lineup would get a kill from Tahmasebi to go up 20-19.  SU called its second timeout but an ace by Anderson and an attack error pushed the Vanguard lead to 22-19.  Down but not out, Simpson struck for four of the next five points to level the set at 23-23.  However, Sheveland rose up on the next rally and finished with authority to put VU ahead 24-23.  Sybesma and Smith closed the door for a block on the next Simpson attack to hand Vanguard the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.  Vanguard hit .147 in the third, though the team still netted 13 kills like the other two frames.  Simpson hit a match-best .130.
 
For the match, the Lions had a .250 attack percentage and held Simpson to a .062 mark.  VU had more kills (39-20), aces (8-4), and digs (25-21) than Simpson, but the block tally was close.  Simpson had a 5-1 edge in solo blocks, with VU ahead in block assists 15-10.  Anderson swung at a .286 rate for the Lions and was set the most on the squad.  Tahmasebi was second with eight kills.  Smith had 32 assists and Sean Nguyen paced the lineup with 12 digs. 
 
Why is it Important?  Vanguard has swept Simpson in both meetings, with the first happening in 2022.  With league playing starting soon, Vanguard remains one of three unbeaten Golden State Athletic Conference teams, as Menlo is 5-0 and The Master's is 6-0.
 
What was Said?  "We played two decent sets tonight but struggled a bit in the third," said Head Coach Brian Rofer.  "It all came down to serve and pass.  Simpson was a good team that didn't want to give up, but we kept the pressure on from the service line and ultimately came away with the win.  We have a lot of things to work on when looking at that third set, but we are in a good place overall."
 
What's Next?  VU has one match left before GSAC games start and it will be a big one, as VU hosts #4 Benedictine Mesa next Saturday, February 17 at noon.