COSTA MESA – Third-ranked Vanguard men's volleyball outhit No. 11 Saint Xavier .384 to .243 in a 25-23, 25-19, 27-25 victory on Tuesday evening at Orange Coast College.
The Lions remained undefeated at 7-0, while the Cougars dropped to 6-7.
Senior Will Anderson topped the Lions in kills (12) and digs (6) while tying for the team lead with three blocks. Sophomore Andrew Sheveland hit .318 with 10 kills, and Reza Tahmasebi added seven kills and five digs. The outside hitter from Ilam, Iran, posted a .545 hitting percentage.
The middle tandem of Glen Linden III and Micah Sybesma combined to hit .643 with nine kills in 14 errorless swings.
Setter Ryan Smith dished out 33 assists as the Lions hit .450 in set 1, .346 in set 2 and .370 in set 3.
Jan Lopuch led the Cougars with 11 kills on .474 hitting.
What Happened?
Set 1 – The two teams literally went back-and-forth with six ties in the early going. The Cougars then scored three of the next four points – two on assisted blocks by Oskar Krzyzak and Drew Ehlers – to take a 10-7 lead.
Saint Xavier extended the lead to as many as four, going up 13-9 on a Matt Pennala kill. The Lions continued to trail for long stretches until a 5-1 run allowed them to catch the Cougars at 18-17. Anderson had two kills during the surge.
However, the Cougars retook a one-point lead on five straight sideouts as the teams exchanged points. Lopuch's kills gave STX a 23-22 lead as VU called timeout. Sheveland's kill and tough serving helped the Lions leapfrog the visitors as the final three points went to VU for the 25-23 victory. Krzyzak and Pennala committed attack errors on the final two points.
Set 2 – VU outhit Saint Xavier .346 to .130 for a comfortable 25-19 set 2 victory. The Lions utilized two aces, two Anderson kills and a combined stuff from Linden III and Anderson to help build a 7-2 lead at the outset.
Tahmasebi slammed a kill to put the Blue and Gold up 17-11. The Lions extended their lead to seven twice, as Sybesma and Tahmasebi teamed up to roof Krzyzak for a 22-15 advantage. Anderson and Sheveland found the floor to give the Lions the final two points.
Set 3 – An assertive Cougar side broke out to an early 6-4 lead as two Drew Ehlers kills and two Lion service errors helped the cause.
The Lions pulled ahead for the first time at 8-7 as Sheveland and Sybesma linked up to reject Krzyzak. The Cougars battled back and took an 11-10 lead on Lopuch's ace.
But a 5-1 Lion run forced STX into a timeout as Sheveland, Anderson and Linden III all had kills. The separation seemed to put the Lions in prime position to finish the match as another Anderson slam had VU up 20-16.
STX did not relent as Krzyzak's kill and solo block were sandwiched around a Lopuch ace. The three straight Cougar points whittled the deficit to 20-19 as VU called timeout. Tahmasebi had a big kill out of the break for a 21-19 VU lead, and the teams again traded sideouts until the Lions had match point at 24-22.
But Lopuch's kill and an assisted block from Cameron Daniels and Ehlers tied the score at 24-24. VU got to match point No. 2 as Sheveland's kill made it 25-24. STX leveled the set at 25-25 on a VU attack error.
Anderson's 12th kill created match point No. 3, and the Lions converted, winning the contest on a Cougar attack error.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions have hit above .300 in five of their seven victories.
What Was Said?: "We played a very good Saint Xavier team tonight," said Head Coach Brian Rofer. "Fortunately, we simply outhit them tonight. We were able to work on a few things we have been addressing in practice and we definitely need to continue to improve in those areas. Overall, we had a great effort and we will get much better."
What's Next?: The Lions return to Golden State Athletic Conference action on Friday against No. 4 OUAZ. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Calvary Chapel High School.
