SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Looking to avenge a loss at OUAZ two weeks ago, the second-ranked Vanguard men's volleyball team succeeded in a 29-27, 25-21, 25-15 sweep in the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday.
The second-seeded Lions picked up momentum as the match wore on, surviving the extremely tight first set, winning comfortably in set two and blowing the Spirit out in set three.
Will Anderson tied for match-high honors with 15 kills. He hit .406 (15-2-32) overall with an ace, three digs and three block assists. Reza Tahmasebi returned to the lineup after missing five matches and chipped in nine kills and four digs.
Andrew Sheveland and Micah Sybesma totaled six kills apiece. Sybesma helped VU own a 10.0-5.5 team blocks advantage as he had a match-best five block assists.
Setter Ryan Smith collected 33 assists while tying for team-high honors in digs (6). He also had four blocks, including one solo. The Lions hit .348 with him running the offense.
Emery Outin led the Spirit with 15 kills. Addah Nestor, who blasted the Lions with a season-high 24 kills on .476 hitting in a four-set April 6 victory, was contained by the VU defense on Friday. Nestor managed just six kills and hit .062.
Vanguard is now 14-2 overall, while OUAZ falls to 19-6.
What Happened?
Set 1 – OUAZ broke out to a 5-1 lead and forced VU to call an early timeout after Outin posted three kills. The Lions steadied themselves and used a 5-2 run to pull within one at 7-6, with three different players providing kills.
VU took its first lead at 11-10 on a kill from Sybesma, but two straight Lion attack errors gave OUAZ a 12-11 advantage. The two teams fought through 11 ties to get to 19-19, when Caeden Salmen knocked down a kill and teamed up with Ben Wilson for a block, giving the Spirit a two-point edge.
The Lions scored three of the next four points to create a 22-22 tie as OUAZ called timeout. The Spirit had three set points at 24-23, 25-24 and 26-25, but OUAZ attack and service errors combined with a Sybesma kill knotted the score each time.
Tied at 27-27, Anderson slammed back-to-back kills as the Lions cashed in on their first and only set point opportunity. The opposite had seven kills in the set, helping the Blue and Gold hit .455 (20-5-33), compared to .217 (11-6-23) efficiency for the Spirit.
Set 2 – Armed with momentum, the Lions flipped the script and sped out to a 5-1 lead in set two. But the Spirit scored seven of the next 10 points to chop VU's lead to 9-8 as Outin tallied three kills during the run.
Vanguard gradually built the lead back up and held a 17-13 advantage following an Anderson ace, one of only two in the match for the Lions.
The Spirit tried to tighten the set, getting to within two at 18-16 and 19-17. But the Lions deflated OUAZ with a 4-0 run. Sybesma was key in that stretch, notching a kill and two block assists – teaming up with Anderson both times.
The 23-17 VU lead was too much for OUAZ to overcome, and an Outin service error closed out the 25-21 triumph. The Lions hit .318 (9-2-22) in the frame, with OUAZ managing just .192 (12-7-26).
Set 3 – The Lions utilized a late 6-0 run to deflate the Spirit. Tied at 5-5, VU went on a 7-2 run to take a 12-7 lead with Sheveland throwing down a couple of kills.
VU's lead vacillated between three and five points until the Spirit pulled within two at 16-14 on a Outin putaway. Anderson's kill and two Zeo Meyer attack errors pushed the Lions into a 19-14 advantage as OUAZ called timeout.
The break did not help as the Lions continued their surge with Anderson posting two straight kills. Cameron Voshell entered the match and closed out the 6-0 run with a kill, giving VU an insurmountable 22-14 lead.
The Spirit scored just one more point as VU finished out the match with three straight points, punctuating the victory with a combined block from Sybesma and Anderson.
VU hit .265 (13-4-34) in set three, while OUAZ swung at a match-low .059 (9-7-34) clip.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions won the season series 2-1 over the third-ranked Spirit.
What's Next?: VU takes on top-ranked and top-seeded The Master's on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. for the GSAC Tournament title. The two teams split the first two meetings.
