COSTA MESA -- The opening Mountain Pacific Sports Federation game in Vanguard men's volleyball history happened to be against the #5 Trojans of USC and while the Lions had some bright moments, they could not secure a set.  USC rounded into form during the second and third sets to hit .452 for the match and win in a sweep 25-22, 25-12, and 25-19.  USC improved to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in MPSF play, while VU fell to 3-7, 0-1.
 
What Happened?  The first set was the best for the Blue and Gold in terms of hitting percentage, as the squad hit a .381 with eight kills and no errors on 21 attempts.  It was also the closest set, as though USC went ahead 6-3 to start, a block by Logan Freemon and Nick Dvorak cut the gap to 6-4.  A solo block from Brock Henderson and an ace from Micah Sybesma helped Vanguard knot the score at 6-6 and the two sides equally exchanged points from there.  Phinehas Wiley had a pair of kills to keep things within at least one point and strikes from Grant Dvorak and Sybesma allowed VU to tied proceedings at 10-10 and 11-all.  The period was tied four more times but the Trojans used a short 4-0 stretch to seize a 19-15 edge.  The Lions could not close the gap in time, and though a block by Sybesma and Henderson made the score 24-22, a kill for USC gave the Trojans a 25-22 win.
 
Set 2  It was all USC in the middle frame, as the Trojans hit a match-best .550 with 12 kills and one error on 20 attempts.  The Lions hit -.0182 and could only muster four kills.  USC, after going without a block in the first set, picked up the play at the front of the net to deny VU eight times in the second.  A kill by Freemon tied things at 5-5 but from there, USC used a 13-3 run to put the frame away, eventually winning 25-12. 
 
Set 3  The offense returned for VU and picked up a team-high 12 kills in the third while hitting .364.  USC also had 12 kills but had one less error to net a .450 attack percentage in the final period.  A booming kill by Wiley put the Lions up 1-0 and the Blue and Gold led 4-2 after a service error.  But the Trojans put together a 6-1 stretch after that to snag an 8-5 advantage.  While strikes from Wiley and Sybesma kept the home side within three points of USC (12-9), unfortunately, the squad could not pull closer.  The Trojans slowly increased their lead to seven points, and though Grant Dvorak slammed home two kills over the closing stages, USC took the set 25-19 to win the match. 
 
The Lions hit .185 as a team over three sets and USC took all the major team statistical categories.  Sybesma had a team-high seven kills with one error on 11 attempts to tally a .545 attacking rate in the contest.  Both Wiley and Grant Dvorak had six kills.  Henderson had 17 helpers and Sybesma, Henderson, and Nick Dvorak had two block assists each.  Dillon Klein led all players with 14 kills and the USC star had only one error for a .765 efficiency mark in the game.
 
What's Next?  The Lions will get a rematch at USC on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.