COSTA MESA – Visiting CUI hit .396 in a four-set victory over Vanguard in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's volleyball action on Thursday in the Freed Center.
The Golden Eagles won their second straight match against the Lions in improving to 8-14 overall and 2-5 in the MPSF. Vanguard dropped to 7-13 and 2-7 in conference play.
Vanguard had three players in double figures for kills with Logan Freemon leading the way with 15. Grant Dvorak added 12 kills and Micah Sybesma chipped in 11 on .556 (11-1-18) hitting.
The Lions hit a solid .310 (52-17-113) for the match but were undone by 19 service errors. Both teams had eight service aces apiece.
Brock Henderson handed out 32 assists to go along with four blocks for the Blue and Gold. Jacob Bayston had eight digs to lead the back row.
CUI received 17 kills from Gage Doble, while Ties Cornelissen contributed a 12-kill, 11-dig double-double.
What Happened?
Set 1 – The Lions last led at 4-2 on a Nick Dvorak service ace. CUI utilized a 9-2 run to grab an 11-6 lead, with the Golden Eagles bringing a strong block on three of those points.
The Lions stayed within a five-point deficit for long stretches, but were unable to reel off consecutive points since building the early lead.
VU was plagued by eight service errors in the set.
Grant Dvorak tried to keep the Lions close with six kills, including one that brought the home side within 23-18. But a VU service error ended the frame in favor of the Golden Eagles, 25-19.
CUI hit .550 (11-0-20) while VU swung at a .444 (16-4-27) clip.
Set 2 – The Lions held off a late CUI run to prevail 25-22. The Golden Eagles cooled off in hitting .250 (13-6-28), while VU posted a .400 (15-3-30) effort.
VU limited its service errors to three, and Freemon had six kills to propel the Lions in the set.
The Blue and Gold built a 6-2 lead, highlighted by a triple block from Henderson, Freemon and Sybesma.
VU extended the advantage to 11-5 as again another triple roof – this time courtesy of Henderson, Nick Dvorak and Phinehas Wiley – kept the Lions in front.
Doble's kill chipped the CUI deficit to 13-11, but his service error later upped VU's lead to 15-12. The Lions still maintained a three-point advantage at 19-16 when the Golden Eagles mounted a 3-0 run to tie the scoreline at 19-19.
VU responded with a 4-1 run – punctuated by a combo block from Sybesma and Henderson on Cornelissen – and took command at 23-20.
Both teams played the side out game until Freemon ended the set with a smash.
Set 3 – Eleven ties illustrated the closeness of the set.
The Lions took a 13-10 lead following a 4-0 run – with three consecutive points coming off Wiley's ace serve.
Grant Dvorak found the floor to keep the VU lead at 15-12, but the Golden Eagles went on a 3-0 run to tie the score.
The two teams remained tied at 17-17 when the Lions scored twice on Wiley and Freemon kills to lead by two. But CUI notched five of the next six points to wrest the lead back, as a pair of Doble aces gave the visitors a 22-20 advantage.
VU dug in and tied the score for the final time at 22-22 as Nick Dvorak produced a kill and an ace.
Down 23-22, the Lions thought they tied the score again on a Freemon attack, but the referee ruled he carried the ball. Suddenly, the attack error put the Lions in a 24-22 hole.
Unfortunately, the set ended as the head official handed out a yellow card and a red card, with the latter giving the final point to CUI.
VU managed to hit just .185 (12-7-27) in the set while CUI countered at .318 (10-3-22).
Set 4 – The Lions maintained their fight, but a late flurry of points from CUI resulted in a 25-20 loss.
The Lions clawed their way to a 10-8 lead on a Wiley kill. Six CUI service errors helped the Blue and Gold's cause.
VU led 16-14 following a Freemon ace, but an error on the next serve brought CUI within one. Nick Dvorak answered with a kill as VU led 17-15.
The Golden Eagles then utilized a 9-1 run to get to match point. Doble nailed three consecutive kills during the surge and had eight during the set, including the match-clinching point.
CUI hit a torrid .484 (18-3-31), while VU mustered just .207 (9-3-29) efficiency in the frame.
What's Next?: The Lions and Golden Eagles complete their four-match set with another battle in the Freed Center on Saturday. First serve is slated for 7:00 p.m.
