COSTA MESA – Vanguard men's volleyball welcomed Olivet Nazarene to the Freed Center on Wednesday, posting a 25-23, 25-12, 25-21 victory behind a .333 hitting performance.

The Lions won back-to-back contests for the first time this season following Monday's sweep of Jamestown. VU is now 5-8 on the season. The Tigers fell to 6-7.

Freshman Logan Freemon led the Lions with 10 kills on .444 (10-2-18) hitting. Logan Finley, who got the start in place of the under-the-weather Grant Dvorak, produced a career-high eight kills to go along with four digs, an ace and two blocks.

Micah Sybesma and Nick Dvorak each contributed six kills while hitting .500 and .455, respectively. 

Setter Brock Henderson handed out 23 assists and performed expertly from the service line with a match-high five aces.

Libero Jacob Bayston posted a team-high six digs from the back row.

The Lions outhit the Tigers (.333-.086) and led in kills (36-22), assists (31-19), aces (8-7) and digs (22-18).

What Happened?

Set 1 – The Lions opened up a sizable lead, but watched the Tigers use a 7-0 run to put the set in jeopardy. However, the Blue and Gold seized upon a late rally to take a close 25-23 battle.

The two teams battled through four early ties before Nick Dvorak sparked a 5-0 run with a kill. Freemon added back-to-back kills and a couple of Henderson darts hit the floor on serve. Suddenly, VU turned a 6-6 tie into an 11-6 lead.

VU kept its distance from Olivet Nazarene for long stretches, maintaining the five-point advantage until 17-12. The Tigers scored a couple of points, but a Cade Ooms service error upped VU's lead to 18-14.

The Tigers then switched gears and peppered the Lions with a 7-0 run to take a 21-18 lead. During the surge, VU was whistled for a pair of block errors, combined with two aces from Kahaku Marquez.

Fortunately, Marquez served one into the net to pull the Lions within two, which kick-started a 4-0 VU run. Freemon and Phinehas Wiley slammed kills – sandwiched around a combined block from Nick Dvorak and Wiley.

The Tigers posted back-to-back points to go up 23-22, but the Lions stiffened and closed out the set with three straight points – a Wiley kill, a Olivet Nazarene ball handling error and a Nick Dvorak service ace.

VU hit .259 (11-4-27) in set one, while the Tigers countered at .227 (8-3-22).

Set 2 – After flirting with victory in set one, Olivet Nazarene appeared a bit deflated in set two as the Lions hit a match-high .579 (12-1-19) while limiting the Tigers to -.087 (6-8-23) efficiency.

The Tigers actually held an early 4-2 lead before VU responded with three straight points. The Tigers tied the score at 5-5 and trailed just 7-6 when the Blue and Gold stormed away on a 6-0 run. Olivet Nazarene had a string of errors during that stretch as VU enjoyed a 13-6 lead.

The visitors got no closer than six points. A 5-1 VU run opened up a 19-9 bulge.

Finley had three kills, a pair of blocks and an ace in the frame to help the Lions to the 25-12 triumph.

Set 3 – VU sprinted out to a 5-0 lead as Nick Dvorak had a couple of kills in the early going. Trailing 8-3, the Tigers used a 4-1 run to pull within 9-7 as reserve setter Will Byers and Marquez teamed up on a block.

The run eventually grew to 8-2 as Olivet Nazarene took a 12-10 lead.

The Lions caught the Tigers at 14-13 and built a three-point lead at 17-14, but ONU responded with three straight points to create a tie.

Olivet Nazarene took a one-point lead at 19-18 and 20-19 before Freemon and Henderson pounded back-to-back kills to get back in front.

Brody McAfee's kill tied the score at 21-21. The Lions then ended the match on a 4-0 run, using a Tiger service error to spring the final rally. Henderson sandwiched a pair of aces around Freemon's kill to polish off the 25-21 victory.

What's Next?: Vanguard hosts Menlo for a pair of Mountain Pacific Sports Federation matches this weekend. The Lions and Oaks meet first on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Freed Center.