COSTA MESA -- Vanguard men's volleyball was taken down by Saint Xavier (Ill.) on Friday night in non-conference action.  The Lions were swept 25-20, 25-18, 25-19, as the Cougars plowed through the three sets in just over an hour.  The Cougars, the runners up in the NAIA National Tournament last year, go to 1-1 overall, while VU dropped to 2-3.
 
What Happened?  The opening set was the only station in which the Lions remained close to their foes, and it started with an SXU error and a Grant Veldman kill.  But down 3-1, the Cougars picked up the next five points to claim a 6-3 edge, and they would not trail again in the period.  Down 12-7, the Lions got kills from Logan Freemon, Cole Oliver, and Veldman to bring the squad within three at 13-10.  Veldman powered the team to within one (15-14) a few rallies later, as he blasted down a kill and racked up two aces in an impressive display.  Kills by Freemon and Veldman eventually tied the set at 18-18, but the Blue and Gold then got stuck in neutral.  Saint Xavier scored the next six points to go ahead 24-18, and went on to win 25-20.  Both sides hit their best in the opening frame, with SXU at a .483 rate and VU at a .357 clip.
 
Set 2
Freemon and Veldman lifted the Lions to a 2-1 edge, but the guests soon swooped ahead 4-2.  As the set moved on, Saint Xavier continued to get through the Vanguard block, as the Cougars soon led 12-5.  That 8-3 stretch was something the Blue and Gold could not recover from, as the Cougars went on to take the frame 25-18.  SXU hit .355 (13-2-31), and VU hit .107.
 
Set 3
The Cougars opened with another 6-3 advantage, though hard swings by Veldman brought VU back into contention, trailing 7-6.  Despite some positive motion, SXU returned the favor and soon had a 13-8 lead.  The gap remained steady at around six points as the set progressed until Saint Xavier used a 4-1 interval to lead 24-15.  VU staved off elimination with a Brock Henderson and Braddock Duckworth block, a solo stop by Duckworth, and a Freemon ace, but that was as long as the line could be held.  SXU pocketed the final kill to complete the sweep and take the set 25-19.  The Cougars hit .452 in the final set and held VU to a .185 mark.
 
Saint Xavier hit .429 for the night, with 48 kills and nine errors on 91 attempts.  The Lions had a .217 rate for the evening, with 27 kills and nine errors on 83 swings.  Saint Xavier won every team category except blocks, as each team tallied five.  Veldman had his best night as a Lion, with 13 kills and one error on 27 swings (.444).  Freemon had seven kills, and Oliver had five.  Henderson had 18 assists, Jacob Bayston had 12 digs, and Duckworth had two block assists and one solo block.
 
What's Next?  For the first time all season, the Lions hit the road, though the resumption of Mountain Pacific Sports Federation sees VU head to UCLA on Tuesday night for a clash against the top team in the NCAA.