LA JOLLA, Calif. -- The away trip to UC San Diego for Vanguard men's volleyball was as competitive as the incredible home upset over the ninth-ranked Tritons two days ago, but the home side prevailed again. UCSD took the match 3-1, taking the first two sets 28-26 and 25-21. The Lions grabbed the third frame 26-24 but dropped the fifth 25-23. Vanguard went to 4-11 on the year and UCSD improved to 9-5.
What Happened? The first slam of the night came off the hand of
Logan Freemon, as he thundered down to open the account for VU. The Tritons would venture ahead by a pair over the next phase, and though
Grant Veldman and
Cole Oliver slotted home strikes, the hosts were soon ahead 11-6. With UCSD ahead at the media timeout (15-11), it was not until the situation was dire that VU made its move. Trailing 21-15, some Triton miscues allowed the squad to get within striking distance. Kills by Freemon and Veldman, followed by back-to-back blocks, cut the deficit to 23-22. Even after a Triton timeout, Oliver continued the run and smashed consecutive kills to vault the Lions ahead 24-23. UCSD countered to tie things twice more, and the Tritons held the edge in the bonus rallies to win 28-26. VU hit at a .276 clip, with UCSD and a .300 mark.
Set 2
The squads were unable to get separation over the first quarter of the period, but after a 10-10 tie, UCSD got five of the next seven points to lead 15-12. A block by
Willy Wang and
Micah Sybesma, along with an Oliver ace, assisted in bringing VU back on level terms. The Tritons scooted away by a pair over the next few rallies and then increased the gap to four at 22-18. The Lions got another big block from Oliver and Sybesma, but the Blue and Gold could not overturn the odds, falling 25-21. Vanguard hit .111 in the second, with UCSD hitting a match-best .419.
Set 3
Vanguard finally made one of the close sets turn to its favor in the third, though the lineup was down 5-1 in the opening stages. Oliver made a strong cross-court kill and then
Braddock Duckworth put down an ace to bring VU to within two at 7-5. Yet the Tritons ran off by four again (12-8), and it was not until the Lions were down 18-15 that the team made a dent on the gap. Oliver and Freemon both teed off on good passes from Wang, and Duckworth put one into the hole in the middle of the court a couple of rallies later. Yet that only brought the score to 20-18, and UCSD seemed poised to win a short time later ahead 23-21. But Vanguard countered with five of the final seven points to steal the period and extend the show. A Freemon kill tied things at 23-all and Veldman deposited an ace to put the Lions ahead 24-23. An Oliver kill and a Freemon-Sybesma stuff handed VU the set 26-24.
Set 4
Duckworth opened the stanza with a kill, but nine ties followed as the squads each hit 10 points. The equal exchange continued until UCSD was ahead 15-12, taking the frame to the media timeout. In the hole by four (17-13), VU dug in for a fourth set in a row and found a way to generate points, with Oliver and Veldman kills followed by a Duckworth and Freemon block leveling things at 18-18. The pair made another rejection that gave VU a short lead, and again, the foes traded blows. Tied at 23-23 after a Veldman blast, UCSD got a kill, and VU called a timeout, but the Lions could not stave off elimination, as a Triton kill ended the match. VU hit .261 in the third, with UCSD at a .357 rate.
While most of the team stats were again close to being level, UCSD most of the categories Friday night, highlighted by a better rate (.276-.200) and a 59-43 advantage in kills. Vanguard had a 37-35 lead in digs. Both Freemon and Oliver had 13 kills, two aces, and seven digs to pace Vanguard. Veldman was third with 11 kills, and Wang pocketed 37 helpers. Duckworth had a team-high seven block assists, and Veldman and
Jenson Wright had six digs apiece.
What's Next? MPSF play returns with a pair of games against UC Merced, beginning March 13 at 6:00 p.m.
