MPSF Volleyball Results, Jan. 19-20
Photo: Robert Mullahey, Pepperdine (Courtesy Pepperdine Athletics)
Sunday, Jan. 20
USC 3, Lindenwood 0
Recap by USC
Jack Wyett had 19 kills while hitting .457 to lead the USC men’s volleyball team to a 25-20, 25-21, 32-30 victory over Lindenwood in the final round of the Off The Block Grow The Game Challenge on Sunday (Jan. 20) in Lebanon, Tenn.
USC, which went 2-1 in the tourney with a first round sweep over Lincoln Memorial and a 4-set loss to Barton in the second round, improved to 4-2 on the year. Lindenwood, an NCAA Division II team which competes in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, fell to 1-4.
USC hit .378 overall in the match and served 7 aces, while Lindenwood hit .342.
Ryan Moss added 11 kills and 4 blocks for the Trojans, Gianluca Grasso had 9 kills and 5 digs, Matt Douglas had 6 digs and Tyler Resnick served 3 aces.
For Lindenwood, Nick Stevenson had 12 kills while hitting .381, Connor Hipelius hit .667 with 11 kills, Brad Brinkerhoff had 7 kills and Adam Brewster had 8 digs.
The first set was tight until USC scored 6 of the final 7 points (the Trojans hit .400). It was a similar scenario in the second set as Troy tallied 6 of the final 8 points. USC held a 10-5 lead in the third set, but Lindenwood tied it at 11-11 and went up 20-18 before the Trojans knotted it at 21-21, then the set seesawed until Troy got the final 3 points on a Grasso kill, a Lion hitting error and a Resnick ace.
USC next opens home play when it hosts No. 2 UC Irvine on Wednesday (Jan. 23) at 7 p.m. PT in the Galen Center.
No. 15 Grand Canyon 3, Lincoln Memorial 2
Recap by GCU
No. 15 Grand Canyon men's volleyball took it to the wire for the third straight night, coming out victorious against Lincoln Memorial on Sunday.
This was the fifth time in its first eight matches that GCU has seen a fifth set, going 4-1 in such affairs. Sunday's scores were 25-18, 25-18, 24-26, 18-25 and 15-10.
There have been three five-set matches in Grow the Game Challenge's history with all coming this year and all featuring GCU. In each, the Lopes (5-3) held a two-set lead and fought uphill for the rest of the match. This was GCU's most efficient match of the tournament, hitting .312.
A different Lope led the offense in GCU's tournament finale with sophomore opposite
David Kisiel making the most of his opportunity. Kisiel recorded a match-high 17 kills to go along with two aces, five digs and five blocks. Freshman outside hitter
Christian Janke has yet to have a match without double-digit kills and Sunday was no different. The Carlsbad, Calif., native had 15 kills and eight digs with a .250 hitting mark. Freshman setter
Heath Hughes earned the start in the third set and saw time the rest of the match for a team-high 22 assists.
GCU used another efficient first set to set an early tone. The Lopes hit .400 while keeping Lincoln Memorial in the negative. Sophomore setter
Onur Cukur was at the service line for a 7-0 run that was punctuated with two Kisiel/Blazer blocks to give GCU a 10-2 lead. Lincoln Memorial was strong from the service line as well, securing six of the next seven points with two coming on aces. The three-point margin at 20-17 would be as close as it came. Janke landed a kill and GCU took five of the last six points with Kisiel earning his seventh kill to end it.
The Lopes made a habit of strong starts this weekend, following up their first set with a .545 hitting percentage in the second set. GCU used four- and three-point runs to take a 10-4 lead, which was on par for the set. An ace brought the Railsplitters close but back-to-back Janke kills gave GCU breathing room at 19-13. Lincoln Memorial used another ace late to try and spark a comeback but Shmelev put an end to it, landing the final kill to give GCU a 2-0 match lead.
Freshmen
Kyle Thompson,
Parker Broadway and Hughes started the third set. The Lopes hit .323 but a .452 Railsplitters hitting mark would take the sweep hopes away. GCU led 17-11 but four scoring runs powered the Lincoln Memorial comeback. Broadway tied it at 24 before the final two points forced a fourth set.
The fourth set was more of the same for GCU, getting outhit despite going back to the original lineup. Lincoln Memorial jumped out to a 7-4 lead and did not look back. GCU showed some life late, making it 24-18, but the Railsplitters closed it out to send the match to the fifth set.
GCU was determined to get momentum back. Neither side would budge, however, as there were six ties by the time the score was 7-7.
Tanner Petchul's serving gave GCU the spark it needed. Eight of the next 10 points went the Lopes' way with four of coming from Janke, to leave Tennessee on a high note.
GCU continues the road swing in the San Diego area next weekend with two more matches before returning home. The Lopes will take on St. Katherine and UC San Diego on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. (Phoenix time).
Saturday, Jan. 19
No. 15 Grand Canyon 3, Lindenwood 2
Recap by GCU
LEBANON, Tenn. -- No. 15 Grand Canyon men's volleyball was determined not to let recent history repeat itself as the Lopes went to five sets for the second consecutive night, this time prevailing over Lindenwood.
GCU (4-3) had a flair for the dramatic in the win, trailing 10-5 in the decisive fifth set before going on a 7-1 run that swung the momentum in the Lopes' favor.
Like the night before, the Lopes took the first two sets -- this time in more commanding fashion -- before the Lions neared a reverse sweep. Set scores were 25-16, 25-17, 23-25, 20-25 and 15-13.
GCU asserted itself early by taking the first sets by a combined margin of 17 points. The Lopes hit .429 in the first and a season-best .611 in the second while holding Lindenwood (1-3) under .100. The match made a complete pivot when the Lions took sets three and four, holding GCU to low-hitting marks. Set five saw multiple lead changes, but in the end, it was the GCU players celebrating.
Freshman outside
Christian Janke had his second 20-kill performance of the season, leading all players with 20 kills and adding eight digs while hitting an efficient .433. Sophomore setter
Onur Cukur tied his career best in assists with 41 and tied Janke's dig total. Senior opposite
Will Schwob was the final Lope with double-digit kills, recording 11. Senior middle blocker
Alex Shmelev was the ace and block leader on the night, recording three and six, respectively.
GCU was determined to set the tone early coming off of last night's loss and the Lopes did just that. Seven of the first 10 points went GCU's way and not much would change from that point on. The Lions came within three when the score read 8-5, but the Lopes quickly shut the door. Cukur landed an ace to give GCU a seven-point lead, and a Janke kill ended the set, 25-16.
After hitting an impressive .429 with only four errors in the first set, GCU followed it up by only committing one error on a .611 hitting mark in the second. Once again, the Lopes secured seven of the first 10 points and continued the scoring surge. This time when Lindenwood came within three the score was 12-9, and Janke responded with a kill that sent the Lopes on a big run. Schwob and
Jack Burton teamed up to give GCU its largest lead of the set, up 19-12.
Caleb Blazer landed the set-deciding kill to give GCU the eight-point set win.
Lindenwood refused the sweep, using its most efficient set of the night to stay alive. The Lions hit .308 and held the Lopes to .192. There was a total of 10 ties during the set, leading up to a 20-20 deadlock. A few points later, GCU was within striking distance at 24-23, but the Lions closed it out and forced a fourth.
The Lions kept it rolling in the fourth, using a 5-0 run to take a 10-7 lead that GCU could not catch. Shmelev served up a late ace forcing Lindenwood to call a timeout, leading 24-20. The strategy session worked as Lindenwood secured the final point and forced a fifth set.
For the second time in as many nights, GCU found itself trailing in a fifth set. It wasn't until the Lopes were down 10-5 that they regained momentum. Seven of the next eight points went GCU's way forcing Lindenwood to use both their timeouts. The run was capped off with a
Trevor Weary ace that followed back-to-back Janke kills. Shemelv stepped up to the service line with the set tied at 13. A strong ace and a Lion error would be all the Lopes needed to earn the set and match win.
The Grow the Game Challenge comes to a close tomorrow and features a new challenge for GCU. The Lopes will match up against Lincoln Memorial for the first time with first serve set for 11:30 a.m. (Phoenix time).
No. 5 Pepperdine 3, No. 7 Lewis 1
Recap by Pepperdine
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — Four players posted double-figure kills to propel the #5 Pepperdine men’s volleyball team to a four-set win over #8 Lewis in Neil Carey Arena on Saturday night. Robert Mullahey dished out 49 assists and the Waves to a .336 hitting percentage to help Pepperdine to 25-18, 24-26, 25-23 and 25-19 final set scores.
David Wieczorek led the team with his fourth career double-double and his first of the 2019 season after posting 16 kills and 11 digs. Kaleb Denmark, Michael Wexter and Kévin Vaz also hit for double-figure kills with 16, 15 and 13 respectively. Denmark’s kill effort was a career-high, as was Noah Dyer’s 18 digs.
BIG WAVES
David Wieczorek (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy): 16 kills, .375 hitting %, 11 digs, 2 aces, 1 block, 2 assists
Kaleb Denmark (Redlands, Calif./Arrowhead Christian Academy): 16 kills, .333 hitting %, 8 digs
Michael Wexter (New Lenox, Ill./Linoln-Way West HS): 15 kills, 1 ace, 6 digs
Kévin Vaz (Paris, France/Palmetto HS (Fla.)/Cal Baptist): 13 kills, .550 hitting %, 5 blocks (1 solo), 1 ace
Noah Dyer (San Clemente, Calif./Saddleback Valley HS): 18 digs, 4 assists
Max Chamberlain (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs HS): 4 kills, 1 ace, 2 digs
Robert Mullahey (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS): 49 assists, 3 blocks, 5 digs, 2 aces, 1 kill
WAVES VS. FLYERS
Pepperdine led the match heavily on the attack front, posting 65 kills on a .336 success rate, while allowing the opposition only 48 kills on a .244 output. The Waves also led with seven aces and 50 digs to the Flyers’ five aces and 42 digs. The opposition posted more blocks, however, as the Flyers marked 14.0 team blocks to the Waves’ 5.0.
No. 4 BYU 3, St. Francis 0
Recap by BYU
LORETTO, Pa. — No. 4 BYU men’s volleyball recorded nine aces in a sweep (25-21, 25-15, 25-18) over Saint Francis Saturday at DeGol Arena, just 13 hours after finishing a five-set match the previous night against Penn State.
BYU vs. Saint Francis Final Box Score
“When we decided to change this match from the evening to the morning, we talked to the team about our mindset and approach to dealing with change," BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. "I am very happy with our team's focus considering the quick turnaround after a long match last night."
Freshman Davide Gardini led the Cougars with 11 kills on a .526 hitting percentage, in addition to a career- and match-high four aces. Setter Wil Stanley contributed 27 assists and matched his season high with three aces. Miki Jauhiainen and Branden Oberender each had four blocks, with Oberender also adding a career-high seven kills to his stat line.
With the quick turnaround between matches, Olmstead went with Taylor Richards at libero to give Zach Hendrickson a rest, and 11 Cougars saw the floor over the three-set match.
The match started out close, with the teams tied at eight early in the first set. BYU was able to pull away, however, and an ace from Stanley gave the Cougars their largest lead, 20-13. The Red Flash brought it back within three, 23-20, before the Cougars won it, 25-21 on a kill from Gardini.
BYU led the entire second set. A serving hot streak gave the Cougars their first double-digit lead, 21-11, after back-to-back aces from Gardini and another one from Alex Ah Sue. BYU was able to maintain the 10-point advantage, going on to win the set 25-15.
In the third set BYU elected to rest several of its starters, giving some of the younger Cougars such as Ah Sue and Oberender a chance to prove themselves. The team was able to continue its lead, and a block by Oberender put BYU up by six, 19-13. Three service errors by the Red Flash late in the set allowed BYU to pull away, and a block by Ah Sue sealed the victory, 25-18.
With the win, BYU improves to 4-0 on the seaso?n and Saint Francis drops to 3-1. The Cougars have a two-week break before heading to California for back-to-back matches against UC Santa Barbara Feb. 1 and 2. Links for live stats can be found on the men’s volleyball schedule page.
Concordia 3, Springfield 0
Recap by CUI
IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia men's volleyball completed the week undefeated with a win over the back-to-back NCAA Division III National Champions, Springfield in three sets.
Chandler Gibb dished out the Eagles offense for the day, putting up 29 assists and four digs. The main offensive weapons were the trio of pin hitters, Luke Krzmarzick with 10 kills, Jordan Hoppe with eight, and Jonathan Carlson with seven.
"I thought we executed the game plan, we kind of started out slow but at around 10-10, we really started to execute what we wanted to do, and you saw that separation and we ended up winning by seven or eight points" said Gibb.
Noah Lassandro scored three points early to begin the match. Krzmarzick put down a kill and Hunter Howelland Carlson sent back a Pride attack to gain separation at 14-11. Springfield came back to tie the set at 17-17 but Concordia ran away with the set using an 8-0 run to take the 1-0 match lead.
Concordia got out to a 5-3 after back-to-back Krzmarzick aces and a block. Bailey Mundy checked in along with Isaiah Kaaa and to contribute to a 7-2 run and a 22-15 lead. Carlson earned a kill and Kaaa served an ace to end the set.
The Eagles opened up to an early 4-2 lead in set three, later with Krmarzick delivering a kill to make it 10-9. Lassandro defended the net, picking up three blocks as part of an 8-2 run to put Concordia up 18-13. Kills from Zachary Meyer and Mundy sealed the match at 25-19 to give Concordia the victory.
"We're bouncing back from a slow start, two big away trips that didn't get us down though" added Carlson. "We came back, wanted to play well in front of our home crowd. It was good to get comfortable against a couple of good teams."
Concordia's next match will be on January 25 down the road, taking on No. 2 UC Irvine at 7 PM.
Barton 3, USC 1
Recap by USC
Brothers Vasilis and Angelos Mandilaris each had 15 kills and Adrian Iglesias added 14 kills to lead the Barton men’s volleyball team to a 26-24, 21-25, 25-17, 26-24 victory over USC in the second round of the Off The Block Grow The Game Challenge on Saturday (Jan. 18) in Lebanon, Tenn.
Barton, an NCAA Division II team which competes in Conference Carolinas, improved to 2-2 overall, while USC fell to 3-2.
USC concludes play in the Grow The Game Challenge when it meets Lindenwood of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association in the tourney finale on Sunday (Jan. 20) at 3:30 p.m. PT.
USC was led by Ryan Moss, who had 19 kills and 8 digs. Teammate Jack Wyett added 17 kills (hitting .364) and Gianluca Grasso had 9 kills.
Barton outhit the Trojans, .356 to .282, and had more blocks (10.5 to 7.5).
Barton scored 6 consecutive early points in the first set to jump out to a 9-3 lead but USC steadily crept back and overtook the Bulldogs at 24-23 only to see Barton score the set’s final 3 points. The second set seesawed until the Trojans scored 3 unanswered points to go up 18-16 and the Bulldogs couldn’t catch up as USC hit .419. Barton used a 3-point run to build an 8-5 lead in the third set and then a 4-point run pushed the Bulldogs’ edge to 17-10, and the Trojans never threatened. The fourth set saw numerous lead changes and momentum swings, but at the end USC held a 24-22 lead before surrendering 4 straight points that gave Barton the victory despite Troy hitting .429 in the set.
No. 1 Long Beach State 3, No. 6 UCLA 0
Recap by UCLA
The No. 6 UCLA men's volleyball team dropped a straight set decision to top-ranked Long Beach State on Saturday night before a crowd of almost 3,000 fans in a non-league match in Pauley Pavilion, presented by Wescom. Scores of the contest were 27-29, 22-25, 17-25.
The 49ers outhit the Bruins .429 to .210 for the match, finishing with just five errors on 63 attempts. UCLA had more than five errors in each set of the match. The Bruins totaled eight aces, four by
Micah Ma'a, to three for the visitors. The 49ers won the blocking battle 11.5 to 2.0. UCLA is now 5-2 on the season and will play next Friday at UC San Diego.
UCLA jumped out to a 4-0 lead in set one thanks to the tough serve of Ma'a who had a couple of aces in the run. UCLA led 7-3 before Long Beach State ramped up their game and evened the score at 8-all. The 49ers took their first lead at 13-14 only to see the Bruins battle back to go in front 18-15 after a kill from
Dylan Missry. The Bruins led 20-17 following a
Daenan Gyimah kill, but Long Beach rallied to tie the score at 21 on an ace. UCLA led 24-23 after a couple of kills from
Brandon Rattray, but the 49ers saved the set point with a kill. The Bruins grabbed a 25-24 advantage on a kill by
Austin Matautia, but the Bruins served the ball out to bring the 49ers even at 25. Another Matautia kill saved a set point for the Bruins and knotted the score at 26. A Gyimah swing rescued a second set point and leveled the score at 27-each. However, the 49ers banged down kills for the next two points and took the set 27-29. Long Beach hit .417 for the set, with 4.5 blocks. UCLA was at .250, with 0.0 blocks. UCLA managed five service aces, three by Ma'a and two by Rattray. The set featured 13 ties and three lead changes.
In set two, Long Beach State moved to a quick 2-6 advantage. UCLA closed to 6-8 after a Beach error. Long Beach extended the lead to 9-13 after a Bruin error. An ace from Missry moved UCLA to within one at 15-16. Kills from
Sam Kobrine and Rattray pulled UCLA even at 20-all. However, Long Beach State responded with the next three points. A pair of Rattray kills left UCLA down 21-23 and 22-24, but Long Beach State won the set on a Bruin service error. The 49ers hit .385 for the frame to UCLA's .214. Rattray led UCLA with six kills.
UCLA moved to a 4-1 lead to begin set three. Long Beach State answered with four of the next five points to square the score at 5-all. The visitors took leads of 7-10 and 10-13 before running off five straight points to widen the gap to 10-18. The Bruins only managed to get within six points the rest of the way and fell 17-25. Long Beach hit .538 to the Bruins' .160 for the set.
No. 2 UC Irvine 3, No. 9 Stanford 1
Recap by Stanford
STANFORD, Calif. – Despite a double-double from senior Jordan Ewert, No. 9 Stanford suffered its first setback of the season, dropping a 30-28, 25-20, 23-25, 25-23 match to No. 2 UC Irvine, Saturday, at Maples Pavilion.
Ewert, an outside hitter from Antioch, registered his first double-double of the season with 19 kills on .350 hitting and a career-high 17 digs. Trailing 17-11 in the fourth set, Ewert’s play sparked a comeback that fell just short of forcing a fifth.
Stanford (5-1), which was out to its best start to a season since 2001, hit .370 for the match and racked up 49 digs. UC Irvine (6-1) posted a .391 attack percentage and again out blocked the Cardinal, 9.5-6.0. Despite hitting well, Stanford struggled to side out at times and had trouble with the Anteaters’ serve.
Setter Paul Bischoff controlled the offense with 58 assists and had seven digs. Sophomore opposite Jaylen Jasper finished with a match-high 21 kills to go with four digs and two blocks. Junior outside hitter Eric Beatty added 10 kills on 19 swings with just one error to hit a season-high .474.
The Cardinal received offensive efficiency from both its middles. Stephen Moye and Kyler Presho combined for 16 kills and just one hitting miscue. Libero Kyle Dagostino finished with a season-high 12 digs.
UC Irvine had five players record double-digit kills, led by senior opposite Karl Apfelbach’s 17 kills on .405 hitting. Middle blocker Scott Stadick, who was relatively quiet offensively in Thursday’s match, hit .562 with 10 kills and had three blocks on Saturday.
Stanford closes out its eight-match homestand next week, playing host to Purdue Fort Wayne for a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday.