LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego played with renewed energy from start to finish against a side that won back-to-back national championships in 2012 and 2013, but ultimately gave in to fifth-ranked UC Irvine, 3-1, in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's volleyball action Saturday night at RIMAC Arena. Set scores were 25-22, 21-25, 25-17 and 25-14.
UCSD is now 1-10 overall and 0-7 in the MPSF. UC Irvine improved to 10-3 overall and 5-2 in league play. The 'Eaters have won eight straight meetings.
With their 25-21 win in the second game, the Tritons broke a string of 25 straight set losses since taking the decisive fifth in a 3-2 triumph at Grand Canyon back on Jan. 10. On Saturday night, UCSD led by the identical score of 3-1 in each of the first three frames. The match featured 29 tie scores in all, with 10 lead changes.
The first set was the tightest of the evening, with 12 ties and four lead changes. Senior opposite Zack La Cavera had seven of his 12 kills in the game, including back-to-back midway through to forge a 12-12 deadlock. Moments later, Kyle Russell handled the overpass for a kill to give the 'Eaters a 14-13 edge. The score was knotted again later at 17-17 following an Andrew Benz service error, one of eight for UCI in the frame out of 23 on the night. The visitors tallied the next five points, however, around both of UCSD's timeouts, for a 22-17 advantage, and held on.
The Tritons were flying on defense, particularly throughout the early going, with sophomore outside hitter Ian Colbert returning to the starting lineup and totaling three digs in the opening set before ultimately equaling his career high with eight in all, also sharing the match high with UCI libero Michael Brinkley.
Shayne Beamer was arguably tops among a number of Triton highlights in the second. The sophomore middle first expertly read La Cavera's overpass to stuff it solo for a 4-1 UCSD lead. His big kill then put the Tritons up 13-10. A second solo block, this one on Jason Agopian, made it 22-19. Beamer teamed with Tanner Syftestad on a combination block on Russell for 24-20, before finally and fittingly putting down another kill on set point.
Sophomore UCI opposite Tamir Hershko entered the fray for the first time at the start of the third, and made an immediate impact with a kill for the first point, and five kills in the game. He combined with Agopian on a stuff block of Syftestad for a 10-8 'Eater lead. A rousing, lengthy rally a short time later went the way of the Tritons as Russell's attack missed the target, closing UCSD within one at 11-10. Colbert produced his team's only ace of the contest, off the top of the net, to make it a 16-14 score in favor of UCI. A 4-0 run put the visitors in command at 21-15.
Successive kills by freshman outside hitter Luke La Mont and Syftestad on the overpass pulled the Tritons within a point at 12-11 midway through the fourth, but a short time later, the Anteaters used a 6-0 stretch to make it 19-12.
Freshman setter Milosh Stojcic dished out a season-high 28 assists for the Tritons. Syftestad had team bests of 13 kills and four blocks, as well as six digs, while Beamer finished with seven kills and three blocks. Colbert's eight digs and ace came alongside six kills and a pair of assists. Kirill Rudenko provided six kills and five digs before exiting in the fourth set due to an injury.
Russell led all players with 20 kills in the match. Agopian had five total blocks. Setter Michael Saeta collected 53 assists, four kills on six attempts, an ace and four digs.
UCSD hit a season-high .242, against .402 for UCI.
Saturday's contest marked a return to RIMAC Arena for Ron Larsen, UCSD men's volleyball head coach from 2000-05, who is now on third-year UC Irvine head coach David Kniffin's staff as an assistant. Larsen led the Tritons to a Division III national title in 2000. He was later an assistant with the U.S. men's volleyball national team when it won gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
UCSD continues a four-match homestand next weekend, welcoming two more MPSF foes into RIMAC Arena in No. 4 Pepperdine and No. 14 Stanford on Friday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 14, respectively. Both first serves are set for 7 p.m.
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