LA JOLLA, Calif. — First-year Triton Anthony Cherfan put down a season-high 17 kills to lead No. 19 UC San Diego to a five-set win over No. 12 USC Wednesday night in men's volleyball action at LionTree Arena.

Set scores were 18-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23, and 15-13.

The Tritons snapped a five-match losing slide and improved to 3-6 on the year. The Trojans dropped to 6-3.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The fifth and final set was contentious as the two sides went point-for-point up to 3-3. The Tritons won six of the next seven points to distance themselves by a 9-4 count. Matthew Lim and Peter Selcho had two kills each during the run, while a triple block by Cherfan, Josh Schellinger, and Peter Selcho wrapped up the spree. The Tritons got to match point at 14-10 following a Schellinger kill. However, USC took the next three points, two of those coming on Triton attack errors, to get back within one at 14-13. Lim then shut it down with a kill off a set from Andrew Boyle.

The two teams matched each other on several fronts in the match, namely hitting percentage. UC San Diego edged USC out with a .266 percentage, just .014 higher than the Trojans' .252. The Tritons distanced themselves with 57 kills to the Trojans' 47 and held a commanding 14-5 lead in service aces. USC played tough at the net and ended the night with 11.5 blocks.

Including Cherfan, three Tritons hit double figures in kills as Lim floored 15 and Schellinger added 13. Lim's total equaled his career high. The same trio had 10 or more kills in a season-opening win against George Mason (Cherfan and Schellinger 14, Lim 11).

Cherfan also added six aces, eight digs, and three blocks, ending his outing with 24.5 points. His six aces tied for the most in a single match since UC San Diego began playing in the National Collegiate Division (NCAA Divisions 1 and 2) in 2001.

Boyle crushed his career high with 50 assists. His previous best was 21.

Evan Boyle was a stalwart on defense, finishing with a match-high 11 digs.

The Tritons came out strong in the first set, trading points before breaking out for a four-point run punctuated by a Cherfan kill. UC San Diego extended the lead to 11-7 with another Cherfan kill before USC went on a four-point run of its own to even the score. It remained tight until the Trojans strung together another four-point run to make it 20-15. The Tritons could only manage three more points before dropping the first set 25-18. 

The second set began favorably for the Tritons who took a 3-0 lead with a Trojan service error and a pair of Cherfan aces. The score closed in after this as USC produced three-point runs on two occasions to remain within a point. A service ace from Lim gave the Tritons a 9-8 lead that they did not give up. UC San Diego recorded six service aces in the second set alone. The Tritons continued to control the set with a .368 hitting percentage and 10 kills. They managed to stay ahead despite conceding nine points to service errors.

USC made UC San Diego chase in the third set, starting from a 5-4 deficit. The Tritons did just that as they kept it within two points for all but two instances. UC San Diego surged near the end of the set, tying the game at 20 following a Schellinger kill. Ultimately, three Triton attack errors gave the Trojans the 25-23 set win to go up 2-1.

The hosts also set the pace to open the make-or-break fourth set, going up 4-1 early. UC San Diego went on its first of two 8-4 runs to go up 15-11 at the midpoint. Included in the stint were kills from Cherfan, Andrew Boyle, and Jim Garrison, as well as a line-hugging service ace from Cherfan.  

The Trojans were led by Dillon Klein, who totaled 15 kills. Jack Deucher finished with 11.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS  


WHAT OPPOSITE HITTER ANTHONY CHERFAN HAD TO SAY


TRITON TIDBITS 
• It was the Tritons' first win against USC since Feb. 6, 2020. 
• The last Triton to record six service aces was Chris Sayers vs. Stanford on April 14, 2006.
• Cherfan transferred to UC San Diego following three seasons at BYU. He took a redshirt as a freshman in 2021.
• It was the third five-set match of the season for UC San Diego. The Tritons hold a 2-1 record in those contests.

NEXT UP
UC San Diego and USC go at it again Friday on the Trojans' turf. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.