Los Angeles, Calif. – Outside hitter Jeremy Dejno had a solid match in all aspects of the game as No. 2 UC Irvine beat No. 14 USC 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-21) at the Lyon Center Friday night.

 

Dejno led UCI with 12 kills, three aces, three total blocks and four digs. Outside hitter Kevin Tillie added 10 kills, two aces and a team-best nine digs. Middle blocker Collin Mehring had six kills, while middle blocker Scott Kevorken totaled five kills and a team- best six blocks including a career-high three solo blocks. Opposite Connor Hughes rounded out the balanced offensive attack with five kills, seven digs and three blocks.

 

The second-ranked Anteaters improve to 17-5 overall and 14-5 in the MPSF, while USC drops to 4-12 overall nd in the MPSF.

Alex Slaught and Cristian Rivera led USC with six kills apiece. Joey Booth and Robert Feathers each added five kills in the loss. The Trojans hot .184 for the match.

 

Middle blocker Scott Kevorken helped UCI jump out to a 7-2 lead in the first set with two kills and two blocks. The Trojans would go on an 8-3 run to tie the score at 10-10 but UCI answered with the next five points on a Trojan service and attack errors, two kills by Jeremy Dejno and an ace by Kevin Tillie, 15-10. USC helped the Anteaters with four service errors late as UCI closed out the set 25-18.

 

In the second set, UCI opened a 13-8 lead on a pair of Tillie kills, an ace by Connor Hughes and a kill by Dejno. A kill by Collin Mehring plus back-to-back blocks by Dejno and Scott Kevorken extended the lead to 21-13 as the Anteaters would take the set, 25-20.

 

Kills by Mehring, Hughes and Dejno, two more blocks by Kevorken and a Trojan error gave UCI a fast 6-1 lead in the third set. Five straight USC points jump started a 10-3 run to give USC its first lead of the set at 14-13. A USC service error was followed by a kill by Tillie and consecutive aces by Dejno to put UCI back on top, 17-14. Kills by Dejno and Mehring stretched the advantage to 20-16, but the Trojans rallied on a kill by Robert Feathers, ace by Micah Christensen and back-to-back kills by Alex Slaught, 20-20. Following the deadlock, a USC attack error, a Connor Hughes kill, block by Mehring and a kill by Dejno gave UCI a 23-20 cushion. After a UCI service error, the Anteaters would win the set on a Trojan service error and a kill by Dejno.

 

UCI will take next week off for final exams and will return to action on Mar. 30 when they host UCLA at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.

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