No. 14 UC Irvine Can't Hold Off No. 8 Hawaii, 3-2
March 26, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
Honolulu, Hawaii – For the second consecutive night, No. 8 Hawaii would beat No. 14 UC Irvine, 3-2 (23-25, 25-27, 26-24, 25-23, 15-11) at the Stan Sheriff Center in a match that last two hours and 50 minutes.
The Anteaters could not hold on to a two set lead and fall to 8-17 on the season and 5-13 in the MPSF. Hawaii goes to 14-9 overall and 9-9 in the MPSF.
UCI had its second best hitting performance at .427 (75-14-143), but Hawaii hit .475 (79-12-141).
UCI had a balanced attack with four players recording double-digit kills. Michael Saeta led the Anteaters with 18 kills and three aces. Thomas Hodges and Kyle Russell each added 16 kills, while Jason Agopian hit .647 with 12 kills and just one error in 17 attempts and had a team-high five blocks. Dante Chakravorti had a career-high 67 set assists and libero Dillon Hoffman had a career-high 19 digs. Marty Ross did not commit an error with nine kills on 14 swings, hitting .643.
The duo of Stijn van Tilburg (27) and Sinisa Zarkovic (25) carried the offensive load for Hawaii. Kupono Fey totaled 12 kills and Hendrik Mol hit .692 (9-0-13).
UCI's first four kills came from four different players as UCI held an early 5-3 lead. A Hawaii service error and a kill by Michael Saeta extended the lead to 14-11. The Warriors would use a 5-2 run, which included two aces, to tie the set at 16 all. UCI would trail 22-21 before a Hawaii service error and a kill by Kyle Russell put UCI in front 23-22 and forced a Hawaii timeout. Kills by Jason Agopian were a bookend to a UCI service error, giving the Anteaters a 25-23 win.
A UCI service error and three straight Hawaii kills gave the Warriors a 7-5 lead in the second set. A kill by Russell, a block by Agopian and Dante Chakravorti, an ace by Saeta and a Hawaii attack error pushed the Anteaters ahead 11-9. An ace by Russell paired with a kill by Agopian extended the Anteater advantage to 15-9. Hawaii would close within 19-18 before Saeta recorded a kill and an ace, 21-18. A Saeta service error, Hawaii ace and kill by Kupono Fey would help the Warriors catch UCI 21-21. A Russell ace gave UCI the 23-21 lead but it quickly evaporated in two plays, 23-23. The teams would trade service errors then kills before another Hawaii service error was followed by a kill by Russell for a 27-25 UCI victory.
A Marty Ross kill and back-to-back Agopian block assists gave UCI a 22-20 advantage in the third set. Following a Hawaii timeout, Saeta put away a ball, 23-20. UH would score the next three and the match was deadlocked at 23-23. Hawaii would then use a kill and an attack error by UCI to turn the set around 25-24 and win 26-24.
A 6-0 run in the fourth set lifted UCI to an 8-4 lead. An 8-2 run by Hawaii gave the Warriors a 15-13 lead. Kills by Agopian and Russell plus a UCI block moved UCI in front 16-15. The teams would be tied four more times before Hawaii would score three of the final four points on UCI mistakes, 25-23.
Hawaii took a 7-3 advantage on a block and went on to win the set 15-11.
The Anteaters return to the mainland, but remain on the road traveling to Cal Baptist Wednesday (Mar. 30).
