Box Score IRVINE, Calif. – Setter Dante Chakravorti set an efficient offense as No. 5 UC Irvine swept No. 12 USC (25-17, 25-19, 28-26) at the Bren Events Center Friday.

Chakravorti guided the Anteaters to a season-high .449 (41-10-69) hitting percentage, dishing 39 set assists.

UCI, who  improves to 3-1 overall, also dominated on the defense end, out-blocking (8-1) and out-digging (23-15) the Trojans.

Aaron Koubi topped UCI with a season-high 13 kills and eight digs. The senior hit .536 (13-3-19) and added two block assists. Karl Apfelbach added nine kills, two aces and six blocks, while middle blocker Matthew Younggren had seven kills. Middle blocker Scott Stadick hit .714 (5-0-7) and matched Apfelbach with six block assists. Libero David Parker had seven digs and outside hitter JB Kam pitched in six kills.

Gianluca Grasso led USC with 14 kills followed by Ryan Moss with 13.

Behind the serving of Dante Chakravorti, UCI jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set then three consecutive kills by Karl Apfelbach stretched the lead to 8-3. A kill by Aaron Koubi followed by another from Matthew Younggren pushed the advantage to 17-12. The Anteaters would take the set 25-17 on a block by Scott Stadick and Afpelbach.

With UCI leading 10-9 in the second set, the Anteaters had a kill by JB Kam, a block by Stadick and Apfelbach and a kill by Apfelbach to open the advantage to 13-9. UCI would not relinquish the lead using a kill by Kam and an ace by Apfelbach to end the set 25-19.

In the third set, a Trojan kill, a UCI attack error and an ace put USC on top 12-7. USC got to 20 first, holding the 20-16 lead, but UCI rallied scoring five of the next six to knot the score at 21-21. The Trojans answered with the next two and would hold set point 24-22. A USC service error and a kill by Younggren kept UCI alive, knotting the score at 24.  Tied at 26, a Koubi kill and a USC attack that went wide ended the match, 28-26.

UCI will play the next five matches away from the Bren Center, starting with a trip to No. 10 Pepperdine Sunday (Jan. 14) at 3:00 p.m.

NOTES: Koubi led the Anteaters in just his second match of the season…Eight blocks is the second most this season…Stadick has recorded five or more blocks in three of the first four matches…23 digs is a season-low…UCI has won five of the last six matches against the Trojans.