IRVINE, Calif. – No. 2 UC Irvine won a five-set slugfest with No. 5 USC (25-20, 26-28, 25-21, 18-25, 26-24) in a 2 hour and 48 minute match at the Bren Events Center Wednesday.

UCI would fight off eight match points in the marathon fifth set, using a USC service error and solo block by Hilir Henno to end the match. The final set saw 23 ties and seven lead changes.

The Anteaters remain undefeated at 9-0 and handed USC its first loss of the season, 9-1.

UCI had several players with career nights, led by opposite's Nolan Flexen's first-career double-double and personal best of 27 kills and 12 digs. He hit .420 with just six errors in 50 swings and had five block assists.  

The Anteaters had a season-high 17.5 blocks, which are the fourth most in the country this season and out-blocked the nation's leader who had 10.0. Junior Maxim Grigoriev had 12 total blocks (2 solo), the most in the country this season.

Setter Joe Karlous totaled a career and nation's-high 73 set assists and 15 digs to go with four total blocks, including one important solo in the fifth set. His 73 assists are a UCI rally scoring record and the most ever by a Big West player.

HEAD COACH DAVID KNIFFIN
"Nolan was consistently good from start to finish tonight. Hilir was great in all the moments he needed to be great. Shane and Joe made some fantastic plays. Joe made some plays that only Joe Karlous can make and Shane was so consistent, he made every libero before him proud. Max should be in the conversation for most complete player in the league."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Outside hitter Hilir Henno had a season-best 24 kills and recorded nine digs, five block assists and an ace
>Sophomore Andon Kiriakou made his second career start and had career-bests of 10 kills and eight digs
>Libero Shane Aitken had a career-high 11 digs
>Freshman middle blocker Micah Goss had a career-high 10 kills, hitting .615 without an error (10-0-16). He added three block assists
>UCI out-hit (.335-.311), out-dug (60-58) and out-aced (4-3) the Trojans
>USC was led by Dillon Klein's 18 kills and 11 digs. Sterling Foley and Jack Deuchar each had 16 kills

FIRST SET
>A kill by Andon Kiriakou was followed by an ace by Nolan Flexen and a pair of Trojan attacks that sailed long giving UCI a 7-2 lead
>USC would rally and score three in a row to close to 8-9
>Two consecutive UCI errors, the last a block by the Trojans tied the set at 11s
>UCI went up 18-15 on a USC service error, block assist by Hilir Henno and Maxim Grigoriev and a kill by Henno
>A kill by Flexen and a block by Grigoriev and Flexen stretched the lead to 20-16
>Kiriakou had a solo block for the set-winner, 25-20

SECOND SET
>USC jumped out to the early 3-0 lead
>Impressive defensive efforts by Flexen and Joe Karlous led to a Flexen kill in the back corner, 2-3
>UCI would catch the Trojans at 8-8 on a kill by Henno and block by Flexen and Grigoriev  
>UCI would take its first lead on a Henno ace, 10-9
>Teams would battle back-and-forth then Henno softly found the middle of the court out of the back row to tie the set at 20-20
>UCI held set point but USC would turn the tables and go ahead 25-24
>Behind the tough serving of Henno, UCI used a kill by Flexen and a block by William D'Arcy and Grigoriev to move back in front 26-25
>Three consecutive kills by USC followed handing the Trojans the set 28-26

THIRD SET
>Kills by Goss and Henno helped UCI out to a 5-2 lead
>USC would score the next three to tie the set at 5 all
>A pair of kills by Henno and another by Goss put UCI up 12-10
>The Anteaters would led 14-11 on a kill by Flexen, but USC once again answered with three unanswered tying the score at 14s
>Kills by Flexen and Henno and an ace by Karlous gave UCI a 22-19 lead
>A Goss kill put the Anteaters at set point, 24-20
>Following a USC kill, Flexen recorded a kill to end the set, 25-21

FOURTH SET
>A 3-1 run by USC pushed the Trojans in front 8-5
>Three kills and a block were sandwiched between a USC service error extending the Trojans lead to 15-10
>USC never lost control winning 25-18 and forcing a fifth set
>UCI hit .181 (11-6-31)

FIFTH SET
>A UCI service error and a kill gave USC the first lead, 5-3
>A Trojan attack that sailed wide plus a block by Grigoriev and Flexen knotted the score at 5-5
>Kiriakou bounced a kill, 7-6 then USC responded with a pair of kills, 8-7
>Karlous went up and rejected a ball to ignite the Bren Center crowd then Flexen buried a
ball to give UCI the 11-10 lead
>Two consecutive kills by Dillon Klein would give USC match-point 15-14 only to watch UCI extend the night with a kill by  Flexen
>A pair of Henno kills gave the Anteaters match-point only to watch a UCI service error plus a USC kill flip the script putting the Trojans at match-point 18-17
>UCI would continue to stay alive and used a pair of Henno kills to hold match point at 24-23
>Following a USC kill, UCI used a Trojan service error and a block by Henno and Goss to end the marathon set, 26-24
 
NOTES
>Flexen's 27 kills are tied for fifth most in the country this season
>It is the third time Flexen has posted 20 or more kills in his career
>The nine consecutive wins to start the season is the best since the 2007 started with the same record

UP NEXT
The two teams will meet again Friday (Feb. 14) at the Galen Center beginning at 7:00 p.m.