UCLA
Lewis University
Bruins Defeat Flyers, 3-1, in Men's Volleyball
March 04, 2000 | Men's Volleyball
March 4, 2000
The UCLA men's volleyball team defeated its sixth Top 10 opponent this season by handing visiting No. 9 Lewis University a 3-1 loss in Pauley Pavilion Saturday.
The Bruins (16-3) won 12-15, 15-9, 15-1, 15-4 in two hours, five minutes in front of 512 spectators. UCLA has now won five straight matches.
After sleepwalking through Game 1 and losing 15-12, the Bruins turned up heat and melted the Flyers (10-6) with hot hitting, scalding blocks and sizzling serves.
In Game 2, they broke a 9-9 tie when junior Mark Williams served five consecutive points, including two aces to burn the Flyers.
In Game 3, UCLA scorched Lewis for a 50% attack percentage. Williams spiked three kills, senior Evan Thatcher recorded four, sophomore Matt Komer added five and freshman Greg Coon snapped nine. The Flyers hit just .119 with 14 kills in 42 swings.
In Game 4, the Bruins recorded 10 team blocks, equaling their total for the three previous games. Coon blocked three balls, senior Brandon Taliaferro added four and Morrow recorded six. UCLA's blocking limited Lewis to a hitting percentage of -2.9%
For the match, Thatcher led the Bruins with 21 kills (.366), followed by Williams with 18 (.297) and 10 digs. Coon, in his first appearance as a starter, hammered 17 kills (.615) and blocked nine balls, both career highs. Morrow added eight blocks. The Bruins also out-served the Flyers 7-0 in the ace department.
Senior Eduardo Quinones spiked 21 kills to lead Lewis, but was held to 21.7% on the attack. Jorge Alifonso added 19 kills, but hit just 12.8%.
UCLA returns to league play Wed., Mar. 8 with a match at UC Santa Barbara at 7:05 p.m. The Bruins will return home Mar. 10 for a match against Ball State, followed by a Mar. 11 contest with Concordia of New York.
