UCLA
UC Irvine (Quarterfinals)
Volleyball Season Ends at UC Irvine
April 25, 2009 | Men's Volleyball
April 25, 2009
Eighth-seeded UCLA fell in four games Saturday in the quarterfinals of the MPSF Tournament at top-seeded UC Irvine.
The Anteaters won 30-23, 31-29, 30-32, 30-21 in two hours and 14 minutes in front of 2,005 fans at the Bren Center. The loss ended the Bruins' season at 14-16 overall. UCI, which will host the semifinals and championship of the conference tournament, improved to 25-3. The Anteaters' victory was their fourth over UCLA this season.
The deciding juncture of the match seemed to occur late in Game 2. After the Bruins dropped the first game, they matched the top-ranked Eaters point for point in the second game. At 28-28, UCI's Taylor Wilson converted two straight chances to put the Bruins in a near-insurmountable hole, 0-2.
The Bruins battled back in Game 3, taking a 4-0 lead and forcing UCI take an early timeout. Things looked even better when they reeled off four more points and held an 8-1 lead before UCI began its long, patient rally. The Eaters closed to 28-26 after kills by Jordan DuFault and Taylor Wilson forced the Bruins to call a timeout. Two more kills by Wilson tied it up, 28-28. The teams traded points until an attack error gave the Eaters a 30-30 tie. But kills by UCLA's Matt Wade and a hitting error by Wilson gave the Bruins their only set victory.
In Game 4, UCI moved out to a quick 10-5 lead and never looked back. After a UCLA timeout at 10-15, the Eaters ran off three straight points to build an eight-point lead and effectively put the game out of reach. A kill by UCLA's Garrett Muagututia gave the Bruins the serve at 21-28, but freshman Kyle Caldwell's service error returned the serve to UCI. DuFault converted the match-winning kill.
Freshman Jack Poales led UCLA with 18 kills (.324) and added four total blocks. Muagututia added 17 (.455) and freshman Nick Vogel followed with seven (.400). Sophomore Libero Thomas Hastings dug a career high of 13, and setter Kevin Ker recorded 50 assists.
The Bruins hit .292 with two aces, 22 service errors and 6.5 blocks. For UCI, Wilson, Clark and DuFault combined for 63 kills, led by Wilson's 29 (.412) in an attack that hit .350. The Eaters served six aces and recorded 8.0 total blocks.
