LANCER 1-2-3 PUNCH KNOCKS OUT ROYALS
4/2/2006 5:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- While its 10-match winning streak was snapped by NCAA Division I No. 5-ranked Pepperdine on Thursday night, the NAIA's No. 1-ranked and 2-time defending champion California Baptist jumped back into the win column with a 30-26, 30-27, 30-28 win over NAIA No. 7-ranked Hope International Saturday night.
Shamsu Awudu had a team-high 13 kills, while Seidu Ajanako had 12 kills and 8 digs, putting him just 4 digs shy of the school record. Yukai Sun had 10 kills while Eric Plunkett dished out 41 assists in the contest.
It wasn't the prettiest win for the Lancers, who hit just .258 (46-22-93) including 13 game-3 hitting errors, but it was enough to boost their record to 18-8, including a 12-0 record at Van Dyne Gym. The Lancers also close out their regular-season schedule against NAIA competition with a 4-1 mark. The team travels to NCAA Division I UC San Diego on April 5 before hosting the 2006 NAIA National Invitational Tournament April 20-22.
The Royals' Soren Schneider ripped a game-high 18 kills, but was the only player on his team with more than 7 kills, as Hope International drops to 15-7.
Seidu Ajanako, playing in his final regular-season home match, teamed up with Yukai Sun as the pair had 5 kills apiece in the opening set. Despite hitting .545 (14-2-22), the Lancers trailed until Shamsu Awudu nailed a kill following his own block assist to tie the score at 24-24. California Baptist took the lead for good at 26-25, and were aided by 3 unforced hitting errors in the game's final 6 points.
The Lancers also trailed for the majority of the second set, until back-to-back kills by Urs Gunthor gave them the lead at 22-21. Another kill by Gunthor gave California Baptist the lead for good at 25-24. Gunthor, Ajanako, and Awudu had 4 kills apiece in the second game, and Ajanako had 5 digs to highlight a .235 (15-7-34) team hitting performance.
Characteristic of Hope International's night, Schneider had 9 of his team's 16 kills in the second set, as the Royals hit .406 (16-2-32) in the effort.
Awudu's back-to-back service aces gave the Lancers a 14-12 lead in the final set, and they kept the lead until the Royals' Dante Jones connected on a Schneider set to tie the game at 20-20. Hope International then gained the lead, and led 24-22 after a block by Mike Murphy. Awudu stepped up again with a kill to make the score 27-26, and the Lancers finished the match on a 4-2 run.
