California Baptist University
UC Irvine
Blanked In Irvine
1/5/2012 6:42:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
CBU lost 25-20, 25-18, 25-21, keeping the match competitive throughout, with tenacious defense. The Lancers out-dug the Anteaters 45-37, but couldn't overcome a .133 hitting percentage.
"Our middle blockers did a great job getting to a lot of the balls they were sending over the net and that allowed our guys to get some good digs," said Interim Head Coach Allan Vince. "They were a very scrappy team as well. The difference was, when they got opportunities to run their plays, they ran them fast and effectively. That's something we need to be able to do."
CBU held All-American Carson Clark to just eight kills on 31 attempts, but Kevin Carroll picked up the slack for the Anteaters, hitting .304 with 11 kills.
The Lancers got solid production from both of their middle blockers in the match, with Kristopher Johnson hitting .462 on seven kills and Joseph Fitzpatrick hitting .556 with five kills.
The lead changed hands seven times in the opening set as the teams traded points for much of the game. With the score tied at 14-14, UCI rattled off four-straight points and would hold the advantage for the rest of the set.
A late 6-2 run in the second game by the Anteaters, propelled by two big service aces sealed the first set win for UCI. UCI had seven service aces in the match to just one for the Lancers.
"Garret Kreutziger I thought was a real bright spot late in the match for us," said Vince. "He had a big block late in the third set and then had some good serves that helped us make that competitive. We just couldn't finish it."
Kreutziger followed his only kill of the night with his only block and then served on a pair of points that pulled the Lancers to within 23-21 late in the third. Out of a UCI timeout, though, Clark ripped a kill and then Carroll finished CBU off with an ace.
Connor Metcalfe had 25 assists for the Lancers and also led all players in the match with 13 digs. Michael Cate had 10 digs.
"They seemed loose throughout the match, while we were playing tighter and always seemed to be on our heels," said Vince. "We've got a good young team that is going to have to grow up fast. We play some good competition so there's not a lot of room for error."
The loss for CBU comes a day after the Lancers dropped a hard fought exhibition match in five sets to Alberta. The road doesn't get any easier for CBU as No. 5 USC comes to the Van Dyne Gym tomorrow at 7 p.m. The Lancers will host another Canadian exhibition on Saturday against Manitoba.
