California Baptist University
USC
Stacking Blocks
1/30/2014 6:12:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES – After a slow start, California Baptist University turned things around in its second match in as many days Wednesday night.
No. 5-ranked USC managed to pull out two of the final three games in the Galen Center for a four-set Mountain Pacific Sports Federation win (25-13, 25-22, 21-25, 25-21). CBU's record slipped to 3-6 overall, 2-5 in MPSF in the loss, while USC moved to 5-2 on the season, 4-2.
Jonathan Tuttle led the Lancers with a double-double on 14 kills, 10 digs and six blocks. Brett Anderson added 34 assists, eight digs and three blocks for CBU.
It was a strong game off the block for the Lancers collectively, as they racked up 25 team blocks. Amir-Lugo Rodriguez tied Tuttle for a match-high six blocks and Kristopher Johnson added five.
In the first set, CBU kept things close early before USC pulled away with a 10-3 run, which gave the home team a 20-8 advantage. It was enough to cushion the Trojans to a 25-13 victory and one-game lead.
CBU rebounded for an early 6-3 lead in the second game. Two kills from Lugo-Rodriguez and a pair of USC errors aided in the move. The Lancers fought to keep the lead on their side of the net, but the Trojans moved in front, 11-10, about halfway through.
With no intentions of falling into another big hole, the Lancers forced nine more ties in the game – the final coming at 21. USC took back the upper hand and forced game point, 24-21, with a 3-0 run that led to a key two-game advantage.
CBU gave the Trojans a scare in the final three games but could not put together its first winning streak of the season after Tuesday's sweep of Princeton. The Lancers closed out the third game strong and came close to forcing a fifth.
The Lancers stole back momentum in the third, thanks to a 7-3 run that gave them a 10-6 lead. Solo kills from Brink, Joel Blocksom, Tuttle and two block assists from Johnson fueled the spurt for the Lancers.
The visitors did a good job nurturing the advantage and did not led USC any closer than three until a pair of kills from Yoder brought the score to 20-18. CBU called a timeout and came out of the break with a Brink kill. A pair of attacking errors from Southern California sealed the victory for CBU, 25-21.
There were a total of nine ties in the fourth game, with the final coming at 16, brought on by a Jackson Burge kill. USC used a 6-0 run to take a 22-16 lead from there, and with their backs up against the wall, the Lancers responded and pulled back within two at 22-20 on a 4-0 run. The late spurt was propelled by three-straight blocks – with Lugo-Rodriguez assisting on each one.
USC would not let the visitors any closer, however, answering with a kill from Lucas Yoder and Micah Christenson service ace to survive CBU's surge and walk away with the match.
The Lancers get some much needed time to recover after playing four matches in six days, looking to recharge before hosting No. 4-ranked BYU on Monday night at 7 p.m.
