MVB Aces No. 14 UCSD
The No. 2 UCLA men's volleyball team (7-1) dealt No. 14 UC San Diego (3-5) a non-league setback in four frames in a match played in San Diego on Wednesday night. Scores of the match were 22-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-16. The Bruins aced a season-best 13 service attempts against the Tritons led by Ethan Champlin and Ido David who each totaled four aces. Cole Ketrzynski posted a season-high 13 kills and hit .455. The Bruins will play next on Friday night at top-ranked Long Beach State (6-1) at 7 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid.
In set one, UCSD moved out to a 2-5 advantage. UCLA tied the set at 9-each after a Miles Partain / Merrick McHenry block. An ace from Guy Genis put UCLA in front 10-9. Ketrzynski's swing put the Bruins up 13-11. A series of Triton errors helped lift UCLA into an 18-14 lead. However, UCSD answered with four straight to even the set. The Tritons put three more points together to break a 20-all tie. A couple of Bruin service errors provided the final two points for the hosts and a 22-25 win. UCLA hit .207 for the frame.
In set two, UCLA stormed out to a 10-2 lead thanks to the serve of Champlin who equaled the school record with four straight service aces in a set for points 7, 8, 9 and 10. The most recent Bruin to achieve the service feat was Jake Arnitz in 2015 in a match at USC. UCLA still enjoyed a 15-6 edge after a McHenry kill. UCSD scored three straight to get to 19-13, but the Bruins pulled away down the stretch for a 25-17 win. UCLA hit .429 in the set.
The Tritons grabbed another 2-5 lead to begin set three. UCLA leveled the score at 8-all after another Miles Partain / McHenry block. UCSD snapped an 11-all tie with a three-point run for an 11-14 edge. UCLA utilized a service run by Ido David, which included three aces, to even the score at 16-each and then moved into the lead at 18-16. The home team rebounded to level the score at 20. Genis' fifth kill of the set sparked a run of three straight Bruin points. UCSD responded with three consecutive points of its own. A couple of Triton errors finished the set and provided the Bruins a 25-23 win.
UCLA moved to a 5-1 lead to start set four following a couple of aces from Miles Partain. UCSD closed to 10-8. The Bruins surged back up to a 15-11 lead after a block by Genis/David. A swing by Ketrzynski upped the margin to 18-13. The Tritons narrowed the difference to 19-16, but UCLA responded with the next six points to close out the set and the match. The Bruins hit .583 for the set.