Volleyball Wins 2nd Round Match in Hawai'i Invitational
January 11, 2013 | Men's Volleyball
Jan. 11, 2013
The fifth-ranked Bruins needed five sets to put away 10th-ranked Ohio State in the second round of the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Invitational on Friday night in Honolulu. Scores of the match were 17-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13. It was UCLA's third straight win on the year and its fifth of the season against one loss. Ohio State, which defeated host Hawai'i in five sets on Thursday, dropped its first match of the year and sits at 2-1 on the year.
In set 5, UCLA started quickly and took a 2-0 lead on kills by Spencer Rowe and Jonathan Bridgeman. Ohio State battled back to tie the score at six and again at eight. A Buckeye spurt put them up 11-9 and Bruin coach John Speraw called timeout. UCLA tied it up at 12-all on a back-row kill by Kene Izuchukwu and a hitting error. The Bruin block of Bridgeman, Rowe and Dane Worley earned a 13-12 advantage. OSU tied it up at 13 with a hit off the block. A pair of Bruin blocks, the first by Bridgeman and Rowe with the next by Rowe and Izuchukwu, ended the match.
In set 1, the Bruins got down early at 7-3 and trailed 14-9 midway through. They were still down 17-12 before a Buckeye spurt earned the win by a 25-17 count.
In set 2, the score was tied early at 3-3. UCLA took an 8-6 lead on a kill by Rowe. OSU rallied and a Kendall Partie kill tied the score at 12. The Bruins recaptured the lead at 14-13 on a spike by Worley. Another Worley kill moved the margin to 23-20 and UCLA went on to a 25-22 decision.
In set 3, the lead went back and forth and was tied a 7-all. A Partie block knotted it up at 8-all, but the Buckeyes used a scoring run to move in front 16-13. A tip from Rowe brought UCLA to within one at 17-16, but OSU tallied the next two points for a 19-16 edge. The Buckeyes closed the set by scoring five of the last six points to earn a 25-18 win.
In set 4, UCLA jumped out to a 4-1 lead. After two Worley kills, UCLA enjoyed a 9-5 margin. A Rowe kill made it 11-7 Bruins. A Worley ace was good for a 14-10 lead and a Worley kill made it 20-13. Bridgeman's kill was good for a 23-14 advantage and the Bruins captured the set 25-18.
Worley led UCLA with 19 kills while Izuchukwu added 13 and nine digs. Rowe finished with seven total blocks and 13 kills. Evan Mottram topped the Bruins with 11 digs. Scott Vegas chipped in with eight kills and six digs. Connor Bannan handed out 51 set assists and Worley added four aces for the Bruins who will square off against Hawai'I (0-3, heading into tonight's late match against seventh-ranked Penn State) on Saturday in a match which begins at 9 p.m. PT. Go to www.hawaiiathletics.com for live stats, and more, on the Saturday night match.