UCLA
17-10
UC Irvine (MPSF Quarterfinals)
20-6
MVB Dealt MPSF Quarterfinal Setback at UCI
April 15, 2017 | Men's Volleyball
The No. 6 UCLA men's volleyball team saw its season come to a close in a four-set decision at No. 5-ranked UC Irvine in an MPSF Quarterfinal playoff match on Saturday night in Orange County. Scores of the match were 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 22-25. Jake Arnitz led the Bruins attack with 18 kills while hitting .364. The Bruins end the year with a 17-10 record. UC Irvine improved to 20-6 on the season and will advance to the MFPSs semifinals next week. UC Irvine outhit the Bruins for the match .374 to .259.
In set one, UC Irvine separated first by taking an early 4-6 lead. UCLA came back to tie the score at 7-all. UCI then moved ahead by two on several occasions, the last at 11-13. The Bruins evened it up after a service error and attack error. The score was then tied at points 14 thru 17. Irvine pulled out to a 18-21 advantage and then went up 19-22. A kill by Micah Ma'a stopped the streak and then Ma'a served the Bruins to four straight points for a 24-22 lead sparked by a kill by Dylan Missry which made it 21-22. Missry then teamed with Mitch Stahl on a block to knot the score at 22-each. An ace by Ma'a put UCLA in front 23-22 and a triple block by Missry, Stahl and Christian Hessenauer took the Bruins to set point. UCI closed to 24-23 after a service error. A big swing from Jake Arnitz earned the Bruins a comeback win. Eric Sprague led UCLA with five kills. The team hit .321 to UCI's .261 mark.
In the second set, UCLA grabbed the lead at 4-3 and held it until UCI tied it up at 20-all. The Bruins led by as many as three points on multiple occasions, the last coming at 14-11. UCI closed to within one at 15-14, 16-15, 17-16, 18-17, 19-18 and then 20-19 before taking the lead at 20-21 following a kill and a block. The score was then even at points 21 and 22. The home team moved up 22-24 after a Bruin service error and attack error. The seventh kill of the set by Arnitz saved one set point, but a service error gave UCI the set win at 23-25. UCLA hit .333 to .292 for UCI. The Bruins had nine service errors.
UC Irvine stormed out to a 0-4 edge to begin set three. The 'Eaters upped the margin to 6-12 after scoring three straight on a couple of kills and a block. The Bruins answered with four straight after a Hagen Smith kill, a block by Smith-Oliver Martin and Arnitz, a UCI error and an ace by Michael Fisher to make it 10-12. Two straight Bruin errors pushed UCI back in front 12-16. A couple of Hessenauer kills closed the gap to 18-21. Another kill by Hessenauer made it 20-23. Irvine took a 20-24 lead after a Bruin service error. The Anteaters returned the favor to make it 21-24 and then captured the set on a kill. UCI outhit the Bruins for the set .458 to .120 and added four blocks during the set.
Four straight points lifted UCLA into a 4-2 lead to begin the fourth set. The Bruins then built the lead up to a 11-7 margin after an ace by Arnitz and a kill by Missry. UCI rallied to level the score at 13-all. The score was then even at points 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 before the Anteaters registered two straight on a kill and a Bruin error. Kills by Missry and Hessenauer pulled UCLA within one at 19-20 and then 20-21. A couple of Bruin errors put UCI in front 20-23, leading to a timeout. A Ma'a kill cut it to 21-23, but UCI answered with two straight to end the match. UCI hit .460 for the set to .250 for the Bruins.
