MVB Swings To Win at No. 4 UC Irvine

Saturday, February 3

Irvine, CA

7:00 PM

UCLA

10-1

UC Irvine

10-2

UCLA

UC Irvine

Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA

MVB Swings To Win at No. 4 UC Irvine

February 03, 2018 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score UCLA at UCI pdf Box UCLA MVB Stats

The No. 2-ranked UCLA men's volleyball team used a season-high hitting percentage to defeat No. 4-ranked UC Irvine in four sets in a non-league match at Irvine on Saturday night. Scores of the contest were 25-21, 25-22, 18-25, 25-19. UCLA upped its record to 10-1 on the season and will host CSUN on Tuesday night in Pauley before beginning Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play on the road at Concordia and Grand Canyon later in the week.

Christian Hessenauer led a balanced Bruin attack with 15 kills (.400). JT Hatch (.500) and Daenan Gyimah (.619) each added 14 kills. It was a season-high total for Gyimah. Dylan Missry totaled a season-best 13 kills (.391) and two aces. Micah Ma'a handed out 56 set assists and the Bruins connected on a season-high .455 hitting percentage for the match. Garland Peed led the team with nine digs.

In set one, UC Irvine pulled out to leads of 2-5 and then built up a 7-10 advantage. UCLA chipped away and evened the score at 15-all on a kill by Hatch which came in the middle of a six-point Bruin run behind the serve of Missry. After a kill by Hessenauer, UCLA had flipped the score and moved in front 18-15. The Bruins maintained the lead until the end of the set and led 24-21 after Missry's sixth kill of the set. Set point came in the form of an Oliver Martin / Hessenauer block for a 25-21 win.

The Bruins took a 3-1 lead at the start of set two after an ace from Missry. UCI fought back to tie the score at 5-all. The score was even at 10-all before the 'Eaters pulled away to leads of 13-16 and 16-19. The Bruins rallied to tie it up at 19 after kills by Hatch, Gyimah and then Missry. The score was even at 20 and 21 before UCLA grabbed a 22-21 edge on a Missry kill. Gyimah then fired off two straight aces to take it to set point. UCI fought off one point and then Martin delivered the win on a kill for a 25-22 victory.

UCLA went down 1-4 in set three. The Bruins battled back to tie the score at 4-all. UC Irvine then moved in front on a service error and ran out to a 7-11 advantage. The home team managed to build up a 12-17 margin before UCLA drew back to within two at 17-19. The 'Eaters then scored on two straight kills for a 17-21 lead. Hessenauer blasted a kill for 18-21. However, after a Bruin service error, Irvine tallied three straight kills for the set at 18-25.

UCLA established the early lead in set four at 5-2 following a pair of kills by Hatch. A Martin spike made it 9-6 for the Bruins. UC Irvine closed to 15-13 after an ace, but could get no closer than the two-point deficits at 16-14, 18-16 and finally at 19-17. An ace by Missry and a kill by Hessenauer lifted the Bruins to a 22-17 advantage. Gyimah's kill pushed the lead to 23-18. After a UCI service error took it to match point, Micah Ma'a and Martin teamed up on a block for the win at 25-19. The Bruins hit .727 for the set with no errors on 22 swings.