MVB Secures First MPSF Win at CUI

Friday, February 14

Irvine, CA

7:00 PM

UCLA

6-5,1-2MPSF

Concordia University Irvine

5-8,1-2MPSF

UCLA

Concordia (CA)

Cole Ketrzynski on the attack for the Bruins.

Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA

MVB Secures First MPSF Win at CUI

February 14, 2020 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (pdf)Stats

The No. 8 UCLA men's volleyball team (6-5, 1-2) earned its first league win in a four-set decision at Concordia (6-8, 1-2) in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) contest played in Irvine on Friday night. Scores of the match were 25-19, 17-25, 28-26, 25-17. The Bruins will return home on Sunday to host USC (2-10, 0-3) in a MPSF match that begins at 5 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.

In set one, UCLA took a 6-3 lead early after kills from Daenan Gyimah and Cole Ketrzynski. A block by Matt Younggren and Cole Pender upped the advantage to 9-5. CUI answered with the next five points to take the lead. With the score tied at 12, the Bruins tallied the next three points on a couple of Ketrzynski kills and an ace from Mads Kyed Jensen. Concordia closed to 20-18, but UCLA responded with five of the next six points to finish off the Eagles. The last two points came on back-to-back aces from Younggren, his third and fourth aces of the set, which resulted in a 25-19 win.

With the score tied at 7-all, Concordia ran off eight of the next 10 points to move out to a 9-15 advantage. UCLA trailed 12-18 after a Ketrzynski kill and 13-19 after a kill from Younggren but could not get closer down the stretch. CUI finished off the set with a 17-25 win after hitting .438 for the frame with five aces.

UCLA jumped out to a 7-4 edge after a triple-block from Ketrzynski/Pender/Younggren. A kill by Ketrzynski lifted the Bruins into a 10-6 lead. The margin grew to five points after a kill from Gyimah at 14-9. CUI ran off four of the next five points in a run to move to within one, at 20-19. An Eagle service error and a Gyimah/Ketrzynski block put UCLA back in front by 22-19. The Bruins went up 24-21 after a block solo by Gyimah. Concordia answered with three straight points to even the score at 24-all. The score was then even at 25 and 26 before Ketrzynski and Kyed Jensen kills ended the set. UCLA hit .257 to .162 for CUI.

UCLA took a 5-3 early lead and then scored the next four points to extend the gap to 9-3. Concordia rattled off six of the next eight points to pull within two, at 11-9. After a Bruin timeout, UCLA tallied the next three points on a Younggren kill, a Kyed Jensen kill and a block by Younggren/Matautia/Kyed Jensen to move in front 14-9. A Ketrzynski kill and an ace from Austin Matautia upped the margin to 20-12 as the Bruins captured set four by a 25-17 score.

Ketrzynski equaled his season-best with 17 kills to lead the Bruins attack. Gyimah registered a season-high tying 14 kills, hitting .600. Younggren finished with a career-best four aces and added five block assists. Pender totaled four kills and four block assists in a start as an attacker. Cole Power had a season-best 13 digs at libero. UCLA outhit Concordia .301 to .221. Each team recorded nine aces in the match. The Bruins finished with 12.0 blocks to 8.5 for the Eagles.