Men’s volleyball falls in straight sets


The men’s volleyball team fell at No. 8 UCSB in straight sets (19-25, 19-25, 21-25).

USC (3-12, 3-10 MPSF) entered tonight coming off a big five-set upset versus No. 5 Hawaii, but after an eight day lay-off, the Trojans came out of the gates flat, falling behind 2-0.

On the other side of the net, UCSB (12-6, 8-5 MPSF) came ready to play. Redshirt junior outside hitter Jacob Delson propelled the Gauchos to the early lead with 15 kills and a .652 hitting percentage. Redshirt senior outside hitter Austin Kingi added seven more kills and hit .385. The Gauchos as a team hit .436 though the first two sets and .317 for the match.

The Trojans had no answer to the Gaucho attack as their season-long blocking struggles continued. The team recorded only four blocks through the first two sets and added one more in an error-ridden third. USC also struggled attacking throughout the match, recording a meager 31 kills and 18 errors on 89 attempts — a .146 hitting percentage.

In the third set, the Trojans looked more competitive as they traded off points with the Gauchos, but service errors cost them the match. Three early service errors prevented the Trojans from running away with the set, but they still had control with a 15-13 lead. However, a fourth service error off the hands of senior outside hitter Alex Slaught turned the moment to the Gauchos who would win five consecutive points through a USC timeout to take an 18-15 lead.

Coach Jeff Nygaard tried to stop the bleeding with a second timeout and subbed in freshman opposite Ryan Moss. Moss recorded a quick kill, but three more service errors effectively killed the Trojans’ chances at a comeback.

The Gauchos did not play their best in that set either as they hit only marginally better at a mark of .074. That said, they recorded three blocks and stymied USC’s offense.

It was an ugly set to watch that ended a season sweep for the Gauchos over the Trojans.

With nine games left in MPSF play, the two teams are in very different positions. The Gauchos are sitting near the top of the league with an almost surefire chance at making the playoffs. Their focus will be on making late season improvements to make a run for the NCAA tournament.

Meanwhile the Trojans will have to give it their all to make the MPSF playoffs in coach Nygaard’s first year at the helm.