 |  |
Pacific Dominates UCSD To Take 3-0 Match Victory
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego (3-15, 1-12 MPSF) | 17 | 25 | 16 | 0 | ||
| Pacific (6-12, 4-9 MPSF) | 25 | 27 | 25 | 3 |
| UC San Diego | Pacific |
|---|---|
|
K:
Johl Awerkamp - 10
B: Sebastian Brady - 3 D: Mike Brunsting - 7 SA: N/A |
K:
Taylor Hughes - 17
B: Sean Daley - 7 D: Patrick Tunnell - 7 SA: Sean Daley - 3 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | UC San Diego | Pacific |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | .193 | .395 |
| Blocks | 4.5 | 12.0 |
| Digs | 25 | 24 |
| Aces | 0 | 5 |
Stockton, Calif. – The Pacific men's volleyball team returned to action in the Alex G. Spanos Center on Saturday, March 3 for a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) match against UC San Diego. The Tigers controlled the entire match to sweep the Tritons 3-0 (25-17, 27-25, 25-16). The win improved No. 12 Pacific to 6-12 (4-9 MPSF) and dropped the Tritons to 3-15 (1-12 MPSF).
The Tigers hit .395 as a team, with seniors Florian Gornik and Sean Daley hitting .476 and .455, respectively. However, more impressively junior outside hitter Taylor Hughes hit a season-high .519 with 17 kills for the match. On the opposite side of the pins, the Tigers collected 12 blocks, with six coming from Daley.
The Tigers dominated the opening set to take the game 25-17 behind six kills from Hughes and five off the arm of Gornik. The Tigers would never trail in the set, while hitting .577 and notching two separate 5-0 runs to distance itself from UCSD.
Senior Sean Daley added three kills for the Tigers in the first set to hit a perfect 1.000. Hughes and Gornik hit .667 and .600, respectively, for the Pacific offense. Junior setter Patrick Tunnell had an exceptional game with 12 assists, while junior Matthew Houlihan added a team-high four digs. Junior Christian Ahlin also would record three blocks in the set.
The second set was a bit more difficult for the Tigers as they traded points to bring the score to 16-all. Then Pacific would go on a 5-0 run that put them ahead 21- 16. Out of a UCSD timeout, the Tritons would chip away at the lead before finally tying the set at 25. However, two straight attack errors during the bonus points gave Pacific the 27-25 game victory.
Leading the Tigers in the second frame was Hughes, who hit .500 to collect six kills. Gornik and Daley would add three and two kills, respectively. Daley would also add two blocks in the set. Tunnell led Pacific with 10 assists and three digs. Tunnell finished the match with 35 assists.
The Tigers controlled all of game three to snag a 25-16 game and match victory. Pacific jumped out to an early 12-7 lead and never looked back. Hughes and Gornik lead the Tigers in the set totaling nine kills, while both hitting in the .400s.
The Tritons were led by Johl Awerkamp's 10 kills, while hitting .250. UCSD also saw a nice game from Fred Stahl who tallied seven kills to hit .462.
The Tigers continue conference play next weekend with a pair of matches at BYU on March 9 and 10.
