March 21, 2008
Box Score
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Pacific men's volleyball team earned its second consecutive victory with a four-game defeat of NJIT in a non-conference match on Friday, Mar. 21, at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Game scores were 30-24, 31-33, 30-23, and 33-31.
Pacific entered the night's matchup riding the coattails of victory, and my, did it ever play in their favor. Game one started off with a battle back and forth between the teams for the lead. The teams answered each other kill for kill until finally, a kill from New Jersey's Amobi Armstrong notched the score at 6-6. The intensity raged on as kill after kill fell from both sides, when a kill from junior Jeff Hendershot (Claremont, Calif.) gave the Tigers a three point lead, 18-15.
It was here that Pacific never looked back and they maintained the lead the rest of the game, tallying a four-point lead at one point, 24-20. A kill by senior Simon Chen-Byerley (Northfield, Ill.) pushed the kept the lead for the Tigers until finally, consecutive hitting errors by the Highlanders gave the game to the Tigers, 30-28. Pacific was led by senior Pekka Seppanen (Kuopio, Finland) who totaled four kills on eight swings for a .500 hitting percentage.
Game two saw the Tigers facing a much different Highlander squad. New Jersey rocketed out to an early 5-3 lead behind a kill from Leonardo Paludo on the outside, and held the lead for a majority of the game. The Highlander's offense made a complete turnaround from the first game, and shocked the Tigers at times. Trailing 9-12, Pacific answered back with a kill from Seppanen on the outside. From here the two teams battled each other, exchanging blow after blow, until the score was 20-17, New Jersey lead. Paludo again led an offensive attack from the Highlanders, and they fought hard with the Tigers, neither team showing signs of slowing down.
With the score tied at 24-24, the teams saw the lead change four more times, and tie four more times down the stretch, as the battle of attrition was on. Locked up at 31-31, Paludo again buried a ball for New Jersey, and an attack error gave the Highlanders the game, 33-31. Pacific was again led by Seppanen who tallied 10 kills alone in the game.
With the sour taste of defeat in their mouths, the Tigers came into game three wanting to make a statement; and everyone heard what they had to say. Behind several mistakes from New Jersey, as well as timely kills from Chen-Byerley and Seppanen Pacific charged out to an 8-4 lead. Errors continued to plague the Highlanders as the Tigers' offense stayed steady to cruise out to a 20-13 lead.
New Jersey attempted to mount a rally of their own, with a kill from Eduardo Welter on the outside, but it was to no avail as the Tigers' hitters overpowered the Highlanders en route to a definitive 30-23 win. Hendershot paced the Tigers in the game with five kills.
Game four paralleled game two in nature as New Jersey got out a strong 6-2 lead behind a Pacific hitting error. For the better part of the first half of the game, the Tigers were kept at bay by the Highlander offense, at one point trailing 13-9. It was here where Pacific decided to buckle down and move their game into high gear. Scoring seven out of the next nine points, a Seppanen kill gave Pacific a 16-15 lead. Once again, the teams were waged in a war of wills, as the point spread was never more then three the rest of the game.
Leading 25-22, Pacific ran into a bump in the road, and that bump was the Highlander offense. A kill by middle blocker Greg Wagner sparked a five point rally from New Jersey and found the Tigers in a two point hole, trailing 25-27. After a time out Pacific answered back and tied the score at 27-27 with a New Jersey hitting error. Back and forth the teams went, trading kill for kill, until the score was again, 31-31. Two consecutive attack errors by New Jersey gave the game and the match to the Tigers 33-31. The victory was Pacific's first home win of the season.
Pacific was led by Seppanen who led all attackers with 27 kills on 58 swings hitting .358. Chen-Byerley added 15 of his own for a .591 hitting percentage.
New Jersey was led by Paludo who earned 20 kills for the Highlanders.
Pacific is next in action Saturday Mar. 22, as they play game two of weekend series against New Jersey Institute of Technology. First serve is scheduled for 7:00pm..
