LA JOLLA, Calif. ? The UC San Diego men's volleyball team won its 2008 opener on Friday night. The Tritons defeated UC Santa Cruz 28-30, 30-28, 30-24, 30-26 in front of 259 fans in RIMAC Arena. It was the ninth win for the Tritons in their last 10 meetings with the Banana Slugs. Jason Spangler led a trio of Tritons with at least 10 kills as Spangler tallied a match-high 22. Frank Fritsch added 17, while Tyler Kern chipped in with 11 kills with no errors and a .647 hitting clip. Phil Bannan recorded a match-high 37 assists Spangler led all players with 15 digs. Spangler was perfect in 35 reception attempts.
The Tritons trailed by as many as seven points in the first game, trailing 16-9. UCSD came back within 25-23 after a Fritsch ace. UCSD cut it down to a 29-28 after kills by Kern and Fritsch, but UCSC's Austin Einhorn put the game away with a kill at 30-28 UCSC.
The second game featured runs by both teams. UCSC used a 7-0 run to lead 20-15. This was followed by a 6-1 UCSD run which tied the game at 22-22. Game two was tied 10 times, the last at 27-27. Spangler and Fritsch sent down back-to-back kills, giving the Tritons game point. After a UCSD service error, the Tritons called on Fritsch, who put the game away at 30-28 UCSD.
The Tritons continued to play better in each game, with a .387 hitting percentage in the third game. UCSD opened up a 22-17 lead after a solo block by Calvin Ross. UCSC pulled within 26-22, but two UCSC errors pushed the Tritons in front. Russ Hardy slammed down the final kill to give UCSD the 30-24 win.
Game four was tied nine times with four lead changes as the Tritons would hit .438 in the game. Tied at 22-22, UCSD scored five of the next six points to pull away at 27-23 on a Spangler kill. UCSC would pull within two points, but the Tritons responded with points each time. Kern recorded a kill and Spangler ended the match with an ace at 30-26.
UCSD returns to the court on Friday, January 11 when it hosts BYU in the MPSF opener for both squads. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. in RIMAC Arena.
