FULLERTON, Calif. - The 13th-ranked UC San Diego men's volleyball team improved to 5-0 all-time against Hope International with a 30-24, 30-25, 30-28 sweep against the Royals on Saturday night. Joel Davidson had a career-night with 15 kills against zero attack errors with a .714 hitting percentage. Frank Fritsch added 13 kills while Jason Spangler added 11 kills. The Tritons outhit HIU .368 - .253. With the win, UCSD improves to 4-7, while Hope International drops to 5-2. The Tritons return to RIMAC Arena next week when it hosts Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara.

Phil Bannan ran the offense with 49 assists and six digs. Adrian Guthals had a team-high five blocks to go with nine kills on .467 hitting.

In the first set, the Tritons trailed early by a 7-4 score. UCSD stormed right back with five straight points which included a Spangler kill and four HIU errors. With UCSD leading 21-20, UCSD got two kills by Fritsch and another by Calvin Ross to open up a 25-20 advantage. UCSD cruised to the 30-24 win on a Guthals final kill in the set.

In the second set, the Tritons never trailed. UCSD scored seven of the first nine points and never looked back. UCSD led 19-12 after a Guthals and Spangler block. Guthals once again got the final kill at 30-25 UCSD.

The third set was the closest of the night as UCSD took a 20-17 lead on a Davidson kill. HIU came back within one point on several occasions, the last at 29-28, but Ross sent down the match ending kill in favor of UCSD at 30-28.