LA JOLLA, Calif. - The fifth-ranked University of Southern California men's volleyball team hit .358 and used big runs in each of the first two frames to power its way to a 3-0 victory over UC San Diego in the Tritons' 2015 home opener Thursday night inside RIMAC Arena. Set scores were 25-14, 25-16 and 25-19.
UCSD dropped to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). USC remained one of five unbeaten sides nationwide at 4-0 overall and 3-0 in league action. The Trojans had moved up from No. 8 to No. 5 in Monday's edition of the American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll, and were receiving one first-place vote. They have now won the last three meetings with the Tritons.
USC hit a match-best .650, out-blocked UCSD, 6.5-0, and sided out at a perfect 100 percent (15-15), in a dominant first-set performance. The Tritons trailed by a single point at 9-8 when USC rattled off the next six to take control at 15-8. The last five of those points were served by senior middle blocker and tri-captain Chris Lischke. The match had begun with a triple block by Lischke, Josh Kirchner and Alex Slaught.
In the second, it was Lischke again from the service line who did maximum damage, serving eight points in succession during a 9-0 Trojan run that gave the visitors all the cushion they would need at 12-5. UCSD had scored the first point on a solo stuff by Milosh Stojcic on Slaught, before taking a 5-3 lead on a Tanner Syftestad kill. USC's first attacking error of the night finally came in the second set, when on back-to-back points early on, star setter Micah Christenson missed on his effort and Kirchner found the netting.
The third and final game was a tighter affair. A combination block by Syftestad and redshirt freshman middle blocker Bryan Zhu (San Diego/San Bernardo HS) came during a four-point Triton surge that knotted the score at 7-7. Moments later, it was level again at 8-8 as Zhu and sophomore outside hitter Ian Colbert teamed up to deny Christenson. A three-point run put the Trojans on top to stay, however, at 11-8.
Syftestad, a freshman opposite, reached double figures in kills for the third time this season, ending with 10. Freshman libero Tyler Bird got to a match-high nine digs.
Stojcic, a true freshman out of Redondo Beach, earned his college debut as the starting setter and came up with 20 assists, three digs and two total blocks.
Christenson, the Trojans' senior tri-captain, was too strong on the night. The starting setter for the U.S. men's national team this past summer that brought home the FIVB World League gold medal, he wound up with 27 assists, a team-high seven digs, three total blocks and a service ace. Kirchner was the only USC player in double-figure kills with 12 to lead all players. Slaught had eight kills and three aces.
The Tritons are back on the road on Friday, Jan. 23, traveling to Riverside to take on California Baptist in another league match at 7 p.m. inside Van Dyne Gym.
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