LA JOLLA, Calif. - For the second match in succession, UC San Diego had chances to close out an early frame before ultimately falling victim to a straight-set defeat, this time to eighth-ranked UC Santa Barbara in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) opener for both men's volleyball squads Friday night at RIMAC Arena. Scores were 30-28, 25-22 and 25-20.
With the result, UCSD moved to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the MPSF. UCSB won its fifth straight and is now 5-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.
Junior outside hitter Ian Colbert and sophomore opposite Tanner Syftestad put down 12 kills apiece to lead the Tritons, while sophomore setter Milosh Stojcic turned in season highs of 31 assists and seven digs. Senior libero Tanner Howard got to eight digs.
For Colbert, the kill total was a career best, and just his second collegiate match at 10-plus after posting 10 at Grand Canyon on Jan. 10, 2015. His .385 (12-2-26) hitting percentage was a new high as a Triton. The Belmont native produced eight kills over his first nine swings, all in the first set.
UCSB also put a pair in double-figure kills, in Matt Marsh (12) and Jacob Delson (10). All-American senior setter Jonah Seif was a difference-maker, accounting for 32 assists, eight digs, two blocks and seven kills on eight attacks (.875).
The Gauchos out-hit the Tritons on the night, .340-.178.
UCSD held three set points in the opening frame, at 24-22 after a Kirill Rudenko kill, 24-23 and 25-24, but could not close it out. That first set saw 14 tie scores and six lead changes. Against Grand Canyon the previous Saturday, the Tritons also combined for three set points over the first two stanzas before succumbing in three.
Back-to-back Rudenko kills punctuated a 4-0 stretch and gave the Tritons an early 4-2 edge for starters Friday night, the first coming off of an aesthetic dig by Colbert to keep the point alive. Colbert later went crosscourt from a Stojcic assist for the kill and 13-12. Redshirt freshman Luke McDonald came off the bench and immediately collected his first college kill as UCSD opened up a 22-18 lead. The lengthiest point of the night put the fans on their feet late in what was an all-around intense first set, with Gaucho freshman Corey Chavers' awry attack finally levelling matters at 28-28, but UCSB notched the next two points to deliver a deflating blow to the home side.
Colbert, Stojcic and junior middle Shayne Beamer combined on UCSD's first triple block of 2016 to close to within four at 18-14 in the second set, but the Gauchos were in control throughout that one.
Nathan Thalken, a true freshman middle blocker out of Sacramento who drew his first career start, teamed with Syftestad on a huge stuff block of Delson to break a 10-10 tie in set three. A 4-0 run in all by the Tritons gave them a 12-10 advantage and forced a Gaucho timeout. UCSB came out of the stoppage with six of the next eight to go back up, 16-14, with the two Triton points coming back-to-back via Colbert kill and Colbert ace. Though UCSD did knot the score once more at 18-18, four straight points the other way made the sweep inevitable.
UCSD continues MPSF play and concludes its season-long four-match homestand against second-ranked and undefeated UCLA (4-0, 1-0 MPSF) on Saturday, Jan. 16. First serve at RIMAC Arena is set for 7 p.m. The Bruins won in four at No. 4 UC Irvine in their conference opener on Friday night.
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