LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's volleyball team lost a narrow decision to California Baptist, 3-1, in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) action Friday night at RIMAC Arena. Set scores were 25-21, 21-25, 25-15 and 25-23.
UCSD fell to 3-8 overall and 0-7 in the MPSF. CBU, behind its second conference road win in three nights, improved to 5-6 overall and 2-6 in league play. The Lancers had also downed No. 11 UC Irvine in four on Wednesday in Irvine.
Junior outside hitter Ian Colbert finished with his third double-double of the season and career, gathering team highs of 17 kills and 10 digs and adding two assists and a service ace. Alec Flowers joined him in double-figure kills with a season-best 12 on .562 (12-3-16) hitting to pace the Tritons, while the middle also came up with a solo block late in the fourth. Fellow sophomore Milosh Stojcic collected a career-high 49 assists alongside six digs. Senior libero Tanner Howard contributed nine digs.
Freshman Nathan Thalken, normally a middle blocker, made his first start as an opposite hitter and provided a season-high four kills. Junior Josh Schmidt had eight kills and seven digs, and junior Shayne Beamer nine kills at a .471 (9-1-17) rate.
UCSD hit .326 (56-14-129) as a team, its best this season against an MPSF opponent.
Roy Powell (17) and Enrique de Diego Garcia (16) were a tough duo on the other side of the net. Powell completed a double-double with a team-best 10 digs, with his teammate from Spain committing zero errors on 28 swings (.571). CBU's .419 (60-11-117) was a season high against the Tritons. Freshman setter Arturo Iglesias dished out 53 assists.
In the opening frame, Beamer and Stojcic combined twice for big stuff blocks, both on Rocky DeLyon, the latter one coming at the end of a 3-0 run that gave UCSD its first lead of the evening at 13-12. Moments later, however, the Lancers tallied three straight to grab the advantage back at 17-15 as the Tritons called the first timeout of the contest. UCSD scored the next point on a DeLyon service error, but couldn't get even as the visitors pulled it out.
The Tritons trotted out to a 5-1 lead in the second after a Flowers kill and ace to start things off, and never trailed. Though CBU levelled the score three times at 13-13, 14-14 and 15-15, a stretch of six of eight points from there put the home side in control at 21-17. Still precarious at 22-20, senior outside hitter Kirill Rudenko entered the set for the first time and served a winner to force the Lancers' second timeout. A Flowers kill and a DeLyon hitting error evened the match at 1-1.
The third stanza was all California Baptist, again with no lead changes and just one tie score at 1-1. UCSD timeouts came at 15-11 and 19-13 deficits. DeLyon, Powell and Jackson Burge had earlier teamed up for a triple block at 8-5.
The final set was closest, with 14 tie scores and seven lead changes. Back-to-back Colbert kills, the second a big one, vaulted UCSD ahead 8-7 early. Beamer blasted home an overpass after an Iglesias dig sprung back over the net, for 11-11.
Colbert later rolled a perfect kill crosscourt from a tough angle on the left side, just inside the opposite line to break a 12-12 deadlock. Burge, DeLyon and Iglesias got together for a second Lancer triple block, with Burge and Iglesias immediately combining for another stuff, also on Colbert, to cause a UCSD timeout down 16-14. Flowers' solo effort brought the Tritons within 18-17. Beamer found the corner and Howard's huge dig led to a Colbert kill as CBU called time up just one at 21-20.
The set was tied one final time at 22-22, but after a Triton service error, despite an incredible pancake dig by Howard, a CBU combo block brought it to match point.
UCSD remains in home activity on Saturday night, Feb. 6, hosting USC (1-7, 1-5 MPSF). The Trojans also suffered a 3-1 defeat Friday, at UCI. First serve inside RIMAC Arena is set for 7 p.m.
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