The No. 6 ranked UCI Men’s Volleyball team (7-1) suffered their first loss this season against the No. 12 ranked Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars (5-1) in a five set thriller at the Bren Events Center on Friday, Jan. 27.
The Cougars started off the first set hot with a kill and a block, both by sophomore middle blocker Teon Taylor. Taylor was a problem for the Anteaters throughout the match, as he totaled 13 blocks. BYU sophomore outside hitter Miks Ramanis then got back-to-back kills to give them a 9-4 lead.
UCI came roaring back with kills and brilliant back-to-back service aces by sophomore outside hitter Hilir Henno. Junior outside hitter Francesco Sani and redshirt junior outside hitter Cole Gillis got on the board with one kill each, giving UCI their first lead of the game at 14-13. Freshman opposite William D’Arcy made some highlight plays with a block, followed by a kill to give the Anteaters a 20-16 lead.
The ‘Eaters had a 24-22 lead in the first set, but failed to finish it off. A Ramanis kill and an error by UCI gave the Cougars the first set win, 26-24.
UCI came out of the second set determined, jumping out to a 5-2 lead. Henno put his stamp on the second set with a handful of kills and skillful taps. A huge triple block by Sani, Gillis and freshman middle blocker Maxim Grigoriev halted any BYU momentum.
Sani, Henno and Gillis finished off the set with kills that gave the second set to UCI, 25-21.
BYU began with a large 6-1 lead in the third set, with kills and a block by freshman outside hitter Trent Moser. Sani clawed the ‘Eaters back with back-to-back kills but the lead still remained 8-3 for BYU. Sani led the game in total kills with 26.
This set was an epic showdown between Moser and Sani, both responding to each kill with one more emphatic strike. Ramanis helped the BYU cause with a kill, increasing the lead to 23-19. A Taylor kill followed by a Gillis swing out of bounds gave the set to BYU, 25-22.
Another slow start held back the ‘Eaters as the Cougars went up to a quick 4-1 lead. However, a huge momentum shift happened when UCI senior libero Cole Power dug out a spike that led straight to a D’Arcy kill. The BYU lead diminished quickly. A long rally ensued which ended with a strong Sani kill, giving the Anteaters a 22-18 lead. The Cougars couldn’t answer back as UCI went on to take set four 25-19, setting up an all or nothing fifth set.
BYU controlled the final set through good defense from Moser and Taylor — Taylor led the game with 13 total blocks. Another huge Moser block gave the Cougars a 7-2 lead. Despite the tough effort from Henno and the rest of the ‘Eater squad, UCI failed to mount a comeback, as BYU took the set 15-9 to close out the match.
The UCI Men’s Volleyball team will return to action against Benedictine University in an exhibition match in Mesa, Arizona on Thursday, Feb. 2.
Miguel Rodriguez is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at miguer9@uci.edu.