No. 2 UC Irvine (9-0) extended its unbeaten streak to nine with a five-set victory over No. 5 USC (9-1) on Feb. 12 at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters secured the hard-fought win with set scores of 25-20, 26-28, 25-21, 18-25, and 26-24. USC, which had been on a perfect winning streak, now drops to 9-1.
Set 1
The Anteaters took control with a strong start, leading 3-1 after a kill and a USC serving error. UC Irvine extended its lead to 6-2, powered by an ace from senior outside hitter Nolan Flexen. The Trojans, however, responded with a run to close the gap at 7-4. The Anteaters reached a 14-12 lead after a block from Flexen and graduate student setter Joe Karlous. USC fought back to tie it at 14-14, but UC Irvine pulled ahead thanks to Flexen, taking a 15-14 lead.
UC Irvine stayed strong, forcing a USC timeout at 18-15 after a big kill by senior outside hitter Hilir Henno. After the break, the Anteaters pushed the lead to 21-18 with another USC net serve and a block from junior middle blocker Maxim Grigoriev. UC Irvine ultimately closed out the set 25-20, with a block from sophomore opposite Andon Kiriakou sealing the win.
Set 2
USC took an early 3-0 lead, capitalizing on a pair of UCI errors. However, the Anteaters responded quickly with a strong rally, including two kills from Flexen, closing the gap to 4-3. USC pushed back, maintaining a slight lead at 6-5, but UC Irvine managed to tie at 8-8 and 9-9.
UC Irvine then briefly took a 10-9 lead, but the teams continued to exchange points, with USC going up 12-11. The Anteaters responded with a kill from Henno to tie it at 12-12, then took a 15-14 lead with a kill from freshman middle blocker Micah Goss. UC Irvine had set point at 24-23, but USC challenged and went ahead 27-26 after a touch call. The Trojans ultimately won the set 28-26, tying the match at 1-1.
Set 3
With both teams eager to win another match, UC Irvine quickly tied the score at 1-1 with a kill from Flexen, followed by another from Henno that put the Anteaters ahead 2-1. The teams continued to exchange points, but UC Irvine regained the lead at 4-2 after a long-hit error from USC. After a few more ties, including at 5-5 and 6-6, the Anteaters gained momentum, taking a 7-6 lead with a Kiriakou kill. They pushed further, reaching a 14-11 lead before the Trojans called a timeout.
Afterward, UC Irvine continued building momentum. Another kill from Flexen and a block from Karlous and Grigoriev gave them a 17-16 lead. The Anteaters stretched their advantage further to 23-19 and closed out the set with a 25-21 victory after a final kill from Flexen, set up by Karlous.
Set 4
USC came out strong, taking an early 1-0 lead, but Henno answered with a kill to tie it 1-1. UC Irvine responded with a kill from Flexen to make it 3-4, but the Trojans pushed back to a 6-4 lead. As the set progressed, USC gradually extended its advantage to 13-9, and though UC Irvine tried to fight back, USC pulled ahead 17-12.
As the set wore on, UC Irvine fought hard, with Kiriakou coming up with multiple key plays to lead the Anteaters. However, USC continued to build their lead. UC Irvine rallied again, with a striking kill from junior opposite William D’Arcy that brought the score to 15-12, but USC extended its lead to 23-16. At this point, UC Irvine called a crucial timeout after narrowing the score to 23-18. The Anteaters tried to regroup but couldn’t overcome USC’s momentum,closing out the set 25-18 and tying the match at 2-2.
Set 5
UC Irvine quickly started off the set with a block from Grigoriev, Henno and Karlous, tying the score at 1-1, then again at 2-2. A kill from Flexen tied the score at 3-3, but USC’s lead increased to 4-3 after a long serve from the Anteaters. As the set continued, the teams remained neck and neck, exchanging kills and tying at 5-5 and 6-6.
The Anteaters then made a push, with Kiriakou helping the team take a 7-6 lead. USC quickly countered, tying at 7-7. UC Irvine reached a 10-10 tie after a block by Karlous. In a nail-biting back-and-forth, the teams kept the score close, eventually reaching 23-23. A Henno kill put UC Irvine at 24-23, and after trading points, the Anteaters sealed the victory with a final 26-24 score, completing the 3-2 win.
UC Irvine holds a perfect record as they head to Galen Center for another match against USC on Feb. 14.
Abigail Park is a Sports Staff Writer. She can be reached at appark@uci.edu.
Edited by Jack Fedor and Jaheem Conley.