After No. 3 UCLA (8-3) ended No. 2 UC Irvine’s (10-2) winning streak on Feb. 19, the two teams faced off again on Feb. 22 at Pauley Pavilion. While UCLA didn’t complete another sweep, they managed to edge out Irvine with a 3-2 victory.
Set 1
The set began with a quick exchange of points as senior outside hitter Hilir Henno put UC Irvine on the board. While UCLA briefly pulled ahead, UCI freshman middle blocker Micah Goss responded with a kill and evened the score at 3-3. The teams continued to trade multiple kills, but Goss’ powerful attack and junior middle blocker Maxim Grigoriev’s kill gave Irvine a 5-4 lead.
UCLA came back with strong performances, especially from junior middle blocker Cameron Thorne. However, Irvine’s defense, led by Goss and senior outside hitter Nolan Flexen, kept the Bruins in check. With the score tied at 7-7, UCLA’s service error allowed the Anteaters to pull ahead 8-7.
The Anteaters built momentum and pushed their lead to 16-15 after a series of successful attacks, including kills from Henno and Grigoriev. UCLA fought back to tie it at 20-20, but Irvine didn’t falter. Henno came up big once again, scoring a crucial kill to make the score 24-21. A final block assist from Goss and Flexen on a UCLA attack sealed the set for UCI, giving them a 25-21 win and a 1-0 match lead.
Set 2
The set began with Grigoriev serving, but Thorne responded with a kill off an assist from UCLA junior setter Andrew Rowan. UC Irvine quickly answered with a kill from Flexen, keeping the score close. While the teams tied multiple times, Irvine struggled with several service errors. Goss and Grigoriev contributed multiple block solos to give Irvine a 10-9 lead.
A kill from Henno briefly gave the Anteaters an edge, but UCLA’s offense slowly stepped up. Thorne’s service ace pulled the Bruins back into the set at 13-12, and UCLA tied it at 13-13 following another Irvine service fumble.
As the set progressed, a crucial block assist by Thorne and Rowan, followed by a kill from Thorne, helped UCLA extend their lead. Despite Irvine’s multiple rallies, UCLA stayed composed and kept their lead at 22-19. UC Irvine subbed in junior opposite William D’Arcy, who contributed a timely kill, but the Anteaters started to falter. Finally, after a bad set from Rowan, UCLA sealed the set with a kill, evening the score at 1-1.
Set 3
With the match tied 1-1, Irvine started to gain the upper hand through Flexen, who started the set with a kill. The Anteaters’ offense soon took over, capitalizing on UCLA’s errors and continuing to play aggressively. Irvine built a small but steady lead, helped by multiple kills from Henno and Flexen. UCLA’s service and attack errors allowed Irvine to maintain control at 5-3 and 7-4.
As the set continued, Irvine’s offense began to shine. Flexen stepped up to extend Irvine’s lead to 9-5. Despite UCLA’s attempts to chip away at the lead, the errors kept piling up for the Bruins. Irvine continued to dominate offensively, with Henno delivering a key kill at 14-11 off an assist from graduate setter Joe Karlous. UCLA’s errors mounted further and another service error led to a 15-12 for the Anteaters.
Coming out of a timeout, Flexen kept up the pressure with a kill at 16-12. UCI sophomore opposite Andon Kiriakou added a kill at 17-13, but a service error seconds later allowed UCLA to stay in the game. Henno added two timely kills and a service ace from Goss put the Anteaters just two points away from closing out the set. A finishing kill from Kiriakou sealed the set 25-20, giving Irvine a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set 4
Irvine and UCLA started with some back-and-forth action in the fourth set. UCLA jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but Irvine tied it immediately with a kill by Henno. Service errors from both sides brought the score to lean slightly in the Bruins’ favor at 4-3. Minutes later, two UCLA service aces widened the gap to 7-3.
As the set progressed, UCI tried to fight back but UCLA capitalized on Irvine’s mistakes and went on a spree of kills by senior outside hitter/opposite Ido David and junior outside hitter Zach Rama. UCLA surged ahead, bringing the score to 13-6 and prompting an Irvine timeout. The Anteaters made several substitutions to try and change the momentum, but UCLA kept the pressure on.
By the time the set approached the final stretch, Irvine was still struggling with attack errors and service mistakes, giving UCLA more opportunities to capitalize. The set ended 25-14, and the match was now tied 2-2.
Set 5
UCLA took control of the fifth set right from the start, quickly establishing a lead that grew steadily. By the time the score was 5-1, Irvine was ready to fight back. Two kills and a block assist by Goss brought UCI just shy of tying it at 6-5, prompting the Anteaters to call for a substitution and bring in D’Arcy.
Despite the substitution, UCLA’s momentum didn’t slow down. Two points later they went on a four-point streak, two of which were service aces. Irvine managed to respond briefly when Flexen executed two kills, but UCLA continued their dominance with solid attacking and defense. A final kill by David sealed the game for UCLA, securing a 15-10 victory in Set 5 and a 3-2 win overall.
Next, UC Irvine heads to Honolulu to face Hawai’i in their first two Big West Conference matchups on Feb. 28 and March 2.
Abigail Park is a Sports Staff Writer. She can be reached at appark@uci.edu.
Edited by Jack Fedor.