Match Stats
- #7 UC Irvine def. #13 CSUN 3-2, (23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 19-25, 15-9)
- UC Irvine improves to 9-5, 6-4 MPSF
- CSUN falls to 9-5, 2-5 MPSF
- Hosted by UC Irvine
#7 UC Irvine holds off #13 CSUN in a thrilling five set battle after dropping the first set.
Three players for UC Irvine posted double-digit kills, with Tamir Hershko posting a season-best 19 kills, while Thomas Hodges added 15 and Karl Apfelbach hammered down 12 kills. In the back row, Dillon Hoffman picked up 11 digs. At the net, defensively, Scott Stadick put down eight blocks, while Apfelbach added six
For CSUN, Arvis Greene hammered down 17 kills, while Dimitar Kalchev added 15. In the back court, CJ Suarez picked up a match-best 12 digs.
Press Release
Courtesy of UC Irvine Athletics
A trio of Anteaters recorded double-digit kills in No. 7 UC Irvine’s 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 19-25, 15-9) win over No. 13 CSUN at the Bren Events Center.
Senior outside hitter Tamir Hershko tied his season-high with a match-best 19 kills. He also added two aces, four digs and five total blocks.
Senior Thomas Hodges registered 15 kills, while sophomore Karl Apfelbach had a season-high 12 kills and a career-high six block assists.
In the middle, Scott Stadick tied his career-high with eight block assists and nine total blocks to go with seven kills. Senior setter Michael Saeta hit .714 (5-0-7), while recording a career-high 55 set assists, two aces and three blocks. Libero Dillon Hoffman recorded 11 digs to lead the squad.
The Anteater block was impressive tonight with a 15.5 to 5.5 advantage over the Matadors. UCI snaps a two-match losing skid and improves to 9-5 overall and 6-4 in the MPSF. CSUN is also 9-5 on the year, but 2-5 in MPSF action.
Arvis Greene paced CSUN with 17 kills followed by Dimitar Kalchev with 15 kills and a team-high three blocks.
UCI would hold the largest lead of the first set, 11-8, on a Michael Saeta ace. CSUN would tie the game at 14-14 and the teams would continue to sideout until the Matadors had a kill by Dimitar Kalchev and a UCI attack error to move in front 23-21. Teams would trade points once again with the Matadors ending the set 25-23. Both teams were on fire offensively with CSUN hitting .474 and the Anteaters hitting .455. UCI out-blocked CSUN 3.5-0.
The Anteaters would continue to dominate the net with another 3.5 blocks in the second set. Two of the blocks helped the Anteaters open 14-11 lead and another by Scott Stadick and Karl Apfelbach extended the lead to 19-16. UCI would win the set 25-21 on a kill by Thomas Hodges and a CSUN attack error.
CSUN would hold an 8-4 lead until the Anteaters went on a 6-2 run to knot the score at 10-10 on a block by Stadick and Tamir Hershko. Back-to-back Anteater attack errors gave CSUN the slight 21-19 lead. A kill by Hershko and another UCI block tied the set back up at 21-21. A Matador attack error and a kill by Hodges gave UCI the win 25-23.
CSUN scored five in a row, including two aces and two UCI errors to open a 17-10 lead. That was all the Matadors needed as they won the set 25-19 and forced a fifth set.
The Anteaters opened the fifth set with a 4-1 lead which included back-to-back blocks. Consecutive UCI errors helped CSUN creep to 8-6, but Hodges rolled a kill softly in the middle of the court to stop the momentum. A flying kill from the backrow by Hershko and two Matador errors, the last a block on match point gave UCI the set 15-9. Hershko dominated the fifth set, going 7-0-7 in kills. UCI hit .692 (10-1-13) in the final set, while CSUN hit .000 (4-4-12).
UCI will take a week off and return to action hosting UCLA Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.
UCI will host an Alumni match next Saturday (Feb. 18). For more information contact Coach Kniffin at [email protected].
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