Honolulu, Haw. – In a showdown of top-15 nationally ranked teams, No. 1 UCLA swept the No. 14 Lewis University men's volleyball on day one of the Outrigger Tournament Thursday afternoon at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Bruins remained undefeated at 17-0 while Lewis moved to 12-8.
IMPACT PLAYERS
Cameron Thorne paced UCLA with a team-best 10 kills while Sean Kelly notched 10 digs. The Bruins posted a hitting percentage of .364 (41-13-77) compared to .309 (37-12-81) for the Flyers.
Daniel Haber (Remsenburg, NY/Westhampton Beach) notched a match-high 14 kills while
Diego Estrada (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Adianez) dished out 32 assists. At the net,
Cameron Hoying (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) and
Shawn Baggs Jr. (Gilbert, Ariz./Casteel HS) each notched three total blocks with
Deyan Todorov (Sofia, Bulgaria/51st Secondary) securing six digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Flyers struck first as they notched five of the first seven points of the match with Haber tallying two of his 14 kills in the process.
UCLA flipped the script moments later as a Kelly kill spurned an 8-2 run that propelled the Bruins into the lead for good, 10-7.
The Flyers continued to chip away at the Bruins throughout the opening set, tying the match on three separate occasions. Tied 21-21, UCLA rattled off four of the final six points of set to win, 25-21 and go up, 1-0.
Down 19-16 in a back-and-forth second set, the red and white took the lead as a Todorov kill sparked a 4-0 spurt that launched Lewis ahead, 20-19. After a Kelly kill tied the set, Lewis moved back ahead as another Haber kill spurned a short 3-1 run that moved Lewis ahead, 23-21.
Still, UCLA had the last laugh as the Bruins tallied the final four points to steal the second frame from Lewis, 25-23 and open up a 2-0 lead.
UCLA sealed the 3-0 win in the third set as they hit at a clip of .545 (14-2-22) and used multiple scoring runs to win 25-19 and complete the sweep.
MATCH NOTES
- Today marked the 23rd all-time meeting between both teams and fifth in the Aloha State.
- Haber has now eclipsed 10-or-more kills for the ninth time this season
- Lewis is now 2-3 this season against West Coast opponents
- Today marked the second time this season that Lewis ended the match tied in total blocks with their opponent as both sides had six
UP NEXT
Due to excessive rain across the island, the Flyers match against No.3 Hawai'I has been canceled. As a result, the red and white will take the court on Saturday against Mount Olive at 4:00 p.m. local time on Saturday.
For the latest news, scores, and updates on Lewis men's volleyball, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @Lewismensvb on Instagram and @LewisMVBall on X.
