Closing Out Strong

    Closing Out Strong

    Five graduating seniors play their final games as UCSD concludes its 2014 season with a weekend split. 

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    The UCSD men’s volleyball team returned home for its final regular season matches this weekend, sweeping University of the Pacific before losing to Stanford University in four sets at RIMAC Arena. The Tritons finished their 2014 season at 4–23 overall and 2–22 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

    “I’m really proud of how we finished the year,” UCSD head coach Kevin Ring said. “We’ve had a lot of tough breaks this year and some injuries, [but] we’ve been competitive in every match, and that’s the most important thing.”

    On Friday night, UCSD hosted University of the Pacific and defeated the Tigers in three straight sets. The match opened with a back-and-forth first set that featured six lead changes and nine tie scores. The Tritons clung onto a single-point lead in the final moments of the set, and a kill from freshman middle blocker Mathew Schnitzer followed by an ace from senior opposite Johl Awerkamp gave UCSD the 25–22 victory.

    After the hard-fought first set, UCSD took control in the second game, never surrendering an advantage in points to UOP. UCSD established its largest lead of 19–12 after two consecutive kills from Awerkamp. At the 24–17 mark, the Tigers scored three straight points in an attempted comeback, but sophomore outside hitter Kirill Rudenko closed out the set with a kill to put the Tritons up 2–0.

    In the third stanza, the Tigers started strong with a 10–8 lead. However, UOP earned little more as UCSD took over from then on out. Leading 19–16, the Tritons took six of the following seven scores to take the set and match 25–17. The UCSD victory snapped a seven-match losing streak to the Tigers dating back to 2010. Friday’s triumph against UC Merced also marked the first win streak for the Tritons this season.

    “This was one of our better matches this year,” Ring said. “We served really well, we finished with eight or nine aces and got them in a lot of trouble. I was really proud of the performance.”

    On Saturday, UCSD played No. 4 volleyball powerhouse Stanford University in the final match of the season. Prior to the match, UCSD honored the five graduating seniors Johl Awerkamp, Mike Brunsting, Nick Iorfino, Scot Metzger and Fred Stahl, each of whom were in the starting lineup on Senior Night.

    UCSD came out firing in the opening frame to take an early 6–2 lead over the Cardinals. However, Stanford responded immediately and regained a 7–10 edge. The Tritons struggled to keep the ball in play against Stanford’s precise and hard jump serves,  ultimately falling 25–20 in the first set.

    Stanford notched the first five points in what was the most one-sided set of the night. The Cardinal maintained their lead throughout to cruise to a 25–18 victory and put the Tritons into a 2–0 hole.

    In the third set, UCSD responded with aggressive and high-energy play to jump out to 8–3 lead. The Tritons never surrendered the advantage throughout the frame, finishing strong with a 25–18 set victory over the Division-I team.

    The fourth and final set featured the tightest game of the night with seven total tied scores. UCSD jumped ahead with a 5–3 advantage, but soon after, Stanford appeared to take command of the set, establishing a 16–9 lead over the Tritons. However, UCSD fired back to tie the score at 19, trailing by only one score at the crucial 24–23 mark.

    With the game within reach, the Cardinal cut the comeback short, taking the set and match 25–23 with a kill from Stanford sophomore James Shaw.

    “It’s always tough losing a game that’s really close like that, but we had a lot of fun, and we played well even though we lost,” Brunsting told the Guardian.

    Outside hitter Iorfino and opposite hitter Awerkamp both reached double figures in kills. Iorfino added six digs, three blocks, one ace and a career-best four assists. Setter/opposite Brunsting added five kills on five attempts to go along with his 41 assists, three blocks and team-high seven digs.

    After a tough season, the Tritons still maintained positivity despite ending with such a close-scoring loss to the dominant Cardinal.

    “I have always loved playing with the guys,” Brunsting said. “It has meant a lot to me. The road has been long, but I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’ve enjoyed all the friendships I’ve made [and] for that, it’s been worth it.”

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