After two key players suffered injuries this week, the UCSD men’s volleyball team could have easily thrown in the towel when they took on No. 13 Cal State Long Beach at RIMAC Arena on Feb. 24. But the Tritons proved they had some resiliency, and some surprising depth off the bench, as they took the 49ers down in five games 25-30, 30-23, 20-30, 30-27, 15-9.
Freshman outside hitter Jason Spangler (left), who had 26 kills, and junior middle blocker Stephen Shaw were crucial to the Tritons’ upset win over No. 13 Cal State Long Beach.
UCSD was able to pull out the win without the services of freshman middle blocker Adrian Guthals and sophomore middle blocker Tim Dietrich, both of whom have provided solid minutes up front this season.
The Triton attack was led by a trio of freshmen who together made an impressive 65 kills that night. Freshman outside hitter Jason Spangler led the team with 26 kills, middle blocker Frank Fritsch added 20 and outside hitter Will Ehrman chipped in with 19. All three were the beneficiaries of senior setter Brooks Dierdorff, who put up a match-high 68 assists. Sophomore libero Eric Leserman continued to provide solid defense and led the team with 12 digs.
Both teams came out firing in game one and set the tone for the entire match. The Tritons took a 21-20 lead after a Fritsch kill, but could not stop the subsequent 49er attack and dropped the first frame of the night 25-30. Cal State Long Beach was able to control the tempo of the first game and posted an efficient .407 hitting percentage compared to the Tritons’ .281 clip.
The Tritons may have dropped the first game, but it was obvious that they knew they were capable of fighting back and taking control of the match.
“”We let the first game slip away down the stretch,”” head coach Kevin Ring said. “”But we played well and we knew that we could win the match.””
All year the Tritons have searched for consistency, and the second game of the match may be the most consistent the team has played all year. After being tied at nine, the Tritons went on an impressive run to stretch the lead to 18-13. UCSD was able to keep the pressure on for the rest of the game, eventually winning 30-23. The Tritons blasted the ball the entire game and posted a .633 hitting percentage while holding the 49ers to a .333 pace. Playing with a lead proved to be a big confidence-booster for the Tritons in the second stanza.
“”We have gotten down in past matches this year and have been forced to play from behind,”” Spangler said. “”We were able to play with a lead in game two and the entire match and were able to keep the pressure on them.””
Just as the Tritons responded in game two, the 49ers showed they had some resiliency and put forth a resounding response of their own in game three, jumping out to an early 14-8 lead and eventually taking the game, 30-20. The 49ers dominated up front and posted a .393 hitting percentage, while UCSD was only able to muster a measly .167 percentage.
The Tritons bounced back from their poor play and jumped out to an early 16-10 lead in game four. UCSD looked like it would cruise to a win after it reached game point at 29-23, but the 49ers had other plans and scored four straight points to make it 29-27. Fritsch was able to provide the crushing blow as he pounded a kill, giving the Tritons a 30-27 win that forced the match into a decisive fifth game.
The Tritons looked like the more confident team in game five and started with a 3-0 run. UCSD kept the pressure on the entire game and demoralized the helpless 49ers, taking the game and the match by a score of 15-9.
After the final game, Ring was ecstatic about the poise and perseverance his young team had shown.
“”We came out and hit .667 in the final game and played with a ton of heart,”” Ring said. “”If you do that, you are going win close matches every single time.””
While Ring praised the team effort in the final frame, he focused on one of his fantastic freshmen in particular.
“”Jason Spangler was phenomenal in game five,”” Ring said. “”He hit a perfect 5-for-5 in that match and really led the way for us.””
Spangler was obviously excited after the victory, but was already looking forward to next week’s matches.
“”We feel really energized right now,”” Spangler said. “”But we know we have two really tough matches coming up next week and have to work hard in practice this week.””
With Dietrich and Guthals unable to play in the match, several bench players stepped up and played well in the win.
“”After losing those guys, we challenged the rest of the squad to pick up the slack,”” Ring said. “”Guys like [freshman middle blocker] Mike Klimkowski and [redshirt freshman middle blocker] Gerald Houseman really stepped up and played well.””
The Tritons will need to harness their newfound momentum as they again go on the road to take on conference powerhouses UC Irvine and UCLA on Feb. 28 and Mar. 2, respectively.
“”This game definitely tells us that we can play with anybody,”” Ehrman said. “”We have UCI and UCLA in our sights and we think we are ready to take down a big team on the road.””
