M. VOLLEYBALL — The Tritons took care of business in their
season opener on Jan. 5 against UC Santa Cruz, winning in four close games,
28-30, 30-28, 30-24, 30-26. Three players finished with double-digit kills, and
the team improved after each successive game.
“For the first game and a half we played tight,” head coach
Kevin Ring said. “We were disappointed with how we started but we kept our
composure and the guys off the bench really boosted our play.”
Sophomore outside hitter Jason Spangler led the offensive
attack against the Banana Slugs, recording a double-double with 22 kills and 15
digs.
Feeding Spangler and the other hitters were freshman Phil
Bannan, who recorded 37 assists, and sophomore Billy Arnold, who added 20.
After the two spent the fall practice season competing for the starting position,
Arnold got the nod against the Banana Slugs and Bannan came in off the bench.
Ring and his staff record statistics at every practice and
made their decision based on those numbers. But nothing is definite early in
the season, as Bannan entered during the second game and outperformed his
counterpart.
“Billy had the better overall numbers, and that’s why he
started,” Ring said. “It wasn’t that he was performing poorly — our team was.
But we didn’t want to go down 2-0, and so we made the change to Phil. He
started connecting with our middles, and we pulled out game two.”
UCSD appeared a little jittery in the season’s first home
game, falling behind 16-9 in game one. But the teams rallied and pulled within
two points after an ace from sophomore opposite Frank Fritsch. Kills by Fritsch
and freshman middle blocker Tyler Kern brought the Tritons within one, but they
couldn’t finish the comeback, and the Banana Slugs took game one.
In game two, momentum continued in favor of the Banana
Slugs, who built a 21-16 lead. But the Tritons used a 6-1 run to tie the game
at 22. Spangler and Fritsch continued UCSD’s tear, sending down kills to give
the Tritons the 30-28 win.
Despite struggling early, Ring was pleased with the team’s
passing and transition.
“We played poorly in that first game and started poorly in
the second,” he said. “The subs elevated our game when we needed it and our
passing and transition games were excellent. We didn’t hit the panic button and
started playing well.”
The Tritons jumped out to a 22-17 lead in game three and
closed the deal 30-24 after senior outside hitter Russ Hardy put down the final
kill.
Missing from the initial roster, Hardy rejoined the team
after being absent for fall practices.
According to Ring, Hardy is a returning starter from two
years ago, because he studied abroad last year. Regardless of the hiatus, Ring
was impressed with how well Hardy served and passed.
“He came in and made a difference,” Ring said. “We’re still
trying to get his jumping legs back, but he played well for not competing at
this level for awhile.”
The fourth game was hotly contested, and saw nine ties
before the Tritons were able to pull away. Tied for the final at 22, UCSD
scored five of the next six points to take a comfortable lead at 27-23.
Spangler finished his impressive night with a game- and match-clinching kill to
give UCSD the season-opening victory.
With the win under their belt, the Tritons now turn their
attention to No. 1 Brigham Young University
on Jan. 11 and 12. Ring knows that the team will need to improve its
play to compete against the best team in the nation.
“It’s really a night and day difference from UCSC,” he said.
“BYU is more athletic and taller but we can be competitive if we serve tough
and get bigger at the net. We have to find a balance of aggressive and smart.”
The team will focus on establishing its presence at the net
against the Cougars and try to force mistakes. Ring said he will look to get
Fritsch and Spangler more involved in the offense as well as keep a balance of
running the middles in transition.
