VOLLEYBALL — The UCSD men’s volleyball team set another
school record last weekend by surviving a five-game thriller against University
of the Pacific on March 7. The 30-28, 27-30, 27-30, 30-27, 15-9 victory was the
Tritons’ first over the Tigers in 29 tries.

The match was an offensive showcase, as four UCSD players
finished with double-digit kills and freshman setter Phil Bannan recorded 66
assists. Sophomore outside hitter Jason Spangler and sophomore opposite Frank
Fritsch led the Triton offense with 25 and 21 kills, respectively.

While the performance was admittedly not the team’s best
this season, head coach Kevin Ring was satisfied with how his players handled
the pressure during the five-game match.

“We were missing a little bit of aggressive serving but we
kept fighting through it,” he said. “It was a high-level match with both teams
hitting at a high efficiency and our guys kept fighting regardless of the point
in the game. It’s fun to go out and win no matter our opponent or record.”

Neither team was able to gain any momentum in the first
game, as the largest lead either held was three. The Tritons opened up a 28-26
advantage after senior Russ Hardy’s block before Pacific closed the gap to one.
But Spangler sent down the punctuation mark in kill form, giving UCSD the win.

Pacific took early leads in games two and three and the
Tritons were never able to recover. Down by five in game two, UCSD pulled
within one after a Fritsch kill but couldn’t stop a pair of small Tiger runs,
as the lead was stretched to four and Pacific cruised to the win. Game three
was more of the same, as UCSD fell victim to a 10-4 Pacific run.

The Tritons rallied in the must-win situation, taking a
16-11 lead in game four and never relinquishing it. After the Tigers pulled
within one, at 18-17 UCSD recorded back-to-back kills to extend the lead to
four. Pacific again pulled within one, but this time it was the Triton defense
that came up in the clutch, as Spangler and sophomore middle blocker Gerald
Houseman recorded a block to open the eventual three-point cushion of victory.

The Tritons looked solid in a decisive game five, playing
their best volleyball of the night. They took an early 6-4 lead and led by
three when the teams exchanged sides. The advantage became four before a Hardy
and Houseman block finished the match.

Ring said the team had progressively improved throughout
each game of the match and it all culminated in the fifth game with three
blocks and aggressive serving.

Trying to build on its victory the night before, UCSD was
smothered by No. 7 Stanford University 23-30, 30-20, 30-23, 30-23 on March 8,
despite playing a solid first game.

Down 14-15, the Tritons put together a 10-5 run to close out
game one, highlighted by the Tritons’ transition game.

“The transition game is something we work on a lot during
practice and are fairly good at,” Ring said. “We got some good swings during
[the run] coming off blocked swings and overpasses.”

The Cardinal took control in games two and three with an
overpowering offense. Falling behind early in both games, the Tritons were unable
to put together any sort of run and lacked the spark they had in the latter
half of game one.

Game four was a different tune, as UCSD held a slim 17-16
lead but, yet again, a pair of late Cardinal runs finished the Tritons.

Ring said that while the five-game match the night before
had some effect, he believes that while Stanford made the right adjustments
after the first game, UCSD didn’t.

“The guys starting Friday started Saturday so there was a
little bit of fatigue,” he said. “But Stanford came out flat in that first game
and their mistakes kept us going. A team of that caliber makes changes when it
loses a game and it did. They stepped up their play and we weren’t making the
plays to match it.”

Despite the loss, the Tritons believe there are still many
opportunities to do things that have never been done before in the program. The
team’s first goal: set the single-season wins mark with nine victories. UCSD
will have to win three of its final nine to set the record, something that is
very possible, according to Ring.

“We’re still evaluating where we are and setting new goals
each week for players and the team,” he said. “Our primary goal now as a team
is to set the single-season win mark. That chance is something that drives us
to keep playing harder.”