Box Score

LOS ANGELES – The fifth-ranked University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team got off to a fast start before USC rallied for a 16-30, 30-22, 30-19, 30-23 victory, Monday night in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match at the Galen Center.

 

The Warriors (11-7, 7-6 MPSF) won the first set in a 30-16 rout but the Trojans rallied to easily win the final three games. Reining conference player of the week Joshua Walker led UH with 18 kills while also recording two aces, six digs, and three blocks. Opposite Jonas Umlauft added 16 kills and six digs while middle blocker Matthew Rawson had 11 kills.

 

USC (10-6, 8-5) were led by Tony Ciarelli and Murphy Troy, who each had 16 kills, while Riley McKibbin dished out 57 assists and led the Trojans to a .357 hitting percentage.

 

The Warriors steamrolled USC in the first set. UH extended an 11-6 lead to 25-14 as Walker led the attack with five kills and two aces in the game. Hawai'i hit .407 while limiting the Trojans to .081.

 

The roles were reversed in Set 2, as USC used a 6-1 run to build an 18-10 lead. The Trojans led by as much as 10 before closing out the set 30-22 on their fourth set point. USC hit .421 while UH hit .175.

 

In the pivotal third set, the Trojans jumped out to a 10-6 lead and extended their lead 16-9 after converting 10 kills in their first 11 swings. Moments later, USC pushed its lead to double digits at 22-12 and cruised to a 30-19 win. The Trojans hit .654 in the set.

 

USC jumped all over the Warriors in Set 4, scoring the first six points. The Trojans led 15-8 at the midway point before Hawai'i rallied to within 21-17 following three kills by Rawson. But USC answered right back with three straight points and ended the match with a 30-23 victory.

 

The Warriors and Trojans meet again on Tuesday night at the Galen Center. First serve is 7:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. HT) and will be broadcast on ESPN 1420AM with Blaine Kauwe calling the action.