‘Eaters roll for the first time as No. 1

Richard Dunn

Now it’s time for the next big thing in collegiate men’s

volleyball.

For Coach John Speraw’s UC Irvine Anteaters, who entered a

nonconference match against visiting Princeton Tuesday night as the

nation’s No. 1-ranked team for the first time in school history, they

will play No. 2 Hawaii Friday night at 7 at the Bren Events Center --

the first time in Orange County history a school has hosted a No.

1-vs.-No. 2 match.

“I think Friday night is going to be a big match for our program,

it’s going to be a big match for our university and it’s going to be

a big match the community,” Speraw said, following the Anteaters’

30-19, 30-21, 22-30, 30-19 victory over Princeton, which was led by

former Corona del Mar High standout Dennis Alshuler, a senior

co-captain for the Tigers (0-2) who finished with 13 kills, four

digs, one block and one assist.

UC Irvine (10-0), which learned of its top ranking in the USA

Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll earlier in the

day, had no game plan for Princeton, but found a rhythm to pull away

in the first game, taking 9-5 and 11-6 leads in front of a

pro-Princeton crowd of 361.

The Tigers kept UCI’s advantage to within five, until Irvine

scored on back-to-back plays for a 22-15 edge. Irvine’s Monte Tucker

(10 kills and three blocks) recorded a kill and Kyle Weichert

followed with a solo block in the middle for the ‘Eaters’ first

seven-point lead.

After an Irvine service error cut the lead to six, Speraw’s

Anteaters rolled off four points in a row and six of the game’s next

seven. Weichert started the run with a kill, followed by a Princeton

hitting error, a solo block by UCI setter David Kniffin (on Ryn

Burns) and a block in the middle with Spencer Bemus, Weichert and

Kniffin in the neighborhood.

The Anteaters capped the first game with a kill by Jimmy Pelzel,

who led all players with 17 kills and six digs, while adding three

service aces and two blocks. Bemus, Weichert, Kniffin and Nic Vislay

each had six blocks to tie for match-high honors.

“The last couple of years (the ‘Eaters) haven’t always been as

good, but this year they’ve beaten some really good teams and it’s

fun to come in here and play the No. 1 team in the country,” said

Alshuler, whose play helped Princeton to a 12-10 edge in the second

game.

Alshuler gave the Tigers an 11-10 lead on a kill, after he popped

up two spike attempts by Tucker in the same rally.

After myriad ties, the ‘Eaters broke in front, 15-14, on a block

by Vislay and Bemus. Later, UCI went ahead, 20-15, after two

Princeton errors, a kill by Tucker and block by Pelzel and Vislay.

The Tigers battled to within 22-19, but that’s when Pelzel --

UCI’s jump-serving ace -- toed the service line and promptly produced

five straight points, including an ace.

Pelzel led UCI in kills for the seventh time this season, while

Tucker kept his streak alive of recording kills in double figures in

every match.

The Anteaters, who only played two starters in the third game as

the Tigers won to stretch the match to four, were not affected by

their new No. 1 ranking.

“It didn’t really affect me at all, or the team,” Speraw said.

“It’s not about No. 1. It’s about getting better on a day-to-day

basis. We didn’t seem too distracted by our new No. 1 ranking.”

In the fourth game, after each team fired a rocket off an

opponent’s face for a scoring kill, the Anteaters rallied for a 12-7

lead, then maintained their lead until a 21-16 edge, after which they

smoked the Tigers out of gym.

“Jimmy Pelzel once again did a great job for us,” Speraw said. “I

don’t think it was a sharp defensive match for us, but it was enough

to win.”