UC Irvine outlasts rival 49ers in five

LONG BEACH — If UC Irvine’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s volleyball match at Long Beach State Saturday night could be compared to a blind date, one might have said it had a lot of personality.

For while less than aesthetically memorable, the Anteaters may universally agree that their 23-30, 30-19, 30-25, 28-30, 15-12 victory was nothing short of a good time for players, coaches and fans alike.

And all members of the UCI camp would certainly hope to do it again some time.

“Long Beach has a long tradition and we knew we were in for a battle,” Speraw said in the 49ers’ Gold Mine gymnasium, the site of the match between the nationally No. 2-ranked Anteaters and the No. 14-ranked 49ers. “Whenever you come here, you know you’re going to have to fight to get any win. We fought for this one and it was a good win.”

The victory, which is becoming more of a habit this year in five-game matches for the defending MPSF champions (they are now 3-1 when pushed to the limit, including two road triumphs), included myriad flaws.

UCI hit a collective .167 in the opening game and managed a mere .182 hitting percentage in the deciding fifth game.

Senior outside hitter Jayson Jablonsky, the reigning NCAA and MPSF Player of the Year, hit just .115 with 10 kills and Speraw said he was noticeably lacking the energy that has become a trademark of his game.

UCI (19-3, 13-3 in the MPSF) was blown away in the ace department, as Long Beach State (7-9, 4-8) amassed 17 to the Anteaters’ eight.

UCI senior middle blocker David Smith, whose excellence this season has become downright robotic (he entered not having made a hitting error in his previous three matches, spanning 40 attempts, and was third in the country with a .552 hitting percentage) had four hitting miscues. Two of those were on overpasses, the hitter’s equivalent to a football kicker’s point-after-touchdown.

Sophomore libero Brent Asuka, a first-team All-American and the National Newcomer of the Year last season, was benched after the first game.

But, warts and all, the Anteaters proved to be too much for their “Black and Blue” rivals, perhaps benefiting most from experience.

“I think we expect to win, when we get into the fifth game, now,” said Smith, who despite his aforementioned errors, had 11 kills, hit .350, and amassed a match-high 11 block assists to continue to impress. “Every time we got to five games when [current senior starters Smith, Jablonsky, Matt Webber and Brian Thornton] were sophomores, we couldn’t put it together.”

That was not the case Saturday, when the visitors turned a 2-0 fifth-game deficit into a 4-2 lead and then consistently foiled Long Beach rally attempts by making plays when it counted most.

Jablonsky appeared to float for seconds atop the net to record a block that gave UCI a 3-2 lead in the decisive game.

Thornton executed a one-handed back set that Jablonsky turned into a kill to put UCI on top, 6-4.

A pefect pass by sophomore libero Nick Spittle on a blistering jump serve helped create a quick-set kill in the middle by junior Aaron Harrell that gave UCI a 7-6 edge.

And Smith pounded a kill off the noggin of a Long Beach player in the back row to give UCI a 9-8 advantage.

UCI went up, 12-9, when Smith, Jablonsky and Thornton combined on a stuff block, then Harrell’s quick-set kill ended the longest rally of the night to create match point, 14-11.

After Long Beach scored to close within two, Harrell, who hit a team-best .469 (eight kills in 13 attempts with two errors), ended the match on yet another quick-set kill.

Webber, who said he had been slumping lately, was obviously vibrant Saturday. His 20 kills led the winners, as did his three aces and nine digs, which matched Spittle for team-high honors.

Webber, who seemed to be elevating higher and hitting the ball harder as the match went on, finished with a .459 hitting percentage and added four block assists.

“Webber had a real good night, which was crucial for us,” Speraw said.

“These five-gamers are fun,” Webber said. “This is why you play volleyball.”

Speraw also had high praise for Smith.

“I think he’s the best middle blocker in America,” Speraw said of the 6-foot-7 standout, who many believe has been the Anteaters’ most consistent force. “He’s improved so much this season and the impact he has for us with his serving and blocking has been remarkable.”

Jablonsky (10), Cole Reinholm (nine) and Harrell (eight), helped Thornton amass 53 assists. And Thornton’s eight block assists helped UCI earn a 21.5-14.5 advantage in total blocks.

It was the seventh straight win for UCI, which continues to trail Pepperdine both in the conference standings and the national poll.

It was the fourth loss in the last five matches for Long Beach State, though the 49ers appear to be finding their stride after upsetting No. 5-ranked UCLA Wednesday.

UCI plays host to the defending national champion Bruins Friday at the Bren Events Center.

The ‘Eaters are also awaiting a March 31 date at Pepperdine. The top-ranked Waves (14-1, 11-1) defeated UCI in three games Jan. 27 at Bren Center.