Bruins’ rally overcomes Irvine

LOS ANGELES — The UC Irvine men’s volleyball program has yet to raise its 2007 national championship banner, so it is fitting, perhaps, that much of the talk about this season’s Anteaters involves upside.

Four All-Americans have moved on from the 2007 NCAA title team, leaving four freshmen to start in their place this season. And while things have been encouraging lately, the lack of experience showed down the stretch of the final three games against host UCLA Friday at Pauley Pavilion.

The result was a 23-30, 30-25, 30-26, 31-29, triumph for the Bruins in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match before a crowd of 1,123.

No. 9-ranked UCI (6-6, 3-4 in the MPSF) cruised in the first game, when freshmen outside hitters Kevin Carroll and Cory Yoder pounded five kills apiece, junior libero Brent Asuka made six digs and the Bruins had eight service errors.

But No. 4-ranked UCLA (8-3, 5-2) took a 17-10 lead in Game 2, saw UCI pull to within 24-23 and 25-24, before scoring five of the final six points to even the match.

With junior opposite Taylor Wilson, who earned MPSF and National Player of the Week laurels by pounding a combined 43 kills last week in conference road victories over Pepperdine and USC, relegated to the bench nursing a sore ankle, UCI managed to forge leads of 16-11 and 21-20 in Game 3. But the Bruins and 6-foot-8 junior middle blocker Jamie Diefenbach, rallied to claim the game and the momentum.

Diefenbach, a Newport Harbor High product, had four kills and both of his service aces in Game 3. He finished with 14 kills to share team-high honors. His .600 hitting percentage symbolized the Bruins’ ability to take advantage of smaller UCI middle blockers.

“Diefenbach has been having a great year for them,” said UCI Coach John Speraw, a former All-American middle blocker himself at UCLA (1990-95), who spent seven seasons as Al Scates’ assistant coach before taking the helm at UCI. “He’s a big guy and when the set is in the right spot, he hits it pretty hard. He is a tough guy to stop.”

Diefenbach had five kills in Game 4, including back-to-back swings on quick sets that pulled UCLA even at 23, then created a 24-23 lead for the hosts.

UCI managed to go ahead, 28-26, and appeared poised to take the match to a fifth game. But a miscommunication on a free ball (a non spike) allowed the ball to fall for a point, giving the hosts, and their vocal supporters, an unexpected adrenaline surge.

UCLA sophomore Garrett Muagututia, whose 14 kills gave him 152 for the year, 52 more than team runner-up Diefenbach, recorded a kill to knot the score at 28.

After UCI junior opposite Jon Steller, who came off the bench to hammer a match-high 18 kills in relief of Wilson, knocked a set off a UCLA blocker, Muagututia slammed a kill for a 29-29 tie.

Reserve setter Ryan Ammerman lost a joust at the net to give UCLA the ensuing point and Sean O’Malley, a 6-9 reserve outside hitter, knocked a kill off the block for match point.

Steller, who hit .371 and matched senior middle Aaron Harrell with two ace serves, drew praise from Speraw.

“Steller has been great for us this year,” Speraw said. “He has understood that his role is going to expand this year and he’s performing accordingly.”

Yoder finished with 16 kills and a .389 hitting percentage, while Carroll (10 kills, hitting .333) and Wilson (seven kills, hitting .267) were additional options for freshman setter Anthony Spittle (43 assists).

UCI’s .301 team hitting percentage bested UCLA’s .273, and UCI finished with 13.5 team blocks, to the Bruins 10.

Asuka’s 16 kills also helped the visitors post a 47-45 advantage in that department.

“We out-hit that team, we out-blocked that team and we out-dug that team,” Speraw said. “And you end up losing … it’s frustrating. I just keep telling the guys we just have to keep getting better. When you look at how young our lineup is, our upside is tremendous and we’re even with these teams. We’re even with UCLA, even [conference-leading] Long Beach State. We’ve just got to keep chipping away.”

UCLA sophomore Brett Perrine, another Newport Harbor product, had six kills, one ace, five digs and one block assist for the Bruins, for whom Newport Harbor product Weston Dunlap, did not play due to illness.

UCI is scheduled to raise its championship banner Friday at home against USC.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.