UCI topples No. 1 team in five

NORTHRIDGE — Cal State Northridge’s No. 1 ranking, 10-match winning streak, half-game lead in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings and a four-game road triumph at UC Irvine earlier this season all paled in comparison to the Anteaters’ superior collective poise Friday night.

It was the No. 2-ranked visitors who appeared more, well, chill, when the heat in the cozy Matadome, well-populated by 1,197 spectators, was turned up in the decisive fifth game.

The result was a 27-30, 30-28, 30-23, 26-30, 15-10 victory that figures to propel UCI (17-3, 12-2 in conference) to the top spot in next week’s national poll.

And, as usual, it was an eclectic mix that helped propel the Anteaters to their fifth straight win, their 13th in their last 14 matches.

Senior setter Ryan Ammerman produced 52 kills and a team-high two aces, while adding seven digs, six kills and four block assists to the cause. The markedly mellow 6-foot-8 veteran also, perhaps more so than at any point in his career, brought demonstrative leadership to the battle.

“What’s notable is, [Ammerman] started off the match as introverted as he’s been in a long time,” UCI Coach John Speraw said. “We addressed it with him and he doesn’t like hearing it. But he was probably as animated as he’s been later in the match.”

Ammerman served consistently tough and his hovering presence at the net created several points in scramble situations and jousts. He said the importance of the match dictated something special.

“I came in mellow and recognized that, sometimes, you need to change your game, depending on what the night brings and what you’re asked to do,” last week’s national player of the week said. “I was asked to bring a little more fire tonight and I was able to do that and help our team win.”

Sophomore outside hitter Jordan DuFault (17 kills, six block assists and one ace), freshman opposite Carson Clark (14 kills and seven block assists) and sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne (a match-high nine block assists to go with 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage) also brought plenty for the winners.

Just as important, perhaps, was the contributions made off the bench by sophomore outside hitter Cory Yoder and senior libero Nick Spittle, who were inserted in Game 2 and started the final three sets.

Yoder had 10 kills, but made just one error in 20 serves received, particularly necessary against the best serving team in the conference.

“We brought Yoder in for his passing,” Speraw said. “And Spittle [whose eight digs shared the team lead] has always been huge for us when he has come off the bench.”

Speraw said the ’Eaters, the top blocking team in the MPSF, used their 18-12 advantage in total team blocks to help offset the hosts’ strong serving.

But Northridge (16-3, 12-3) made 30 service errors, 10 more than UCI, while managing just two more aces. Further, UCI’s strong serving helped limit the Matadors’ ability to run the middle, where 7-0 junior Jacek Ratajczak is, Speraw said, “just a handful.”

“I thought it was one of our better serving nights of the year,” Speraw said. “We were able to step up and get them out of system quite a bit with their middles, who are very hard to stop.”

But a propensity for mistakes at key times plagued the Matadors, particularly in the fifth set.

Ratajczak and setter Matt Stork collided and fell to the floor as the ball fell beside them to put UCI up, 2-0, in the decisive game.

Sophomore Tanner Nua missed two serves and made his team’s lone hitting error in the final game, and one of the aforementioned errant jump serves drilled a teammate in the back of the head near the net.

UCI, meanwhile, hit .592 as a team in the final set.

It was the fourth win in as many five-game matches this season for UCI, while Northridge is now 1-2 in five-gamers.

“Five-gamers can be a little bit of a crapshoot, so it sure is nice to have won all those,” Speraw said. “It gives you confidence if you have to do that later. And I have a feeling we’ll be there again.

“The best part about this match is that I thought it was well-fought and it was tight and it allowed us to practice those moments.

“Hopefully, we can continue to learn from it. Maybe tonight we did some things that were right and we can build off them.”

Senior All-American Eric Vance had 20 kills, many in clutch situations, to lead the hosts, who hit .305 as a team, to UCI’s .287 mark.

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