Box Score
LOS ANGELES –The University of Hawai`i men's volleyball team ended their four-match swing through Southern California on a high note after sweeping the University of Southern California, 3-0 (30-18, 30-27, 31-29). The Warriors, who went 2-2 in their last two weeks on the road, are now 13-5, 10-4 MPSF; while the Trojans drop to 6-14, 4-9 MPSF.
With his season high six aces, Pedro Azenha led the Warrior attack by also knocking down a team high 14 kills. Azenha added four blocks and five digs to his numbers as well. The Warriors were also helped along by eight kills and five blocks by Mauli`a LaBarre. LaBarre had two solo blocks for the evening, giving him 18 on the season; while fellow middle blocker Josh Stanhiser chipped in four blocks of his own. In addition to Azenha's six aces, four other Warriors served up an ace or more, giving the Warriors a season high 11 aces for the match. Senior Kimo Tuyay aided in the win by dishing up 22 assists, while freshman Brian Beckwith put up 14 assists for the victory.
The Warriors started the match with a bang jumping to an early 7-3 lead. By mid game they extended their lead to nine. Azenha could not be stopped as he served up two aces in the game and punched down five kills in the Warriors 30-18 game one win.
Early in game two the Warriors struggled to recapture some of their game one magic as the Trojans took an early lead and held on to it much of the match. By mid game USC led by 10 and the Warriors began to chip away at the mammoth lead. At 25-all, the Warriors only allowed two additional Trojan points before snatching the second game, 20-27.
The Trojans fought hard in game three, refusing to let the Warriors go home so easily, the two squads traded leads for most of the game. Blake Tippett led things for USC contributing nine of his team high 14 kills in the third game. But the Warriors managed the victory, 31-29 with Azenha getting three of his six kills in the final game.
The Warriors return to Hawai`i on Wednesday afternoon and will have a week to prepare for a pair of matches versus top-ranked Brigham Young University on March 18 and 20.
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