Box Score

IRVINE, Calif. - No. 4 Hawai`i fell to No. 1 UC Irvine in straight sets tonight in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match at the Bren Center in front of a crowd of 2,140.

The Warriors lost 30-20, 30-22, 30-27 and fell to 0-2 on the season and 0-2 in the MPSF. The Anteaters improved to 6-0 on the year and 2-0 in league play.

In game one, it was tight early as UH trailed by only two, 10-8, before UCI went on an 8-2 run to go up 17-10. UH pulled to within 19-15, but the would be as close as the Warriors would get. Jim Clar got the starting nod at outside hitter and led UH with four kills. UCI hit .306 and added 5.5 blocks, while UH mustered only a .026 hitting percentage.

UCI would lead 15-11 in game two when Hawai`i went on a 7-3 run to tie the score at 18. UCI would score the next three points on two kills and a service ace to take a 21-18 advantage. The Anteaters would close out the game, out-scoring the Warriors 9-4 to win 30-22. Lauri Hakala got untracked slamming down five of his 10 kills on the night. UH fared much better hitting .219, but the Anteaters posted a .484 hitting percentage, committing only two errors in 31 swings.

The Warriors jumped out to a 5-1 lead in game three, but UCI clawed its way back in the match, knotting the score at 11. The score teetered until the Anteaters took the lead for good at 23-22 and closed out the match, 30-27.

The Warriors were led by Clar's 11 kills. He also added seven digs and four blocks. Hakala and Matt Vanzant each pitched in 10 kills apiece. Brian Beckwith totaled 34 assists and a team-high eight digs.

Hawai`i returns home next week to host the Tigers of Pacific in a pair of MPSF matches at the Stan Sheriff Center. Both are slated for 7:05 p.m. first serves.

-UH-