Box Score

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team dropped a close three-set match to third-ranked UCLA, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23 Saturday on the final day of the Outrigger Hotels Invitational at the Stan Sheriff Center.
 
The Bruins (5-1) claimed their seventh tournament title in 12 appearances, including Al Scates final one as UCLA head coach. The legendary coach will retire following this season after a 50-year coaching career. UCLA finished the tournament with victories over Lewis, Springfield, and UH and extended its win streak over Hawai'i in the tournament to 10 matches.
 
The 11^th-ranked Warriors (2-3) lost in consecutive nights to No. 9 Lewis and UCLA both matches could easily have gone UH's way. The Warriors led or were tied in every set against the Bruins including the final two in which UH held a 23-22 lead in Set 2 and were tied at 23 in Set 3.
 
UCLA setter Kyle Caldwell was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Fellow Bruins Thomas Amberg and Jeremy Casebeer were also named to the all-tournament team along with UH's Steven Hunt and JP Marks, Lewis' Jay Petty, and Springfield's Angel Perez.
 
Mark had a team-high 11 kills for the Warriors, who hit .306 as a team. Hunt added 10 kills. UH's middle attack of Nick West and Jarrod Lofy combined for 10 kills on .474 hitting and six blocks.
 
UCLA was led by Casebeer's 13 kills while Gonzalo Quiroga added 11 kills, seven digs, and four blocks.  As a team, the Bruins hit .341 and had 12 team blocks.
 
The teams battled it out in Set 1 with 12 ties and three lead changes. The Warriors held their final lead at 18-17 before the Bruins reeled off four straight with Quiroga contributing two kills and a block. The teams traded side-outs until Casebeer ended it at 25-22.
 
In Set 2, the Warriors trailed early 10-8 until stringing together six straight points which included two big blocks and two more Bruin hitting errors for a 14-10 lead. The teams traded leads twice more until 22-all. After a Marks kill gave UH a 23-22 lead, UCLA scored the final three points with kills by Dunlap and Quiroga and a hitting error by Marks.
 
In the final set, the Warriors led by four early until the Bruins rallied to tie it at 10. Later in the set with the score tied at 16, UCLA strung together three straight points on kills by Quiroga and Casebeer and a triple block of UH's Hunt. UH tied it at 23 after kills by Hunt and Marks before the Bruins ended the match with a kill and block by Weston Dunlap.

In the earlier match, Lewis swept Springfield, 25-20, 25-18, 27-25. Grey Petty led the Flyers (3-2) with 15 kills while Angel Perez had a team-high eight for the Pride (0-3).
 
The Warriors will next travel to Malibu, Calif., for a two-match Mountain Pacific Sports Federation series at Pepperdine, Jan. 20-21.