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HONOLULU – The No. 6 University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team fell to No. 2 USC, 28-30, 25-17, 25-18, 18-25, 18-20 Friday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH split the two-match series, dropping to a 7-3, 4-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Record.
 
Opposite Brook Sedore led the Rainbow Warriors with 20 kills, his second match in a row hitting 20 or more. The senior also matched his career-high with six blocks (three solo), and served a season-high four of team's nine aces. Additionally, junior libero Kolby Kanetake led the 'Bows defense with a career-high 18 digs and even tipped in his first career-kill.  
 
Seniors Taylor Averill and Scott Hartley added 12 kills apiece, Hartley recording the first double-digit night of his career.  The outside hitter, who started for an injured Sinisa Zarkovic, netted three new career-highs with his 12 kills, four blocks, three service aces. Christopher Orenic led the Trojans (8-1, 7-1 MPSF) with 17 kills.
 
UH was neck-and-neck with USC halfway through Set 1 until the Trojans scored five unanswered points, gaining a 22-19 lead in the final stretch. Ignited by a service ace by Averill, the 'Bows erased three set-points during a 4-1 run to tie the score 24-24. Matching the Trojans point-for-point, UH tied it again three times to follow, but couldn't pull ahead, with USC's Micah Christenson ending it with a service ace.
 
Sedore opened Set 2 with back-to-back service aces, immediately setting the pace for the 'Bows, as they quickly rose to a 20-10 advantage over USC. The Trojans quickly fired back with a 6-1 run, cutting the Warriors' lead down 22-16 but it wasn't enough to pull ahead, UH taking the set 25-17.
 
With a buzz still going from Set 2, the 'Bows went full-throttle again in the third, leading by as many as eight points at 20-12 over USC. In the final stretch, the Trojans were able to bring themselves within five-points of UH, but the Warriors kept their distance until the end, winning the set 25-18.
 
USC turned the tables in Set 4, leading 15-9 midway through. The Warriors lost their footing, giving away nine points due to hitting errors. Unable to recover, the Trojans dominated for a 25-18 win, taking the match to five sets for the second night in a row.
 
At the halfway point of Set 5, the Warriors held a 9-5 advantage, holding onto the lead up until USC scored four straight points to surpass UH for the match-point. However, Sedore kept the 'Bows in the game, tying it 14-14 immediately after. The teams rallied and tied four more times to follow, matching point-for-point and error-for-error, until finally the Trojans two-point run ended it, 20-18.
 
The Warriors return to action as they hit the road next week, Feb. 11 and Feb. 13, to take on Cal Baptist in Riverside, Calif. for another pair of conference matches.