Anteaters take on the Gauchos in Saturday Night Volleyball

Men’s Volleyball—UC Irvine, No. 3, proudly took the win against UC Santa Barbara, No. 9, prevailing in all three sets of the match Saturday, February 28 in the Bren Events Center (25-21, 31-29 and 25-18).

The two teams went head to head against each other as a crowd of 1,062 fans cheered from the stands in the 1 hour and 35 minute long match.

UC Irvine Anteaters improved in the Mountain Specific Sports Federation (MPSF) to 11-2, and 16-3 overall setting them at first place in league standings against the seven other schools in the Big West Conference.

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos came looking for a fight, currently ranked No. 9 in NCAA Men’s Volleyball; they were no match for the No. 3 UC Irvine Men’s team. However, both teams left the court with outstanding offensive stats. Santa Barbara’s No. 15, Kevin Donahue, led with 15 kills. The gauchos overall hit a .173 hitting percentage.

UC Irvine’s Tamir Hershko led with 12 kills and was followed by Kyle Russell with 11 kills and a team overall .477 hitting percentage.

However, UC Irvine’s defense was most prominent during the match as the team’s starting Libero, Senior No.8 Michael Brinkley, showcased how several digs became the key to success in all three sets.

Brinkley’s total of 12 digs was a new seasonal record in blocks, and he averaged 1.000 in his defensive efforts. Some game highlights included, Brinkley in the second set as he flew over the press table and lunged for the ball with both arms sending it high up over his head into his teammates’ range leading into a clean and smooth kill from Junior No. 19, Jason Agopian. Another noteworthy defensive moment for UC Irvine was when UC Santa Barbara’s No.8, Weston Nielsen, jump served over the net as Brinkley took a wide stance to lunge the ball high into the air. After a bit of rallying from both sides Gauchos made it past a triple block from Irvine but Brinkley was there to throw himself into the ground and smack the ball high up into the Bren. Unfortunately, UC Irvine No. 17, Zach La Cavera, hit the ball into the net resulting in an attack error giving Santa Barbara the point (see video 1).

Video 1 Courtesy of Ben Toth

Every time Brinkley threw himself into the crowd, chairs, ground, or over tables and made one of his famous digs the crowd went wild. Brinkley could not be reached for comments.

In the last set of the night the crowd was constantly rising and sitting again and again. Every time a team has a set point, or the point that will determine if a team will obtain the set winning point, the crowd rises as the team rallies the ball over the net towards each other at rocket-fast speeds. But finally after five set points, a graceful jump serve from UC Irvine’s No. 3 Sophomore Tamir Hershko, sent the ball hurling over the net like a bullet leaving the chambers of a gun. UC Santa Barbara quickly responded lobbying the ball over the net, as UC Irvine’s No. 15, Kyle Russell, went for the attack sending the ball onto the opposing teams court and scoring the winning point (see video 2). The crowd erupted into joy and celebratory school pride, the final set score, 25-18.

Video 2 Courtesy of Ben Toth

Second-year UC Irvine student and audience member Avian Florence commented on her favorite aspects of the Men’s Volleyball games, “You can really tell how well they play together. Everything is smooth and like clockwork and that’s what I like most about these games.”

UC Irvine faces off against USC Tuesday March 3 in Los Angeles, California. Anteaters are out to even the score against the Trojans who took the win last month.