Search - by Heather Isaacs

If at first the PUC Men's Volleyball team merely aggravated the UC Davis Aggies Tuesday night in Pacific Auditorium, by the time the Pioneers had taken the first game, 25-21, they had become an actual threat. When the second game resulted in a 25-23 win for PUC, it appeared as if the Pioneers were in the position to mirror UC Davis' three game victory over PUC during the first game of the season. PUC began with several momentum-building plays. Two big blocks shut down UCD's attempts to get on the scoreboard, and an ace from junior outside-hitter, Justin Gatling, pushed PUC ahead 4-1. Nervous energy appeared to misdirect PUC's offense temporarily. After the team settled down and played with control, the defensive gaps were tightened and they were able to execute offensively. Chris Hansen, sophomore outside-hitter, nailed a short set from senior Dorian Silva for the first game-point. In the second game, PUC's scrappy defense kept them alive for the first few possessions. At the serve, defense-specialist Jeff Chamberlain caught UCD off-guard with a floater, the first of four aces for the senior. Jeff Gleason's exclamation-point kill put PUC up, 10-5. The Aggies rallied and tied 16-16. But a big...