Men’s Volleyball: UC Irvine outlasts Pepperdine in five

The UC Irvine men’s volleyball team overcame two match points in a decisive fifth game to defeat visiting Pepperdine, 27-29, 25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 17-15, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match to close out the regular season Saturday night.

But overcoming stressful situations is something Coach David Kniffin has long, well, stressed.

“I think we’re getting comfortable being uncomfortable in tight matches,” said Kniffin, whose No. 5-ranked team improved to 8-0 in five-game matches this season. “I preach that, so it’s nice to see the guys step up and embrace those moments.”

Seniors Michael Saeta, Tamir Hershko, Thomas Hodges and Dillon Hoffman all stepped up on senior night, as did junior Aaron Koubi, to help UCI extend its winning streak to eight, heading into the MPSF Tournament.

Saeta led all players with 60 assists and four aces, the latter allowing him to pass Carson Clark for the top spot in UCI history in single-season aces (62). The 6-foot-5 setter also had seven kills on 11 swings (.545) and added eight digs and two block assists.

Hershko and Koubi both had a match-high 21 kills. Hershko, an opposite, hit .421, while Koubi, an outside hitter, produced a .400 hitting percentage to help No. 5-ranked UCI hit .354 for the match, 98 points better than the No. 8-ranked Waves.

Hodges hit .371 with 17 kills, and had the final two points of the match on powerful swings at the net.

Hoffman led all players with 19 digs to help UCI improve to 19-6, 13-5 in conference.

Pepperdine (10-11, 8-10) was led by David Wierczorek’s 19 kills.

UCI posted a 74-53 advantage in kills and a 41-35 edge in digs to overcome 26 service errors.

The Anteaters had seven aces, more than double the Waves’ three, while Pepperdine finished with a 12-9 advantage in total blocks.

“It’s such a special and diverse group of kids,” Kniffin said of the seniors, who include one-time starting middle blocker Andrew Benz. “It has been a really fun group to work with and, no question, they have taught me about the game and coaching. It has been an honor to coach them.”

UCI, the No. 4 seed, will play host to No. 5-seeded UCLA in the MPSF quarterfinals on Saturday.