Fullerton, Calif.- On Saturday afternoon, Arizona Christian beat Hope International to earn a split in their first two games of their Spring Break trip.   On Friday night, the Firestorm came up short against No.1 ranked Vanguard.
 
Match Info

• Match score v Vanguard: Vanguard- 3, Arizona Christian- 1
  • Set 1: VU 25-15
  • Set 2: VU 25-21
  • Set 3: ACU 25-23
  • Set 4: VU 28-26
• Match score v Hope International: Arizona Christian- 3, Hope International- 1
  • Set 1: ACU 25-13
  • Set 2: ACU 28-26
  • Set 3: HIU 25-19
  • Set 4: ACU 25-17
• Records: Arizona Christian- 4-7, 1-4 GSAC, Vanguard- 8-3, 4-0 GSAC, Hope International- 3-8, 0-5 GSAC
• NAIA Top 10 Rank: Arizona Christian- RV, Vanguard- 1, Hope International- not ranked
• Location: Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa v Vanguard/ Darling Pavilion v Hope International

 
ACU Stats v Vanguard

• Chris Beck- 15 kills
• Cade McGee- 9 kills
• Thomas Johannesen- 27 assists
• Hudson Harms- 9 digs

 
Inside the Box Score v Vanguard

• After leading early, ACU lost the lead after a 7-7 tie and VU led until the set's final whistle
• Set two saw ACU ahead 21-20 before the Lions scored the final five points
• Numerous ties until 21-21 was the start of set three
• A kill from McGee broke the tie and another McGee kill ended the set
• In set four, the Firestorm and Lions matched one another swing for swing reaching a 23-23 tie
• McGee pushed ACU to set point, VU moved up to match point, and a block by McGee and Korbin Torres moved ACU back to set point
• But the final three points belonged to the Lions

 
ACU Stats v Hope International

• Cade McGee- 22 kills
• Chris Beck- 18 kills, 6 blocks
• Nate Mayfield- 9 kills (.727 hitting), 7 blocks
• Thomas Johannesen- 46 assists
• James Hansen- 16 digs
• Hudson Harms- 11 digs

 
Inside the Box Score v Hope International

• Set one was tied 9-9 before ACU used an 11-2 run to take control
• In the second set, the Firestorm were ahead by as many as five points
• But the Royals fought back and reached set point three times
• Trailing 26-25, three HIU errors earned ACU the set win
• In set three, the Firestorm were ahead 18-17 but the Royals scored eight of the final nine set points
• The final set saw ACU win the first three points and not allowed even a tie

 
Thoughts from Coach Bruns
"Continuing to improve and battle with the best of the best.  Proud of how we competed and VU and won at HIU.  We are headed in the right direction and we will continue to work on ourselves each and every match."


Up Next
The Firestorm will continue their California Spring Break trip on Monday when they face Saint Katherine at 7:00 pm (Pacific)/ 8:00 pm (Arizona).