MERCED, Calif. - The 15th-ranked University of California, Merced men's volleyball team fell in straight sets to 2nd-ranked and defending NAIA national champion Benedictine University Mesa on Wednesday night, 0-3 (20-25, 18-25, 16-25) in the California Pacific Conference Jamboree Championship.
Wednesday's title tilt was a battle between two of the final three undefeated teams in the country. UC Merced entered the match 12-0, while BenU Mesa took the court with a record of 14-0.
This was also the first match in program history in which both teams on the floor were nationally ranked. The highly anticipated matchup was possible due to UC Merced and BenU Mesa knocking off their semifinal opponents on Tuesday, Simpson University and University of Saint Katherine, respectively.
Cal Pac Setter of the Year Ryan Steele and All-Cal Pac First Team selection Chris Morikawa highlighted the Bobcats efforts in their first ever title match.
Steele neared a double-double with 25 assists and nine digs, while Morikawa shared match-high with eleven kills. The duo also combined for a block. Morikawa's match-high was shared with the opponent's Bobby Henige, the Cal Pac Player of the Year.
Four of Morikawa's eleven kills came early in the match, helping the Bobcats keep pace with BenU Mesa early on and finding themselves tied 10-10 after 20 serves. However after 30 serves, the Bobcats were down 13-17 and after 40 serves trailed 18-22. Late in the first set, the teams traded sideouts before BenU Mesa's Dapre Rogers captured set point on their first try, giving BenU Mesa a 1-0 match lead.
The No. 2 team in the nation carried their set one momentum into the next frame, scoring the first three points and extending their lead to double figures as early as the 14-4 mark. The Bobcats responded with a small run of their own to come within five points, but never narrowed the gap after that and fell 18-25. The Redhawks set point came via the block, one of four blocks they had in the second set, propelling them to a 2-0 match lead.
The third set was tighter to start and there were five lead changes within the first 12 rallies. BenU Mesa was responsible for the final lead change, breaking a 6-6 tie and never looking back. The defending national champion built a five-point cushion at 12-7, before using a strong service run from Grant DeGrasse later in the set to go up by as many as nine points at 22-13. Soon after, Charles Pollnow clinched match point with a kill and BenU Mesa became the first ever California Pacific Conference Champions.
In recent years leading up to 2021, both UC Merced and BenU Mesa competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference for men's volleyball.
BenU Mesa will now begin preparation for its second straight NAIA National Championship. The tournament is scheduled to begin April 20 in Des Moines, Iowa.
BenU Mesa hit .410 en route to the title. Henige hit .786, eleven kills without an error on 14 swings. Middle blocker John Dawson held match-high with six blocks.
Cal Pac Newcomer of the Year Jared Guglielmana had six kills for the Bobcats, as did Trevor Jurlina. Cal Pac Defensive Player of the Year Zach Brill was good for seven digs. Jacob Semon had three blocks.
The Bobcats will now wait and see if they are selected for one of the four at-large bids for the national tournament. The final bracket will be announced on Monday, April 12 at 1:00pm.
*Notables from the semifinal win vs. Simpson on April 6
Ryan Steele | Season-high 51 assists
Chris Morikawa | 16 kills, 11 digs
Jared Guglielmana | 11 kills
Trevor Jurlina | 10 kills
Emmanuel Egun | 7 kills, 5 blocks
Kainoa Ferguson | Career-high 12 digs
Zach Brill | 12 digs
Kaikoa Soma | 8 digs, 2 service aces
