MERCED, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's volleyball team fell 3-1 (27-29, 25-18, 25-19, 26-24) to Westcliff University on Tuesday night inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats (3-8) had a season-high 11.5 blocks and four-set season-high's of 50 digs and 48 assists. UC Merced's 52 kills tied the four-set season-high.
Mason Stokes led UC Merced with a four-set career-high 18 kills, marking the Bobcats highest four-set total since March 26, 2022 (Chris Morikawa). Stokes maintained a .318 hitting percentage. He also had five digs, two blocks, and a service ace.
Joshua Woodhams came off the bench in the second set and finished with nine kills, three digs, and two blocks, one solo. Tuesday marked his first career home match.
Anthony Alaniz added seven kills and a career-high seven blocks, one solo. His blocks output is the highest by any freshman since Max Niederberger on February 11, 2023. Alaniz also pitched in three digs and service ace. He had a .308 hitting percentage.
Toby Miller finished with a season-high 42 assists and a career-high 13 digs. He added three blocks to his eighth career double-double.
Alaniz's blocks and Miller's assists total marked the Bobcats 2026 single-match high.
Jozef Lingenfelter was good for seven kills, four digs, a block, and a service ace. With his kills output, he passed Jose Leon Gomez for ninth in program history with 406 career kills.
Kaleb Cole had five kills, eight digs, and two blocks in two sets.
Other notables include six digs from George Buljan and two service aces and a block from Colin Ryan. Daniel Del Grande had a solo block to tie Emmanuel Egun for sixth in program history with 123 career blocks and tie Chris Morikawa for eighth all-time with 32 career solo blocks.
The Bobcats erased multiple deficits in the first set to win the frame 29-27, including using a 5-0 burst to pull even at 17-17 after trailing 17-12. Miller sparked the 5-0 burst with a kill, while Donovan Guglielmana had a kill and a service ace in the push. A little later, Ryan and Cole teamed up for a block to give the Bobcats their first lead of the set at 20-19. The Bobcats had first chance at set point leading 24-23, but it took six more ties and four lead changes to find a winner. Tied 27-27, Stokes delivered a kill and then a Westcliff attack error put the Bobcats up 1-0 in the match. Miller assisted 16 of 18 Bobcat kills in the opening frame.
UC Merced led 8-4 and 11-7 in the second set highlighted by three early blocks but the Bobcats were unable to create any more separation. With the Bobcats leading 16-15, Westcliff then scored five straight points and used a 9-2 set-ending run to pull even in the match. Westcliff hit a match-high .375 in the second set while holding the Bobcats to a .061 hitting percentage.
Alaniz scored the Bobcats first four points in the third set to help the Bobcats battle to six ties and two lead changes within the first 14 rallies. However tied 7-7, Westcliff went on a 7-1 run and the Bobcats trailed by at least five points for the rest of the frame. Stokes and Woodhams led the Bobcats fight despite falling in the third set.
Westcliff opened the fourth set with a 5-1 run but the Bobcats answered right back with a 5-1 spurt of their own. The Warriors went back up by four points and the Bobcats trailed until three straight Westcliff attack errors gave the Bobcats a 21-20 lead. Westcliff regained the lead at 22-21 and led 24-22, but Woodhams turned in big kills to bring the score even 24-24. Westcliff would respond with a kill to go up 25-24 and scored match point one rally later off a UC Merced attack error, winning the match 3-1.
Up next, UC Merced will host No. 6 BYU on Friday, March 6 at 6:00pm inside the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium. BYU marks the first NCAA Division I opponent across all UC Merced sports to come to the Gallo Gymnasium.
