The Royals men's volleyball home opener saw the Royals taking on the Bearcats in their second series of the PACWEST season. For many of the men, it would be their first time playing in front of the Royals crowd. They would end up giving fans quite the show.
The Royals came out attacking, painting the Bearcats side of the floor with markers. A strong start gave them a hefty lead to fall back on. The Bearcats would nearly catch up, but the Royals pushed their lead across the line, finishing the first set 25-22 to grab their first home set win of the year.
The second set was more stable for the Bearcats, as they challenged the Royals early. But small quality differences would prove to be the differential. The Royals found themselves pushing further and further away from the Bearcats until the set was over. 25-19 would be the final set score.
In the third was where the Bearcats had their best performance. They were on par with the Royals, and in many way's kept up with them. The two would trade points into the depth of the set. But when it came to the final few points, the Bearcats couldn't close out and the Royals would come out on top with the 3-0 win. Jared Collins would come out of the game with a massive 31 assists on the night. Jerry Yan had 10 kills for 14 points of total offense for the Royals.
Game two was a drastically different story. It was all guns firing for Jay Tremonti's squad on youngsters. The team would sink the Bearcats in yet another 3-0, only much cleaner than the previous. Set scores of 25-18, 25-16, and 25-17 were reflective of the dominant performance put on the by the Royals.
Jared Collin put up 36 assists for the team, and Justin Faester provided the finishing with 10 kills and 4 aces. Jay Tremonti's triple threat offence made quite the impact as Reid Marriot and Keatan Mann would finish with a team leading 11 kills. Marriot had two aces and 14 points of total offence, while Mann had 11 points.
A 2-0 week help the men balance after a tough week one. They sit third in the PACWEST with a record of 2-2, and four points. They host the College of the Rockies Avalanche next weekend. You can catch the action live at the New West Campus gym on Saturday at 8 pm, or Sunday at 1 pm. Come out and support your Royals!
