SANTA CRUZ, CA – Men's Volleyball traveled to Santa Cruz, CA for a 2-game series first against RV Westcliff at 2pm and UC Santa Cruz at 7pm. The Oaks swept the day going 3-0 over Westcliff and the Slugs to continue their undefeated run at 8-0!
Game 1: Menlo Beats Westcliff (25-18, 25-7, 25-18)
Menlo's Tough Offense Out-Kills the Warriors
Menlo becomes victorious due to their incredible offense. The Oaks out-kill the Warriors 41-23, but the outstanding part about this statistic is that Westcliff attempted 63 attacks where Menlo only had 60 attack attempts. This lands the Oaks at an even .600 hitting percentage with only 5 attack errors across the 3 sets. On the defensive side the Oaks can thank Josh Sullivan for contributing 4 block assists. In game 1 Menlo blocked Westcliff 12 times, 10 block assists and 2 block solos.
Seniors Continue To Show Experience
Edin Ibrahimavic led the boys in kills with 16, hit at .842%, and produced 2 block assists and 2 block solos on defense. Konrad Stoklosinksi was another heavy contributor to the Oaks offense with 12 kills, 3 service aces, and 2 block assists. And of course, our guy Lucas Larson dished out 33 assists with 2 kills and 7 digs. This trio seems to be the consistent producers on the Menlo side when it comes to offense.
Game 2: Menlo Defeats UC Santa Cruz (25-21, 25-19, 25-20)
Stiemer Shines
Julius Stiemer, the new Freshman from Germany has proven to be a great snag for the Oaks this 2023 season. So far with only appearing in 5 of the 7 preseason games for Menlo, Stiemer has 50 kills hitting at .307%. He has 6 service aces so far as well. Against the Slugs Julius was the kills leader with 13 kills hitting at .360%. He also adds 1 more ace, 8 digs and 3 block assists to his stats.
Contributors in Game 2
Alongside Stiemer is Edin Ibrahikmavic with 9 kills, 5 digs and 3 solo blocks. Konrad Stoklosinski produced 8 kills, 2 block assists and 7 digs for the Oaks. Lucas Larson assisted 33 kills again, 1 kill of his own, 5 digs and a service ace.
Up Next….
The next #6 Men's Volleyball outing is Friday, February 17th in Surprise, Arizona taking on OUAZ at 6pm PT. OUAZ is the Oaks first GSAC showdown of the season and the Spirit come in at #2 in the nation. Will be a show you do not want to miss!
