Phoenix, AZ- For the first time in program history, Arizona Christian Men's Volleyball played in front of their home crowd.  Despite again putting forth an improved product, ACU fell 3-0 to UC Merced.  Freshman Nate Mayfield produced the first double digit kill effort for the Firestorm.

Match Info

• Match score: UC Merced - 3, Arizona Christian - 0
  • Set 1: UCM 25-20
  • Set 2: UCM 25-16
  • Set 3: UCM 25-16
• Records: Arizona Christian – 0-3, 0-2 GSAC, UC Merced – 6-4, 1-1 GSAC
• NAIA Top 10 Rank: Arizona Christian - not ranked, UCM - RV
• Location: Fultz Memorial Gym, Arizona Christian University, Phoenix, AZ

ACU Stats For The Day

• Nate Mayfield - 10 kills, hit .333
• John Conn - 4 kills, 3 blocks
• James Contreras – 4 kills, 4 digs, 3 aces, 2 blocks
• Alonzo Tapia - 16 assists
• Timmy Le - 8 digs

Inside the Box Score

• First set featured six ties and two lead changes, ACU last led 8-7
• UCM hit .652 and ACU hit .375 in the first set

Thoughts from Coach Briscoe

"It's never fun to lose.  That being said I cannot help but be excited for all of the growth that we have made up until now.  With our low number of athletes this year our opportunities to get game like touches in practice are limited.  Every time we get to face a new opponent we our put in new scenarios and our guys soak it up like a sponge.  The Bobcats were a great team with a fast offense and a classy bunch at that.  The potential for our team as the season continues is immense but we were thankful to have the opportunity to introduce the sport of men's volleyball to our campus tonight.  It was fun to have all the fans out and look forward to the next round!"

Up Next

Next weekend, the Firestorm will leave Arizona for the first time as a team when they head to California for a pair of contests.  Their first match of the trip will be on Friday against Westcliff at Santiago High School in Garden Grove.  First serve is planned for 8:00 pm (Arizona)/ 7:00 pm (Pacific).