Arizona Christian University

Glendale, Ariz.- In their final regular season match and tune-up before next week's GSAC Championships,  Arizona Christian beat Hope International in four sets on Saturday.  Before the match, the Firestorm honored their four seniors- Jeremy Simon, Joel Romero, Jarrett Spartz, and Thomas Johannesen.

Match Info

• Match score: Arizona Christian - 3, Hope International - 1
  • Set 1: ACU 25-14
  • Set 2: HIU 25-22
  • Set 3: ACU 25-17
  • Set 4: ACU 25-19
• Records: Arizona Christian- 12-8, 9-5 GSAC, Hope International - 7-17, 5-9 GSAC
• Location: Firestorm Recreation Center, Arizona Christian University, Glendale, AZ

ACU Stats

• Spartz - 17 kills
• Caleb Merlino - 12 kills, hit .647
• Romero - 9 kills
• Johannesen - 37 assists
• Simon - 12 digs

Inside the Box Score

• Tied 3-3 in the first, Merlino contributed two service aces in a 3-0 run and ACU led through the set
• The Royals returned the favor in the second set, broke a 1-1 tie and did not look back
• Spartz smashed six kills in each of the first two sets
• In the third set, the teams exchanged six ties and three lead changes in the first 14 points
• A kill from Spartz and Johannesen sandwiched around a block by Romero and Dillon Scolaro moved ACU in front
• That was part of a 10-1 run that gave the Firestorm control of the set
• Set four saw four ties with the last one coming at 9-9
• A kill by Asher Ganem combined with four straight attack errors by HIU and ACU built a 14-9 edge
• The score would not get any closer than three through the final whistle

Thoughts from Coach Toben
"What a win! We were able to honor the seniors that have come through this program today.  Our guys showed up in our 3-1 victory with all four seniors out on the court.  It was a great way to finish out our regular season and see our seniors ball out.  Time for conference tournament play!"


Up Next
On Tuesday, the Firestorm will head to Santa Clarita, CA, as the four seed in the GSAC Championships to face off with top seed The Master's on their home court.  First serve is scheduled for 7:00 pm.