Surprise, Arizona—The OUAZ Spirit men's volleyball team rolls to their fourth straight win in another cruise control victory over Soka University, 25-15, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18. Another GSAC conference win puts the team near first place in the conference standings with a (10-3) record overall and a (4-1) record in the GSAC.

Sophomore superstar Owen Draeger started the game in tonight's matchup, taking over for Horatio Maumasi, who will be getting a rest day before Saturday afternoon's big matchup. Draeger did not disappoint, leading the team with 9 kills on 16 attempts with a .563 hitting percentage. The Temecula native also did what he does best with 7 total blocks, making him impossible to hit over. Senior Xavier Connelly, on his birthday night, tallied 7 kills playing several different positions. The middle hitter was pushed to the opposite position in several sets and still found ways to hit over the block. Caeden Salmen, who rested for most of the night, came in late in set 3 and at the start of set 4 to spark the offense, and he did just that. Salmen had 7 quick kills and went on several outstanding serving runs to put the set out of reach. Thomas Plaskett and Kody Castellon dominated defensively. Both were absolutely rigid in serve-receive and accumulated 16 total digs combined.

On a brutally long week like this, Coach Afusia and Gardenhire decided to roll out with some backups to give the starting lineup much-needed rest before a big showdown against powerhouse Indiana Tech. Picking up in set 1, following a 15-15 tie, Surprise native Jackson Blair went on likely the largest run of the season with a 10-0 scoring run to end the set. The run was capped off with 2 service aces and several serves that created out-of-system plays for Soka. Xavier Connelly put away three balls during this run as well. In set 2, the Spirit came out hot and jumped to an immediate 8-2 lead. Owen Draeger led the charge in this set with 4 kills, hitting through several Lion blockers on many occasions. After dominating set 2, the team slowed down and allowed Soka to find their footing. Tied 14-14, the Lions put together a 5-0 run, including two blocks, allowing them to catch momentum. Coach Afusia then decided to sub Caeden Salmen into the game to try and bring the set back. Salmen guided the team back to a minimal 21-20 deficit courtesy of two kills and outstanding service pressure. However, the team could not capitalize late and allowed Soka to squeeze away 25-20. Following the frustrating end to set 3, the Spirit came back on a mission. The team came out with a quick 10-5 lead and did not look back. Salmen carried the offensive load with 6 fiery kills and two blocks. Meanwhile, the Spirit defense held the Lions to a -.028 hitting percentage in the set.

Your OUAZ Spirit men's volleyball team returns back to action in their final match of the homestand against Indiana Tech on Saturday, March 14th, at 1pm. This caps off the last non-conference matchup of the season and will have huge implications for national poll seeding, especially with several top teams losing.