USC tops Lewis 3-1 in NCAA volleyball semis

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Senior outside hitter Tony Ciarelli had 18 kills and 10 digs as Southern California off Lewis 3-1 in the NCAA men's volleyball tournament to advance to Saturday's title match against UC Irvine.

Top-seeded Irvine (25-5) defeated Penn State 3-1 in the earlier semifinal Thursday night at USC's Galen Center.

Ciarelli, the national player of the year, hit .412 for the second-seeded Trojans (24-5), who took the first two sets before third-seeded Lewis mounted a challenge in the third.

Geoff Powell had 17 kills and nine digs for the Flyers (26-7), who got an automatic bid to the semis with a five-set victory over defending NCAA champion Ohio State 3-2 in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.

Southern California has won four national championships, its last in 1990.

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