THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Arcadia men's volleyball team opened its 2019 season on Thursday on the West Coast. The Knights opened play with a 3-2 loss to Westcliff and then dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 8 Cal Lutheran.
 
Westcliff 3, Arcadia 2 (22-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 15-6)
Austin Braas led the Knights with 12 kills and hit .647 while collecting six blocks, but the Warriors came back from a 2-1 deficit to knock of the Knights in their season opener. Tied 1-1 in the match and trailing 12-10 in the third set, the Knights used a 4-0 run, including a pair of aces from Collin Nissley, to take the lead for good at 14-12.
 
The Warriors got back within one at 18-17, but a block from Robie Moctezuma and Anthony Devantier and a Devantier service ace put the Knights up three at 20-17. Leading 21-19, the Scarlet & Grey closed out the set with four straight points, clinching the set on a Barry Greenough attack error.
 
In the fourth set, the Knights held a 10-6 lead following a kill from Devantier before a 6-2 run from the Warriors pulled Westcliff to within a point at 13-12. Arcadia went back up four, 18-14, on a kill from Braas, but Westcliff came storming back to knot the set at 20-20. Trailing 23-22, Jarod Pichler put down kill for AU to tie the match at 23-23, but back-to-back kills from the Warriors' Marques Buggs sealed the set win for Westcliff and tied the match at 2-2.
 
The Warriors seized control of the deciding fifth set early on, racing out to a 9-2 lead en route to the eventual 3-2 win.
 
In addition to Braas' 12 kills, Pichler added 11 and hit .556, while Dan Paraskevov chipped in eight kills. Devantier finished with 38 assists, Jason Manley had five kills, seven digs and three service aces, and Zayne George had six digs.
 
Buggs led the Warriors with 19 kills. Sean Collins had 45 assists, and Trevor Meyer and James Santos each had nine digs.
 
#8 Cal Lutheran 3, Arcadia 0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-16)
The eighth-ranked Kingsmen hit .321 and held AU to a .057 hitting percentage in their 3-0 sweep of the Knights. Braas led the Knights' offense once again, racking up 10 kills and hitting .526. Quinn Baily added eight kills and six digs, and Devantier handed out 18 assists.
 
The first set was back-and-forth and neither team led by more than three. A kill by Braas gave AU a 16-14 lead midway through, before Cal Lutheran fought back to tie the set at 17-17 on an AU attack error.
 
A kill from Paraskevov and a Baily service ace gave AU a 19-17 lead, but the Kingsmen answered once more and tied the match at 19-19 on another AU attack error. After taking a 21-20 lead on a Kingsmen attack error, Arcadia fell behind 23-21, prompting a timeout from the bench. Out of the stoppage, kills from Braas and Baily tied the set at 23-23, but a service error allowed Cal Lutheran to take a 24-23 lead, and Brendan Ward and Nick Christy combined on a block to seal the win.
 
Following the first set, Cal Lutheran found its rhythm, racing out to a 9-1 lead in the second set en route to the 25-16 win. In the third set, and early 6-2 run turned a 6-5 lead for Cal Lutheran into a 12-7 advantage. The Knights got as close as three (15-12), but the nationally-ranked Kingsmen kept AU at bay and sealed the sweep.
 
Andrew Reina and Ward led the Kingsmen with eight kills apiece. Grant Nelson and Alec Bennett had 13 and 10 assists, respectively, and Nick Christy had six total blocks.
 
The Knights are back in action on Sunday when they take on UC Santa Cruz and Menlo beginning at 1 p.m.