Men’s Volleyball Falls to Santiago Canyon, Hits Road for Orange Coast Matchup

SAN MARCOS, CA (3/4/2026) -- Palomar men's volleyball dropped a straight-set decision Wednesday night to Santiago Canyon College, falling 27-25, 25-20, 25-17.

The opening set was tightly contested, with Palomar matching Santiago Canyon point-for-point before narrowly falling in extra points. The Hawks used that momentum to take control in the final two sets despite the Comets continuing to find success offensively .

Josh Garland led the Comets with a team-high 11 kills on an efficient .471 hitting percentage, while Aiden Gardiner added nine kills and hit .467. Tyler Smith contributed seven kills, and Connor Ferguson added six kills and two block assists as Palomar finished with 38 kills on the night.

Setter Tyler Smith also facilitated the offense with 31 assists, while Todd Clemens added five digs and two kills. Defensively, the Comets totaled 20 digs as they worked to stay within striking distance throughout the match .

Palomar will look to bounce back on Wednesday when it travels to face Orange Coast College for a 6 p.m. first serve.