By Jill Oberly
Sports Writer
There’s no place like home.
The Pepperdine men’s volleyball team returned to Firestone Fieldhouse this past weekend to face SoCal rivals Long Beach State and UC San Diego, blowing by both teams with seeming ease.
But the big test is yet to come.
The Waves, who this week are ranked No. 2 nationally by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, have their toughest games in the next two weeks as they face No. 3 Hawaii and No. 1 UCLA.
Pepperdine currently stands at 13-2 in MPSF play and is in a tight race with Hawaii (12-2) and UCLA (14-2) for first place in the regular season MPSF standings. The team at the top of the conference at the end of the season earns home-court advantage and the right to host the post-season tournament.
The Waves will face Hawaii for the first time this year Friday and Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves, who have swept their last six matches, hope to keep a 16-consecutive game streak alive when the Rainbows come to town.
Head coach Marv Dunphy is looking forward to the upcoming matches. “Hawai’i is a very experienced team,” Dunphy said. “Four or five of their starters are foreign athletes who have a lot of experience at the international level and have been playing together for the last three years. They are a very good team.”
While Hawai’i sits atop the rankings with Pepperdine and UCLA, they have yet to face either team. Despite significant talent only time will tell how long they will be able to remain there. This weekend the Waves will be looking for a crowd support to help give them the upper hand against the Rainbows.
“Our fans are knowledgeable fans,” Dunphy said. “They didn’t come out in droves against San Diego, but I expect a good showing this weekend.”
Proving its top-ranking, the Waves crashed the beach as they blew past No. 14 Long Beach State Friday night, 30-21, 30-24, 30-22 in some of their most solid play of the season.
Freshmen outside hitter Sean Rooney led the Pepperdine offense with 12 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Fred Winters notched just one less to finish off with 11. Junior middle blocker Brad Keenan and senior middle blocker Chris Van Reusen both totaled nine kills as Pepperdine a commanding .439 as a team, limiting the 49ers team attack mark to .215.
The Waves out-blocked the beach by a dominating 21-4 margin and were led at the net by Keenan, who recorded nine block assists.
In a clash between UC San Diego and Pepperdine Saturday night, the Tritons were no match for the mighty Waves. The Tritons couldn’t command the tumultuous waters as the Waves surged to victory in three games, 30-21, 30-20, 30-28, winning its sixth consecutive match.
Rooney tallied a team-high 15 kills to lead a strong offensive attack.
Pepperdine proved an indomitable force at the net, outblocking UC San Diego 14-0. The Waves were also solid behind the line, benefiting from seven service aces, including three by Keenan.
Balancing out his play Keenan also notched nine kills and seven blocks. The Waves limited their hitting errors, which have been a problem in past games, to seven on their way to posting an impressive .526 team attack mark.
The Tritons were limited to a lowly .185 mark.
Continuing on a five-match homestand, the Waves hope to go the distance and keep quest for the top spot alive with wins over Hawai’i.
“The best part of our season is coming up,” Dunphy said. “It should be an exciting time. Basically what it comes down to in the long run is either you’re good enough or you’re not and we hope to be good enough.”
First serve for both Friday and Saturday’s game is at 7 p.m.
March 21, 2002