By Jill Oberly
Staff Writer
Those driven into Firestone Fieldhouse by the cold weather and rumors of snow in Malibu were in for an exciting surprise Tuesday night as the Pepperdine men’s volleyball team went head to head with cross-town rival Cal State Northridge.
Those who sought shelter were not disappointed as the Waves upset the Matadors in five games.
Many dedicated volleyball fans, already looking forward to Friday’s match against coastal competitor and long-time rival UC Santa Barbara, expected the Waves to trample the Matadors.
“We should take them in three (games),” one fan remarked.
However, head coach Marv Dunphy knew the threat that Northridge posed to Pepperdine’s five-game unbeaten streak.
“This is Northridge’s best team ever,” Dunphy said. “They are bigger than we are and I’ve been around long enough to know that your most important match is always the next one you have to play, no matter what has happened in the past.”
The Matadors, wearing red, took an early lead in game one. The Waves tried to rally back and were able to bring it within two, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Northridge who took the first game 30-28. The Waves took the next two 30-26, 30-22. The bull was ready for the charge. However, Northridge clamored back to take the fourth game 30-26.
Game five found the Matador and the bull face to face. Northridge took a 7-4 lead.
The Waves seemed to be slipping, but rallied off three consecutive points and a kill by freshmen outside hitter Sean Rooney tying it at seven.
The score continued to yo-yo back and forth with Pepperdine and Northridge handing the lead back to the other.
However, in the end the bullish Waves had the Matadors waving a white flag. A kill from behind the 10-foot line by sophomore outside hitter Fred Winters sealed the win 15-13.
“We were inconsistent in the beginning and made few too many errors,” Rooney said. “However we were able to pull it together. The middles were good at drawing blocks and the outside hitters were given a lot of opportunities.”
And the Waves weren’t afraid to take advantage of those opportunities. Winters collected a team-high of 25 kills while also contributing 10 digs to the Waves’ defensive effort.
Rooney followed with 23 kills and Lance Walker contributed 19.
Senior setter Beau Daniels totaled 77 set assists and 13 digs.
As a team, Pepperdine posted a hitting percentage of .327. The win over Northridge was perhaps the Waves’ toughest match so far. However, they can expect another tough one on Friday against Santa Barbara.
The Waves face the Gauchos for the second time this season having lost in five games to UCSB in a tournament in early January.
“Santa Barbara beat us pretty good here last time,” Dunphy said. “It wasn’t a fluke. They have a good offense. But now we know what to expect.”
What will that be?
“We can expect a battle,” said Rooney. “They beat us last time. But since then we have improved and they know we’ll be coming out or them.”
In other recent play, the Waves defeated both UC Santa Cruz and UC Irvine. Against UC Santa Cruz in Firestone Fieldhouse, the Waves took care of business defeating the Banana Slugs in three games, 30-15, 30-21, 30-27.
The match took little over an hour, and Rooney totaled a high of 13 kills.
Facing UC Irvine for the second time this year after a first round defeat, the Waves dominated the Anteaters in three games Saturday, 30-28, 30-22, 30-21.
Outside hitter Lance Walker led the offensive charge with 13 kills. Walker was followed by teammates Brad Keenan and Rooney, who each added 10 kills.
Senior setter Beau Daniels recorded 48 set assists.
In their next MPSF match, the Waves face UC Santa Barbara Friday 7 p.m. in Pepperdine’s Firestone Fieldhouse
January 31, 2002