MATT LLEWELLYN
Assistant Sports Editor
The No. 2-ranked Pepperdine men’s volleyball team has shown signs of brilliance this season, but still hasn’t found the consistency needed to be a national champion.
Nevertheless, the Waves are coming off a huge win over No. 5-ranked Long Beach State. Although the match went five games (30-28, 26-30, 33-31, 30-32, 16-14) in what arguably might have been the most exciting match in Firestone Fieldhouse history, the Waves proved to be too tough late in games three and five.
The Waves have been very successful this season, partly from the luxury of having great depth on their team. Each night the Waves have received huge lifts from sometimes unexpected places.
Thursday against the 49ers, the Waves received another huge lift from junior middle blocker Andy Hein. Hein contributed 16 kills in what was a personal best, while also adding several key blocks late in game three.
However, no contribution was bigger than that of sophomore middle blocker Tom Hulse. Hulse led all Pepperdine players with 11 blocks.
Assisting Hulse was sophomore John Parfitt. Parfitt lead the team with 23 kills, which matched his own career high.
Not surprisingly, senior All-American Sean Rooney reached his second double-double chipping in 22 kills while coming up with 10 big blocks. Senior John Mayer unleashed 13 kills of his own. In total, four Waves finished the night in double-digit kill totals.
Despite the all-around team effort, the Waves struggled individually from the service line. The Waves found themselves down early in game five due to unforced errors.
“Cutting down on unforced errors is something all teams needs to focus on, but it seems to be a major problem with us lately,” Parfitt said. “We plan on making the necessary adjustments, which will help our team throughout the remainder of the season.”
Late in game three, head coach Marv Dunphy called upon freshman Corey Spencer. Spencer, a player well known for his serving accuracy, was placed on the service line on game point.
Despite Spencer’s lack of experience in late-game situations, he was able to connect on a good serve, giving Pepperdine the lead heading into game four. Long Beach State came up with the win in game four in what was a game ending 30-32 score.
Despite Pepperdine’s service trouble, the Waves chipped away at the 49er lead, which didn’t last long as the Waves went on a 4-1 run.
As the game drew near a close, match point approached and the Waves were in a position to put the 49ers away. Freshman star Jonathan Winder came up with the biggest play of the night as he dumped on match point, giving the Waves the victory.
The Waves proved they have the ability to play from behind in big games. However, there wasn’t much time to celebrate the dramatic win as the Waves hosted University of California San Diego the following night.
Despite the Waves being down 6-1 early in game one, the Waves dominated UCSD, defeating the Tritons in three straight games, capping off their third consecutive match Friday night.
Although the win column for the Waves only continues to grow, there are several fundamental team members said they want to improve on.
“We need to do a better job reducing unforced errors,” Winder said. “In order for us to beat top teams like UCLA and BYU, we have to serve well, dig the ball much better and focus on keeping the ball in play.”
When playing national powerhouse UCLA, getting off to an early start might be the difference in getting the W.
“Setting the tone early is very important especially against talented opponents like a UCLA or a Long Beach State team,” Parfitt said. “We have done a poor job getting out early on teams, but that is something we very aware of and plan to focus on. Everyone needs to step it up including myself. We must do a better job blocking in and around the net in order to be successful this season.”
The No. 1-ranked UCLA men’s volleyball team lost to BYU Thursday, Jan. 27 in five games. This only opens the door for the Waves to a possible two-way tie for the No. 1-spot in the nation.
02-03-2005
