Full of energy and competition, Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball conquered No. 3 University of Southern California at Firestone Fieldhouse on April 5. With a surprising turnout, the Waved clutched the match with an overall score of 3-1.
Pepperdine kicked off the first set with a fresh kill from freshman outside hitter Cole Hartke. Yet, the Trojans did not relent, as they gained momentum from offensive kills, and a few mistake errors from the Waves led to easy points for USC.
Set one was a close set, Pepperdine and USC came at it point by point, with a total of four kills from Hartke and redshirt sophomore middle blocker Ethan Watson, two from freshman middle blocker William Whidden and two from redshirt junior outside hitter Ryan Barnett.
At the 20-point mark for the Waves, the Trojans pushed a gap of four points to meet set point with a score of 24-21. With a kill from USC, the Trojans finished the match with a score of 25-21.
From the second set, Pepperdine turned the tide as the Waves quickly established a lead with a score of 4-1. As the match was underway, the Trojans did not make it easy as they quickly caught up. Redshirt freshman opposite Matt Mazur brought it to a tie of 11-11 with a kill.
A kill by Barnett brought the score to 21-18. Then, following a kill from Hartke, the set was brought to set point. With an ace from the Waves, it ended the set with match point for a win for Pepperdine with a score of 25-20.
For the second set, Pepperdine finished with 12 kills, 28 total attempts and an attack percentage of .25 compared to USC’s 12 kills, 33 total attempts and a .212 attack percentage, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
As the third set began, Barnett started off Pepperdine’s first point with a kill. The third set was a wipe-out for the Trojans as the Waves quickly found their rhythm with a five-point lead at 15-10.
From the 16-point, the Waves kept USC at bay as they gained an additional five points in a row, including a double kill from Mazur and Barnett. They brought the score to an impressive 21-11.
Then, a kill from Mazur brought it to set point, as a Trojans service error concluded the third set for the second consecutive win for the Waves. The set ended with an overall score of 25-15.
Barnett led the Waves in the third set with five kills, Mazur and Hartke with four and three, respectively. Attack percentage was .4 for the Waves and .065 for the Trojans, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The final set was the finishing touch for the Waves, as they maintained their composure and momentum to clutch the final win for the match. Although USC held their ground, the Waves won the set with an overall score of 25-21.
Pepperdine finished the match with a total of 73 points, compared to USC’s 51 points. The Waves delivered the Trojans’ first conference loss of their season.
With 49 kills from the Waves, the Trojans fell short with 39 kills. Pepperdine had 40 digs, 47 assists and seven aces. USC had 34 digs, 38 assists and four aces, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Men’s Volleyball team came back with a win against USC after their loss in the first match April 3. The Waves’ next match will be against Jessup University on April 10 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
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Contact Christine Park via email: christine.park@pepperdine.edu
