By Jill Oberly
Staff Writer
Relentless and consistent.
That would describe the No. 2 ranked Pepperdine men’s volleyball team Friday night as they handed the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos their third loss of the season.
Having lost to the Gauchos earlier this year in the Millie and Severson tournament held by Pepperdine at Firestone Fieldhouse, the Waves were out for redemption.
The Waves fell behind early in the first game. After a rocky start, however, they soon picked up the momentum rallying from a four-point deficit to take the lead in game one.
Freshmen outside hitter Sean Rooney served for the game point. His serve ricocheted off the ceiling after bouncing off a Gaucho, giving the Waves the sideout and the first game, 30-26.
From that point on, the Gauchos appeared horseless as the Waves dominated both offensive and defensive play and never let up at the net. Pepperdine took charge in the next game and never let up winning both games two and three with ease, 30-21, 30-24.
“We were more focused and more mentally prepared this time,” senior libero Clint Olson said. “We’re the better team and we proved it.”
Rooney and sophomore outside hitter Fred Winters led the Waves in kills, each totaling 12. Senior outside hitter Lance Walker was not far behind with 11 kills.
Junior middle blocker Brad Keenan had a team-high four blocks while also racking up nine kills. Senior outside hitter Ben Koski led Santa Barbara with 10 kills.
The Waves, who had no receiving errors in the match, marked an impressive team hitting percentage of .424.
“In the sport we play consistency is key,” Olson said. “Not letting whether you are up by a lot or down by a lot affect the way you play.”
The Waves are off to an impressive start. Currently 5-0 in MPSF play, they hope to keep the momentum flowing in their upcoming matches.
The Waves head to UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion tonight to take on the Bruins in a MPSF match that begins at 7 p.m. The Waves faced the Bruins earlier this season at the Wyndham Garden West Coast Challenge and came out on top in three games, 30-27, 30-26, 30-27.
That along with solid play in their last several games should give the Waves some confidence heading into Westwood.
“We won last time,” coach Marv Dunphy said, “but I remember the games being really close. UCLA is known for having solid teams, with good depth and a real good balance.”
When it comes to college volleyball and NCAA championships, UCLA definitely has a legacy. It includes 18 national titles.
Lead by head coach Al Scates, the Bruins look to snap Pepperdine’s seven-game unbeaten streak. UCLA also has a seven-game unbeaten streak on the line. They may be just the team to do so.
Scates, now in his 40th season at UCLA, is one of the greatest college volleyball coaches in history, holding the best record of all time. The Bruins are 9-1 overall and 4-0 in MPSF play and hold the No. 1 ranking.
However, the Waves are not intimidated. “The court’s the same. The ball’s the same. They (UCLA) have good players. But we have good players too,” Dunphy said.
After facing UCLA on their turf, the Waves return home to Firestone Fieldhouse Tuesday to take on USC. They then host No. 9 UC Irvine on Saturday.
“We want to be as good as we possibly can at the end of the year,” Dunphy said. “The beginning of the season is a sorting out process.”
A No. 2 ranking is not as important now because there are still a lot odf tough matches ahead.
The Waves will face many more challenges before the year is over. They play UCLA tonight and they will play No. 4 BYU, No. 6 Stanford, and No. 3 Hawaii before the conclusion of the regular season.
Sidebar:
USA Today/AVCA Coaches Poll — Top 15
1. UCLA
2. Pepperdine
3. Hawai’i
4. BYU
5. Penn State
6. Stanford
7. UC Santa Barbara
8. Lewis College
9. UC Irvine
10. Ball State
11. Loyola-Chicago
12. Ohio State
13. Cal State – Northridge
14. Long Beach State
15. Pacific
February 07, 2002