Waves chew out No.-2 Anteaters

ZACH ENGLUND
Sports Assistant

Facing both defending national champion and this season’s favorites in back to back games, while simultaneously gunning to revise school history, the top-ranked Pepperdine men’s volleyball team had more food on their plate than the wealthiest man in Malibu. However, the battle-tested Waves passed yet another test with flying colors, trouncing No.4-ranked UCLA in four sets, outlasting No.2-ranked UC Irvine through five, and setting a new school record for consecutive wins in men’s volleyball with 18 straight victories.

“It’s not about winning and losing, but getting better every game,” said John Winder, junior starting setter for the Waves. “Both matches were a huge challenge for us. They’re two of the best teams right now, so we had to raise our level of play, and thank God we were able to do that and compete with them”.

The UCLA Bruins (14-10, 9-9 MPSF) came into Thursday’s match seeking revenge, having barely lost to the Waves back in January, taking them to five sets. However, this game would not be as competitive, as red-hot Pepperdine put a hurting on the Bruins after a minor hiccup in the first set, winning the contest, 3-1 (28-30, 30-26, 30-25, 30-21).

Sophomore outside hitter Paul Carroll once again led the Waves with 18 kills and two aces, with Jon Grobe chipping in with 15 kills on .519 hitting. Winder also had a strong outing, recording his second double-double of the season with a 50-assist, 11-dig performance.

Game one of the match belonged to UCLA, as the Bruins jumped out to a 10-5 lead and held the advantage throughout the set. Pepperdine made a late surge to come with one at 28-27, but UCLA answered every push with one of its own, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Waves used the momentum they gained from the end of the first set and came out smoking in game two, building a 17-9 lead and not allowing a Bruin comeback.

Game three was as close as UCLA would get to winning another set, with both teams butting heads and changing leads en route to a 20-all stalemate. With the all-important third set anyone’s to win, Pepperdine turned it up a notch and went on a 7-3 run, leading to a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The Bruins would also stay close the beginning of game four, but Pepperdine showed their veteran poise and shut the door by taking a 14-6 lead, all but sealing the game and match for the Waves.

Saturday’s contest against UC Irvine pushed Pepperdine to the limit, as the sizzling Anteaters (22-4, 15-4 MPSF) came into the match riding a 10-game winning streak. It took them all fives sets to do it, but the Waves were able to survive the scare and escape the toughest match of the year victorious, 3-2 (28-30, 30-20, 30-25, 22-30,15-13).

“Volleyball is a game where one play can turn it either way,” said Winder, referring to the instant classic.  “Thankfully, the ball dropped our way this time.”

Winder set the Waves to a .331 hitting percentage in the game, while adding six kills, four blocks and a team-high nine digs. Sophomore outside hitter Paul Carroll expectedly led the team with 22 kills and also scored the team’s lone ace in the match.

Once again, game one was the Achilles heel for Pepperdine, as the Waves dropped the opening set for the third straight match. Neither team took a substantial lead until late in the game, when UC Irvine broke a 20-all with a charge that Pepperdine failed to counter, giving the Anteaters a 1-0 lead in the match.

Knowing they could not afford to give any more ground to a team like UC Irvine, the Waves came out much sharper than in game two and clung to a slim lead through much of the set. The Anteaters would get no closer than three late at 23-20, as Pepperdine showed why they were the number one seed by scoring five straight kills to seal the game, tying the match at 1-apiece.

Pepperdine picked up their play at the net in game four, blocking the Anteaters on key possessions throughout the set. Although the set would stay close till the end, the Waves sparked at the right time, leading to a 2-1 advantage in the match.

Having let both games two and three slip from their fingertips, the Anteaters were not about to go down quietly, coming out on fire in game four and leading, 19-12, midway through the set. The seven-point deficit was too much for the Waves to overcome, as UC Irvine won the set convincingly and carried all the momentum heading into the fifth and final set of the match.

Pepperdine was able to regain some of the lost momentum in the decisive set with two thunderous blocks right out of the gate, further igniting the already deafening crowd in Firestone Fieldhouse. The two juggernauts matched each other point for point en route to an 11-all standstill, and the biggest win of the year for both teams was within grasp. With the Waves leading, 14-13, the Anteaters botched their serve, gift-wrapping the match in orange and blue ribbon for the Waves.

“We played really hard against Irvine, but not necessarily well on a consistent basis,” said Marv Dunphy, head coach of the Waves. “But our effort was there. You train like crazy, and you’re either good enough or not, and we were that night. Not by much, but we were good enough.”

Pepperdine will play its next few games on the road, facing Stanford and Pacific this weekend. Although the Waves just beat two of the best teams in the league, Dunphy knows not to take any opponent lightly.

“Pacific beat Irvine, so they’re one of the elite, and Stanford’s made some key adjustments,” he said. “And if they beat us, it won’t be because we weren’t ready. With one month and change left in the season, it’s a fun time of year to be playing volleyball, especially if you’re good at what you do.”

04-05-2007