In their matchup against No. 7 UC Irvine Friday Jan. 21 the No. 6 Pepperdine men’s volleyball team fell three sets to two in a five-set nail-biter.
Beginning the season ranked No. 3 nationally the Waves started with two wins over then No. 7 ranked Ohio State the second match resulting in a five set edge-out victory for the Waves. In the next two matches the Waves fell in five-set matches against Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge.
Head Coach Marv Dunphy said they had an “intense opening week following the Waves’ loss to CSUN.
In their face-off against the UCI Anteaters the Waves lost the first set. Fighting back, they edged out the Anteaters in the next two sets, winning them 29-27 and 25-23 consecutively. Then, after losing the fourth set 25-20 they found themselves in their fourth consecutive five-set match.
Despite falling behind, the Waves fought back to the lead, however the Anteaters pulled it together to win the night with a 21-19 set despite strong offensive efforts from sophomore Maurice Torres, senior Kasey Crider, and junior Chase Ross.
Frustrated with their third consecutive loss, the Waves’ national ranking continues to decline steadily.
Later this week the Waves continue their road-game stretch as they face off against UCLA on Wednesday, Jan. 26 and UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Jan. 28.