With an exhilarating match against Emmanuel University, Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball dominated the court at Firestone Fieldhouse on Jan. 20. Ending the match with an overall score of 3-0, the Waves continued to showcase their talents.
Freshman outside hitter Jose Gomez expressed the team’s start going into the match against their energetic opponent, the Lions.
“The game was getting pretty slow, I would say. The opposite team was making it tough for us,” Gomez said. “We were able to find the right mindset, make the right plays in the right moments. So, we were able to find our game after that.”
With the two teams in high spirits, the match began. Pepperdine made the first splash as graduate student setter Gabe Dyer secured the first point of the set with a smooth dump right over the net. Emmanuel clapped back the next play, as junior outside/opposite hitter Aiden Feeney attacked with a kill.
At the 15-point mark, Pepperdine was leading the set as Emmanuel had seven points. After two straight kills from redshirt freshman opposite Matt Mazur, and a kill from freshman middle blocker William Whidden, the Lions’ fight weakened as the Waves continued to dominate.
A triple ace from Gomez brought the set to match point. From Gabe setting the ball, Gomez led the team to victory with an ending spike. Mazur was an additional show-out with a total of four kills of his own, and Gabe with two.
Pepperdine took the first set with a score of 25-11. The Waves had 11 kills, an attack percentage of .769, eight digs and four aces. While the Lions had five kills, an attack rate of .000, one dig and one ace.
Despite his impressive court performance, Mazur admits his own anticipation as a freshman in the match’s starting lineup.
“At the start, I was kind of nervous and everything. But, it seems like I was trying to pick it up and have a steady pace and move on,” Mazur said.
Yet, Emmanuel’s unrelenting energy during the second set proved tough as they quickly took the lead. With two kills and defensive blocks, Emmanuel managed to take the lead with a score of 7-3. Then, Gomez ended the drought with a clap back from a spike on the right side.
With a tied score of 15-15, the Waves ended the Lions’ reign with eight consecutive points. Out of the eight, four were kills by Gomez, and two by Mazur. With a triple block from Pepperdine’s front-row against Emmanuel junior outside hitter Aedan Vanegas unrelenting attack attempts, the Lions were unable to recover.
With a set dump by Gomez, it drew the set to match point. Fans cheered in high energy as Pepperdine’s momentum could not be overtaken. With Whidden’s final kill, the set drew to a second win for the Waves with a score of 25-17.
Gomez conveyed the hard-earned chemistry the team showed on and off the court during the game.
“We were able to show that [chemistry] in the court, in the real game first time in season,” Gomez said. “It was very fun for us to be together and play as we have been doing in practice.”
The third set was no different for Pepperdine. The first point was a kill by Gabe. Similarly, it was a tight back-and-forth between the two teams, not allowing any team a lead.
At a score of 20 points for Pepperdine, compared to Emmanuel’s 17, graduate student outside hitter/libero George Dyer hit an impressive quadruple kill and an ace, bringing the set to match point. Through the Waves’ last offensive play, the third set concluded with a score of 25-17 for Pepperdine’s clean sweep across the board.
Overall, Men’s Volleyball ended with a total of 44 kills, nine aces, 29 digs and an average attack rate of .523. The Lions ended with a total of 20 kills, two aces, 11 digs and a rate of .164.
Highlighting the athletes that showed out throughout this match, Mazur led with 14 kills, Gomez followed suit with 13 kills. Gomez took home the lead for aces with five. George led for a total of 32 assists, and senior libero Brenden Read, alongside Gabe, were on top with eight digs.
As the game concluded, Mazur shared his mindset for the team moving forward as they prepare to face their next opponent.
“Probably to say, be ready from the start,” Mazur said. “This is going to be a better, obviously a better match than it was. Be ready to go from there.”
The Waves continue to cheer on Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball as they face No.1 California State University, Long Beach on Jan. 26 at Firestone Fieldhouse. They continue their season in hopes of adding another victory to their winning path.
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Contact Christine Park by email: christine.park@pepperdine.edu
