No. 11 Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball has begun the 2024 season 2-0. The Waves opened their season with a 3-0 sweep of Fort Valley State on Jan. 3, and followed that up with a sweep of Morehouse on Jan. 5, both at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Pepperdine started the match against Fort Valley State with an 11-6 lead before winning the set 25-17. Fort Valley State started the second set with an 8-5 lead, but the Waves then went on a 9-3 run to take the lead and eventually win the set 25-13. Pepperdine finished off their sweep with a 25-12 victory in the final set.
Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Kevin Roberts had a career match as he led the team with 11 kills and 12.5 points. Graduate middle blocker Akin Akinwumi and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Ryan Barnett were also forces on offense with 10 and 7 kills respectively.
Against Morehouse, Pepperdine posted a .698 hitting percentage en route to their sweep, which is the highest hitting percentage the Waves have posted in a single match in the program’s history. Pepperdine’s 15 aces were also one away from tying the program record for most aces in a match.
The Waves won the first set 25-3, the second set 25-8 and the final set 25-9 to complete the historic sweep.
Sophomore opposite hitter Jake Olson led the scoring for Pepperdine with eight kills. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Cole Rasic followed with five kills, and redshirt freshman middle blocker Ethan Watson and redshirt freshman outside hitter Aidan Tune each had four kills.
Pepperdine continues their home stand with their next matches against Long Island University on Jan. 13, and Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 14, both at Firestone.
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Contact Tony Gleason on Twitter (@tony__gleason) or via email: anthony.gleason@pepperdine.edu
