Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball defeated the USC Trojans 3-1 March 15, at Firestone Fieldhouse. This win puts the Waves on a five-game win streak.
After a startling first set in which Pepperdine went down 0-1, the Waves pressed forward and won three consecutive sets.
“[We] just play loose, have fun and play together,” freshman setter Ryan Graves said.
Throughout the season, Pepperdine has been jockeying with other teams like USC for a coveted top-ten position. March 11, marked a key moment for the Waves as they moved from No. 10 to No. 9, and the team looks to sustain that momentum going into the next week, Head Coach Jonathan Winder said.
The first set marked a slow start for the Waves as they struggled to keep pace with the momentum of the Trojans. While Pepperdine was able to go on a five-point streak to bring them to 18-20, they ultimately failed to overtake USC with a final set score of 25-22.
“They came out hot,” redshirt sophomore outside hitter Cole Rasic said. “They were passing well, serving well and putting it in all the right spots.”
After going down 0-1, Pepperdine looked to change things up for set two. The Waves subbed in redshirt junior outside hitter Joe Deluzio and redshirt sophomore libero Brendan Reed.
“We knew they were gonna be [a] good team coming in today,” Graves said. “We fought them off and made some changes blocking and defense-wise.”
Set two became another race between USC and Pepperdine, with each team pulling back and forth on each other for control of the game. Late in the set, USC managed to get three kills in a row, but looking to answer back, Pepperdine did the same and, once again, brought the set to 18-20.
Despite being in the same spot as last time, Pepperdine went on another four-point streak and closed out the set 28-26.
Set three was more of the same intense race that had been established before. Neither team could pull ahead, and the 1-1 set score represented the fight well.
“No matter who’s on the court for us, we know that whoever’s gonna be on the court is gonna bring it 100%,” Graves said.
To close out the set, USC would get four unanswered points, leading them to be within reach of Pepperdine at 24-23. Pepperdine didn’t break from the pressure, though, and a kill from graduate student outside hitter Cole Ketrzynski closed out the set for Pepperdine.
Now, being up 2-1, Pepperdine had a little more breathing room to work with, and the players noticeably relaxed during the set break. While having some space, though, Pepperdine made sure to keep up their momentum and focus on the win.
Storming ahead, Pepperdine kept USC at arm’s length for the fourth set and never let them get within reach of overtaking them. Ketrzynski got another clutch kill, taking the team to 24-20, and a group block by Ketrzynski and redshirt freshman middle blocker Ethan Watson ended the game.
This win was especially big for the team but also because March 14, was Alumni night for the Men’s Volleyball team, with previous players coming back to be celebrated and reconnect with each other. During the second set break, all the alumni in attendance made their way to the court, and each one was individually named and cheered on.
“We have a great history here — a great tradition,” Winder said. “It’s really fun to see all these Olympians, all-Americans and professional championship teams here.”
__________________
Follow the Graphic on X: @PeppGraphic
Contact Joseph Heinemann via email: joe.heinemann@pepperdine.edu
