LINDSEY BESECKER
Staff Writer
The rains ceased in Malibu on Wednesday as the No.-2 Pepperdine men’s volleyball team defeated No. 8 California State University, Northridge 3-0. Sunny skies are ahead for the Waves as they travel to Honolulu next week to face No.-3 University of Hawaii.
“It’s going to be pretty nice to enjoy the sun and hang out at the beach, but more importantly we have to play Hawaii, and they’re really good,” freshman Jonathan Winder said. “It’ll be two really good matches so hopefully we will be able to really focus on those.”
Wednesday’s match was the first in 10 days for Pepperdine, which last played when they swept No.-7 Brigham Young University in two matches during Homecoming weekend. The Waves resume play Wednesday and Friday in Hawaii against the 10-1 Warriors.
“It’s a great place to play volleyball,” Head Coach Marv Dunphy said. “They have a great crowd, it’s a good atmosphere (and) they support their team. It’ll be a real good challenge. They’re real good at home.”
The following week features two important matches for Pepperdine as its hosts No.-10 University of California, Irvine on March 10 and No.-1 UCLA on March 12. In their meeting earlier this season, the Waves defeated the Anteaters 3-1 in Irvine. The Bruins hold a 10-1 record with their only loss coming against BYU. In their last meeting, the Bruins swept the Waves in three matches at Pauley Pavilion.
“I know what we need to do to be good in the league and that’s to practice and be prepared for every match in the league,” Dunphy said. “With no exceptions, I think that on any night, the teams are close.”
That was demonstrated Wednesday night as the Northridge Matadors played three close games against Pepperdine. The Waves came out victorious by scores of 30-27, 30-24, 30-24.
“We didn’t play the best,” Winder said. “We haven’t played for 10 days so we were a little rusty. We did good enough to win.”
Sophomore John Parfitt registered a career-high 24 kills in the win and added five blocks and five digs. Senior Sean Rooney contributed 17 kills and two service aces, and senior John Mayer had 11 kills and 10 digs.
The Waves gained momentum with each game. As a team, Pepperdine dominated in the third game with an overall hitting percentage of .370, compared to Northridge’s .065.
“We were starting to play better together (by the third game),” Winder said. “Finally we got our legs under us, and we were able to play better toward the end of the match.”
After the university’s Spring Break, Pepperdine has a five-game homestand before the end of the month.
“I’m looking forward to playing at home,” Dunphy said. “We have a pretty good following.”
02-24-2005
