MATT LLEWELLYN
Staff Writer
GET ON UP: Jonathan Winder sets it to Andy Hein for the big spike against UCSB in the Waves’ 3-2 victory on Tuesday night.
(Photo courtasy of Keith Novosel / Staff Photographer)
The No. 2-ranked Pepperdine men’s volleyball team is coming off a five-game winning streak after traveling to Los Angeles on Friday where they defeated the University of Southern California Trojans in three-straight games. The match took just under 75 minutes to complete. The Waves now look ahead to defending national champion BYU, who they will host this Friday.
The Waves showed just how hungry they were to win this match from the first serve. In game one, Pepperdine started right where it left off. The Waves were relentless, starting off 2-0 and never trailing.
In game two, the Waves continued to dominate as they began the game, again, with a 2-0 lead. The Waves never relinquished as they went on to win in convincing fashion. The Waves recorded 15 kills on 24 swings with only three errors.
The men carried their momentum into game three where they capped off a 4-0 run, after being tied at 10 apiece. The solid play of freshman Jonathan Winder and the usual contribution from middle blocker Tom Hulse assisted in giving the Waves a six-point lead. Immediately following the Waves run, John Parfitt went on a tear, recording six kills late in the game. Parfitt’s dominance helped the Waves to a 22-16 lead. The Waves never looked back and went on to sweep the Trojans.
“They wanted to come out with a lot of energy,” Winder said.
“We made a conscious effort to come out with a sense of urgency and it showed,” he said. “We played well early, which gave us a cushion heading into game three.”
In previous matches, the Waves have struggled to get off to a good start.
The men went on to claim a dramatic win against No. 7 University of California, Santa Barbara on Tuesday night.
“UCSB is a very talented team, but we have played well and expected to do well against them, especially at home,” Hulse said.
Adding to the excitement was the fact that UCSB had knocked off BYU who in return knocked off No. 1-ranked UCLA. The Waves knew the importance of this match heading into the contest, but came out flat.
The Waves struggled early in game one, finding themselves down 12-7, but later found their groove as they tied the game up at 18 apiece. UCSB answered with several kills, but their momentum was brought to a halt with an unforced service error. As usual, junior Andy Hein and senior leader John Mayer came up big in game one, giving the Waves the advantage. Immediately following, All-American Sean Rooney answered with three kills of his own, which finalized game one.
In game two, the Waves capped off a 6-1 lead, which wouldn’t last long. The two teams traded sideouts until UCSB went up 18-15 late in game two. The Waves received help from four different attackers, which gave them the advantage. The Gauchos responded with four quick points, which led to another tie score. Immediately following the 23-23 game, Hulse came up with a huge kill, which gave the waves momentum heading into game-point territory. Rooney decided to finish things off and led the Waves to a 30-28 victory.
Despite being up two, games three and four were a struggle for the Waves as they allowed the Gauchos back into the match. The Waves played well early, but UCSB’s Evan Patak answered the Waves each and every time with a kill of his own.
“We let up heading into game three which assisted the Gauchos in their comeback,” Winder said. “Our legs got a bit tired and our focus was lost, but we regained our attention heading into game five.”
As the match was tied, the Waves knew that game five was going to be a battle. Despite the Waves’ loss of concentration, they went on to defeat the Gauchos in what was another heart-stopping contest.
Rooney finished the night with a team-high 26 kills; Hein and Hulse combined for 23 kills without an error, while also recording six stuffs.
02-10-2005