Pepperdine University
Hawai'i
#2 Men Volleyball Upset by #5 Hawaii
3/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Pepperdine-Hawaii Box Score 
MALIBU, Calif. - #5 Hawaii knocked the #2 Pepperdine men's volleyball team out of first place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with a 30-21, 34-32, 30-24 victory at Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
The Waves (13-6, 11-5) had already beaten the Warriors (15-8, 11-7) on Friday night in three games, but Hawaii returned the favor in the second meeting. Pepperdine entered the match tied atop the MPSF standings with #1-ranked Stanford, but the loss drops the Waves into second place with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Junior outside hitter Cory Riecks (Auburn, Calif./Placer HS) had 14 kills and senior outside hitter J.D. Schleppenbach (Ventura, Calif./Ventura HS) had 13 to lead the Waves. Junior middle blocker Tyler Jaynes (Granite Bay, Calif./Granite Bay HS) had nine kills and seven block, while freshman opposite Maurice Torres (Riverside, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) had nine kills and six blocks.
Senior libero Sean Grubbs (Newport Beach, Calif./Irvine Valley CC) had 12 digs and junior setter Kasey Crider (Granite Bay, Calif./Granite Bay HS) had 44 assists.
Hawaii, which outhit Pepperdine .367 to .195, got a match-high 21 kills from Jonas Umlauft. Matt Rawson had eight blocks, Nejc Zemljak had 42 assists and Ric Cervantes added 12 digs.
Hawaii never trailed in the first game after scoring the first two points and then going up 4-1. At 8-7, the Warriors ran off seven straight points, which included back-to-back kills by Rawson and Joshua Walker at one point. Hawaii's lead hit double-digits for the first time at 21-11 after two straight Pepperdine attack errors. The Warriors had a .400-.075 hitting edge.
The lead went back and forth in the second game before Hawaii prevailed. The Warriors led by two at 3-1, but the Waves scored four straight points (two on blocks involving Torres, and then two kills by Riecks). The Waves' lead grew to three points at 13-10 after a service ace by Torres. But Hawaii would rally to take a two-point lead at 20-18 after an ace by Zemljak, and then a three-point edge at 27-24 after a kill by Zemljak and a Wave attack error. Pepperdine would then go on another 4-0 run behind kills by Jaynes, Torres and Riecks, and a block by Jaynes and Torres. Pepperdine would serve for the set twice, but Hawaii regained advantage after a couple of kills by Umlauft, and eventually won the game on a Pepperdine attack error. Hawaii hit .400 for the second straight game, while the Waves' hitting rose to .395.
The Waves led by as many as three points early in the third game after a block by Torres and Jaynes made it 8-5. Hawaii would eventually tie the game at 11-11 and took the lead for good after a 4-0 run that was capped by kills by Steven Grgas and Umlauft that made it 19-15. The Waves would get no closer than three points the rest of the way as the Warriors were able to expand their lead from there. Hawaii had a .308-.114 hitting advantage in the third game.
The Waves play their final two regular-season home matches next week as they host UCLA on Wednesday (March 31) and UC Irvine on Saturday (April 3). Both contests are at 7 p.m. "Wave Casts" subscribers can watch both matches online at www.pepperdinesports.com.
