Pepperdine University
USC
Pepperdine Suffers Loss to Top-Ranked USC
3/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
March 25, 2011
Box Score 
LOS ANGELES - #1-ranked USC's only blemish on its record this season came courtesy of Pepperdine on Feb. 11. The season sweep wasn't meant to be however, as the Trojans won a 3-0 decision versus the #13 Waves inside the Galen Center.
With the 25-17, 25-22, 28-26 win, USC improves to 16-1 while the Waves fall to 8-12.
Despite the loss, Maurice Torres (Riverside, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) delivered a solid performance with a match-high 18 kills. Cory Riecks (Auburn, Calif./Placer HS) followed with 14 put downs, earned on a .367 attack percentage.
Chase Ross (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS) made his returned to the lineup with sound serve receive and six kills.
As a team, the Waves hit for a .252 clip but it was the Trojans' .382 success rate that proved to be the difference maker.
Tri Bourne and Murphy Troy paced USC with 16 kills apiece.
USC got off to a hot start and opened with a 5-0 run before Riecks nailed down the Waves' first kill of the match. Although Pepperdine began to find its rhythm as the set progressed, they were never able to recover from the early setback, and lost 25-17.
Pepperdine and SC traded points to open the second stanza before the Trojans built a 12-8 lead to prompt head coach Marv Dunphy to call a timeout. The Waves fought back within one several times, but the set-tying point always seemed to elude them. Down 24-20, Pepperdine scored on back-to-back plays to force USC to spend a timeout of its own. The home team came out of the break with a kill to take a 2-0 lead.
Matt Pollock (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg HS) and Riecks teamed up for a block to put Torres at the line in the early portions of the third stanza. Behind his hard-to-handle serving, the Waves built a 4-1 lead before USC was able to respond. As the set progressed, the two squads traded possession of the lead until Torres rotated back into the serving position. Once again, his tough serving kept the Trojans out of system and the Waves went up 14-12.
Down match point, Torres came up with a cross-court kill but the Trojans regained the lead. Torres once again erased the deficit to the tie the set at 26. It would be the final point the Waves would score however, as USC score on consecutive points to put the match in the books.
Pepperdine limited USC to just a single ace the entire match, led by Ross, who successfully handled all 29 serves that came his direction.
Next week, Pepperdine travels upstate to face Pacific on Fri., April 1 before taking on Stanford the following day.
