Pepperdine University
BYU
Waves Stumble at Home Vs. BYU
4/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
April 9, 2011
Box Score 
Malibu, Calif. - Despite a spirited contest by the Pepperdine men's volleyball team, BYU was too much to handle as the Cougars won 27-25, 26-24, 25-16 to take the season series this weekend at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Cougars showed why they are the #2-ranked team in the country and a real threat to win the NCAA title this spring. Strong hitting and crisp passing enabled BYU (20-7, 16-6 MPSF) to fend off a Waves squad that played much better than the final score indicated.
Maurice Torres (Riverside, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) led #13 Pepperdine (9-15, 5-15 MPSF) with 14 kills while senior setter Kasey Crider (Granite Bay, Calif./Granite Bay HS) had 34 assists. BYU had three players in double-figures in kills, led by Robb Stowell with 17. Joe Kauliakamoa had a match-high 46 assists.
The Cougars had a strong match as a team with 55 kills and an attack percentage of .351.
Both teams came out swinging in the first set with plenty of energy and enthusiasm. There were a total of 17 ties and eight lead changes as the Waves and Cougars battled back and forth. Tied at 20 apiece, Torres recorded one of his four first-set kills down the right sideline and followed with a cross-court kill shortly thereafter to give Pepperdine a 23-21 advantage.
But the Cougars rallied taking six of the last eight points. Kevin Sagers had two kills that brought BYU back from a 24-22 deficit to tie it at 24. After a kill by Pepperdine's Tyler Jaynes (Granite Bay, Calif./Granite Bay HS), Otavio Souza completed the comeback with two monster put aways to win the first set for the Cougars, 27-25.
BYU fed off of its emotional comeback-win and took an early 17-11 lead in the second frame. Pepperdine fought back on the strength of a 10-4 run to tie the set at 21. The two teams then traded points on six consecutive sideouts to set the stage for another great finish.
The Cougars, showing signs of being a potential NCAA Championship team this upcoming post-season, found a way to win again by taking the last two points on kills by Souza and Stowell to win, 26-24.
Torres had a set-high seven kills to lead the Waves while Stowell had his second-consecutive game with six kills. Each team had a strong hitting percentage as Pepperdine struck for a .464 clip while the Cougars were at .459.
The third set saw Pepperdine come out aggressive and determined to extend the match by taking an early 7-4 lead. But the powerful Cougars roared back on a 7-0 run to take an 11-7 lead and they never looked back, winning 25-16.
The Waves conclude their season with home matches next week versus 36 UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, April 14 and Senior Night vs. #7 UCLA on Saturday, April 16. Both games are set to begin at 7 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse.
