Pepperdine University
Pacific
Waves Overpower Pacific in 3-1 Victory
2/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Feb. 25, 2012
Pepperdine 3, Pacific 1 Box Score
STOCKTON, Calif. - An overpowering offensive effort sent the #10 Pepperdine men's volleyball team past #11 Pacific, 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-21). Four Waves reached double figures in kill totals, led by freshman Josh Taylor with 17.
Taylor (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) accounted for 17 of Pepperdine's (8-6, 6-5 MPSF) 60 team kills, followed by Maurice Torres (Riverside, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) with 15 put aways.
Seniors Chase Ross (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS) and Matt Pollock (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg HS) both handed in exceptional performances this evening. Ross pounded down 13 kills earned on a .500 hitting percentage and led the team with eight digs. Pollock tallied 10 kills hitting .421, while defensively he paced the floor with seven blocks.
Overall, the Waves recorded 60 kills earned on a .339 clip, while the Tigers managed 43 kills hitting .205.
Florian Gornik led all Tiger hitters with 13 kills, while Javier Caceres accounted for 15 of his team's 30 digs.
Out of the gates, Pepperdine built a 7-4 lead but the advantage would be erased by a tremendous effort on the block by Pacific. With five rejections in the frame, the Tigers won 25-21 to take a one set lead.
The teams traded points in the second set, before Ross served his team to a 5-0 run and put the Waves up 17-11. From there, Pepperdine sided out its way to the 25-18 win to tie the score at one set apiece. Torres led the offense with five kills, while Pollock added four blocks on defense.
Although the Tigers fought back in set three and took a 6-3 lead, the Waves were relentless on the attack and were finally able to tie the score at 11 following a Torres ace. Pepperdine closed out the set on a 13-3 run to win 25-17. As a team, they out-killed Pacific 15-8.
The Waves continued to set the offensive rhythm of the match in the fourth frame, hitting .360 while limiting the Tigers to a .200 clip. Tied at two, Ross served up an ace to take the lead and Pepperdine would never trail the remainder of the match as they went on to win 25-21. Pollock tacked down four kills in the final set.
Matt West (Seattle, Wash./Shorewood HS) dished out 55 assists, while Matt Tarantino (Van Nuys, Calif./Bishop Alemany HS) tallied five kills and five blocks.
The Waves are back in action next week, when they make the trip to Provo, Utah for a pair of matches at BYU. The first match is scheduled for Friday, March 2 and the second will take place on Saturday, March 3. First serves for both contests are slated for 6 p.m. (PT)
