Pepperdine University
USC
Men's Volleyball Suffers 3-1 Loss to USC
3/10/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
March 10, 2012
#4 USC 3, #10 Pepperdine 1 Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. - After splitting the first two sets with #4 USC, the #10-ranked Pepperdine men's volleyball team was unable to recover from an astounding serving run by Tony Ciarelli and bowed out 3-1. Despite the loss, Maurice Torres delivered a match-high 15 kills and seven digs.
Torres (Riverside, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) reach double digit kill totals for the 16th time this season, while Josh Taylor (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) followed with eight put aways.
Matt Pollock (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg HS) tallied seven kills and team-high five blocks.
Set scores for the match were 25-23, 20-25, 25-13, 25-11.
The Trojans (13-4, 10-4 MPSF) were led by Ciarelli, who matched Torres with 15 kills, and added a career-record seven aces.
Set one was evenly contested, as the Waves (9-9, 6-8 MPSF) traded the lead six times and were tied on 16 occasions. Down 20-22, Pepperdine came up with two blocks to knot the score back at 23 but USC was able to score the final two points to take the opening frame 25-23.
The Waves recovered from the opening setback and jumped to an 18-10 lead in set two. Although Ciarelli served his team to a 4-0 run that closed the gap to three points, 22-19, Pepperdine held on to win 25-20.
The teams battled back-and-forth in the third frame, until Ciarelli rotated into the serving position with his team up 12-9. The senior served up the next 13 consecutive points, including four aces, before committing an error on his final serve to give Pepperdine the side out.
With all the momentum tilted in USC's favor, the Waves were never able to recover and lost the final two sets 25-13 and 25-11.
The Waves conclude the three-match homestand on Monday, March 12 versus Harvard and continue the week with road matches at UC Santa Barbara on March 14 and UCLA on March 16.
