Pepperdine University
North Greenville
Waves Win Season Opener vs. North Greenville
1/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Box Score: #1 Pepperdine 3, North Greenville 0 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The #1 Pepperdine men's volleyball team opened the season against first-year program North Greenville on Saturday night and delivered a shut-out 25-11, 25-14, 25-17 victory. Nine different Waves scored points in the well-balanced match, led by sophomore Mitchell Penning with 7.5.
Penning (Peoria, Ill./Westminster Christian Academy) earned his first collegiate start and delivered five kills while hitting .429 (5 kills-2 errors-7 attempts). The middle blocker paced the defense with a team-best five roofs.
Freshman Colby Harriman (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit HS) came in off the bench with five kills and a pair of blocks.
The growth of men's volleyball was evident as North Greenville drew a standing-room only crowd to the Upward Star Center for its first-ever contest. The experienced Waves outmatched the newcomers, but the Crusaders showed a lot of potential with a roster of 11 freshmen and just one upperclassman.
Overall, the Waves hit .378 (25 kills-8 errors-45 attempts) while limiting the Crusaders to a -.032 (22-24-62) clip. Freshman Martin Alcox led the match with six kills.
Soren Dion-Kindem (Agoura, Calif./Agoura HS) managed the well-balanced offensive showing with 21 assists.
Parker Kalmbach (Coto de Caza, Calif./Tesoro HS) and Matt Tarantino (Van Nuys, Calif./Bishop Alemany) finished the match with four kills apiece, while Scott Rhein (Pleasant View, Tenn./Aaron Academy) was credited with three kills and three aces.
J.J. Mosolf (Saugus, Calif./Hart HS/Hawaii) picked up five of the team's 11 digs, followed by Harriman with three.
Pepperdine, who only trailed once by a point early in set two, out-aced NGU 8-0.
The Waves will host a free clinic and open practice at the Upward Star Center on Sunday before moving to the North Greenville campus on Monday in Tigerville, S.C. for the final match of the season-opening series. First serve on Monday is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (PT) and can be watched live at NGUCrusaders.com
