Pepperdine University
Hawai'I
#6 Hawaii Defeats #5 Pepperdine, 3-1
3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Box Score: #6 Hawaii 3, #5 Pepperdine 1
HONOLULU - The #5-ranked Pepperdine men's volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to #6 Hawaii on Friday night inside the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors held the Waves to just a .221 team hitting percentage to take the first contest of the two-match series.
Final set scores where 28-26, 22-25, 25-22, 25-18.
With its seventh win in a row UH moves to 14-2 on the year, and now sits alone in second place in the MPSF behind an 11-2 record. The Waves fall to 13-3 overall, and a fourth-place 9-3 in the conference.
Parker Kalmbach (Coto de Caza, Calif./Tesoro HS) led the match with 18 kills, while earning his second double-double in three matches with 11 digs.
Scott Rhein (Pleasant View, Tenn./Aaron Academy) followed with 11 kills.
The Warriors saw three players reach double figures in kills, and the home squad out-killed the visitors 63-49. Brook Sedore tacked down 16, followed by Sinisa Zarkovic with 15. Scott Harley came in off the bench with 14 kills while hitting .476.
Overall, Hawaii hit .276 (63 kills-26 errors-126 attempts) compared to the Waves' .221 (49-20-131) clip. Current MPSF assists leader Matt West (Seattle, Wash./Shorewood HS) scattered 40 helpers in the loss.
Led by Mitchell Penning (Peoria, Ill./Westminster Christian Academy) with six rejections, Pepperdine out-blocked UH 13-5.-11.5.
Matt Tarantino (Van Nuys, Calif./Bishop Alemany) saw action for the first time since January, and contributed with four kills following five error-free swings to go along with a pair of blocks.
Brennan Anderson (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar HS/Ohio State) collected 11 digs.
Pepperdine held a small advantage in much of set one, but Hawaii began to gather momentum when the home squad knotted the score up at 16-16. UH took its first lead at 23-22 and took set point following a Taylor Averill ace.
The Waves saved four set points in the first before Hawaii capitalized on set point No. 5. The Warriors committed just eight errors (6 hitting-1 service-1 receiving), compared to Pepperdine's 12 (7 hitting-4 service-1 receiving), to gain the slight edge.
Home grown Josh Taylor (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) hammered down six kills in the first, but would be relatively quiet on the offensive end the rest of the match. The senior finished the night with a seven kills.
Pepperdine rebounded nicely in the second, jumping out to an early lead at 8-4. The Waves extended the advantage to 17-11 after scoring four-straight points courtesy of the Malibu Roofing Company. Nikola Antonijevic (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson HS) and Kalmbach paired up for the first block, before Penning closed down the entire net. He first assisted Rhein on one pin, before pairing with Kalmbach at the other. Penning was credited with a solo block to end the run.
Although UH made a late push, Pepperdine put the set away 25-22 to even the match at 1-1.
Hawaii took a five point lead in the third, 15-10, before the Waves narrowed the gap to one at 21-20. Pepperdine couldn't quite come up with the break needed however, and fell 25-22.
The Warriors stamped out any campaign for a fifth set, and did not allow the Waves to settle into any rhythm in the fourth. Behind a .486 (21-3-37) team clip, UH won 25-18 to secure the four-set triumph.
Pepperdine and Hawaii close the series on Sunday, March 8 inside the Stan Sheriff Center. The match is scheduled for a 5/7 p.m. HT/PT start.
