Pepperdine University
British Columbia
Pepperdine Downs British Columbia in Three Sets
1/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
FINAL STATSHIGHLIGHTS
MALIBU, Calif. -- The Pepperdine men's volleyball team put in another strong exhibition performance this Wednesday afternoon in the third installment of the Can Am Challenge against British Columbia. The Waves produced 25-17, 25-22 and 27-25 set scores towards the team's third consecutive sweep of 2016 in Firestone Fieldhouse.
Sophomore Colby Harriman (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit HS) led the team with a big 17-kill performance, and after posting only three errors in 26 attempts, earned a .538 hitting percentage. He also led the team with four digs and tabbed one service ace on the day.
Junior Mitchell Penning (St. Louis, Mo./Westminster Christian Academy) was solid at the service line with three aces and picked up four kills on five attempts for a .800 percentage on the attack. Fellow junior Joshua Stewart (San Jose, Calif./Ballarmine College Preparatory/Pacific) guided the Waves' offense with 37 assists.
Freshman David Wieczorek (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy) was also solid on the attack with eight kills and a .316 percentage on the attack. He tabbed three digs and led the team with 26 service receptions.
Senior Tommy Carmody (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg HS/Pacific) and freshman Michael Wexter (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West HS) also aided the offensive with six kills apiece. Carmody tallied a .545 hitting percentage and a team-high four blocks, while Wexter was good for an ace and three blocks all day.
After coming out of the locker room with a two-match winning streak to start the 2016 season, the Waves hit the court with energy. The team picked up a 6-3 lead to start the first set, and continued to play strong, eventually tallying a 12-6 lead. Later in the set, Pepperdine brought in Max States (Honolulu, Hawai'i/Solimar Academy) to produce at the service line, and he did just that, smashing two aces down on the Thunderbirds to strengthen the Waves advantage to 21-13. That sparked the Waves energy yet again, fueling the team to shut the first set down with a 25-17 result.
The opposition came out with a vengeance in the second set, posting a 7-5 lead early in the set over the Waves. Pepperdine worked back and tied the set, 8-8, before taking the lead at 13-12 that the team would never give up. The home team amassed the four-point, 20-16 advantage later in the set that would fuel them towards the 25-22 set two victory.
With two set wins heading into the third set, the Waves were looking to put up a strong effort and put the match away in the third. British Columbia was intent to provide fans with a game, however, challenging the Waves' defense. The score went back-and-forth throughout most of the set, with Pepperdine edging the Thunderbirds out for a 13-11 advantage late in the set. Things were looking good for the Waves after the team amassed a 21-17 mark, but the opposition starting inching back into the match, eventually tying things up 24-24 to extend the set. A kill by Harriman and a solid ace by Penning sealed the 27-25 deal, giving the Waves the third consecutive sweep in Can Am Challenge exhibition play.
Pepperdine has two more matches this week, finishing the Can Am Challenge with the final exhibition match against British Columbia on Friday at 3 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves will then open official regular season on Sunday at 5 p.m. against Concordia-Irvine. Live stats, live stream and game notes can all be found by following this link: http://gowav.es/mvb2014.
