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Pepperdine University Athletics

Spencer Wickens at USC
Martin A. Folb
Spencer Wickens
1
Pepperdine PEP 7-5,2-2 MPSF
3
Winner USC USC 11-3,1-1 MPSF
Pepperdine PEP
7-5,2-2 MPSF
1
Final
3
USC USC
11-3,1-1 MPSF
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Pepperdine PEP 25 23 19 20 (1)
USC USC 22 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Men's Volleyball | | by Athletic Communications

#7 Men's Volleyball Splits With #5 USC

LOS ANGELES, California – The #7 Pepperdine men's volleyball team split its two-match series for the third consecutive week, as #5 USC came back for a 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-20) in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play on Friday night.
 
The Waves (7-5, 2-2) beat the Trojans (11-3, 1-1) in five sets in Firestone Fieldhouse on Wednesday, but saw their blocking and serving advantages reduced from one match to the next, going from 14 blocks to four, and 10 aces to one.
 
BIG WAVES
  • Graduate outside hitter Spencer Wickens (Irondequoit, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit HS) had a season-high 22 kills, one off his career high, and hit .465 (22-2-43). He had his second career double-double with 11 digs.
  • Sophomore opposite Jacob Steele (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./El Toro HS) had 15 kills and seven digs.
  • Graduate opposite Jaylen Jasper (Annapolis, Md./Stanford) posted 11 kills along with six digs.
  • Graduate middle blocker Austin Wilmot (Valley Village, Calif./Crespi Carmelite HS/UC Irvine) notched 10 kills on .500 hitting (10-2-16).
  • Sophomore setter Bryce Dvorak (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar HS) had a career high for assists for the second match in a row with 55.
  • Sophomore libero Trey Cole (Long Island, N.Y./Connetquot HS) had eight digs.
PLAY BY PLAY
 
The Waves didn't allow USC to score consecutive points in the first set until the score was 22-15. And though USC would close within two points at 23-21, the Waves eventually won the set by three on a Jasper kill.
 
Pepperdine never led in set two as USC jumped out to a 4-1 lead. The Trojans lead grew to 6-2 and 8-3. Pepperdine finally got back-to-back kills for the first time by Jasper and Steele to make it 12-9. The Waves got it down to one point at 16-15 after kills by Wilmot and Wickens, but USC came back with three straight points. At 24-20, the Waves fought off three straight set points but couldn't make it four to extend the second set any farther.
 
The lead see-sawed back and forth early in set three. The Trojans went up 3-1, but sophomore middle blocker Andersen Fuller (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius HS) ended a 3-0 run to put Pepperdine ahead 4-3. USC came back with five straight points to go up 8-4. The Waves played from behind the rest of the way. Two kills by Wickens and one by Steele made it 18-17, but at 19-18, the Trojans scored six of the set's final seven points to go up 2-1.
 
The Waves had to take an early timeout after falling behind 7-4 in the fourth set. At 17-13, the Waves got back into it with a 4-1 run that included kills by Wickens, Steele and Jasper and a solo block by Wilmot. But USC scored once off its serve to extend the lead back to 20-17. At 21-19, USC closed out the match on a 4-1 run.
 
MATCH STATS 
  • PEPP hitting: .333 overall (.355 set one, .382 set two, .250 set three, .344 set four)
  • USC hitting: .459 overall (.419 set one, .529 set two, .533 set three, .519 set four)
  • Service Aces: PEPP 1, USC 1
  • Digs: PEPP 39, USC 39
  • Blocks: PEPP 4, USC 10
  • USC was led by Simon Gallas' 28 kills.
UP NEXT
 
The Waves will take a break from MPSF play for the next three weeks. Next weekend (Friday-Saturday, March 4-5), Pepperdine heads to Illinois for a pair of matches against McKendree.
 
 
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