MALIBU, Calif. — The #8 Pepperdine men's volleyball team swept Concordia in Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday night, posting 27-25, 25-18, and 25-22 set scores.
 
The Waves (16-11, 5-5 MPSF) battled with the Golden Eagles (8-16, 2-8 MPSF) in all three sets with a .482 overall hitting percentage, and a .583 in the third set alone.  Senior Jacob Steele and graduate student Jaylen Jasper were honored before the match for senior night to highlight their commitment and contributions to the squad.
 
Opposite, Jasper, led the team in kills with 20 on a .531 clip. While redshirt-sophomore outside hitter, Joe Deluzio impressed with a .700 hitting percentage with seven kills on 10 errorless swings.
 
BIG WAVES
Jaylen Jasper (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck Senior HS/Stanford): 20 kills, .531 hitting %, 1 ace
Jacob Steele (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./El Toro HS): 11 kills, .350 hitting %
Bryce Dvorak (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar HS):  46 assists, 2 aces
Akin Akinwumi (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Peninsula HS): 2 aces, 3 kills, .375 hitting %, 4 blocks
Andersen Fuller (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius HS): 7 kills, 545 hitting %, 3 blocks
Joe Deluzio (Windermere, Fla./The First Academy): 7 kills, .700 hitting %, 2 aces, 2 blocks
 
WAVES VS. GOLDEN EAGLES
Pepperdine led the offensive with 49 kills on a .482 clip, while only giving up 37 kills on a .355 output. The Waves led the match in blocks with 7.5, as opposed to 5.0 from the opposition.  Pepperdine was able to deliver seven service aces across the net and 22 digs, while Concordia was only able to put two aces and 18 digs on the board.

 

PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          17          3            33        .424
2          15          3            26        .462
3          17          3            24        .583
TTL      49         9            83        .482
 
CUI ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1           15         4            35       .314 
2          8          4            20       .200
3          14        2            21       .571
TTL      37        10          76       .571

HAPPY SENIOR DAY JAYLEN & JACOB! Proud of the hard work you bring day in and day out. #WavesUp #Gratitude pic.twitter.com/hkCZlfabZL
— Pepperdine Men's Volleyball (@PeppVolleyball) April 9, 2023
 

 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
After meeting the Golden Eagles for the second time this week, the Waves opened up set one with three kills from Jaylen Jasper, but were quickly matched as the opposition evened the score 4-4. Both squads continued to trade the lead until Concordia would gain a four-point advantage over Pepperdine at 12-8. Although a challenged call would favor the Waves, the Golden Eagles would continue to build their lead throughout the set. Back-to-back aces from Bryce Dvorak gave Pepperdine momentum to go on a 4-0 run with kills from Jaylen Jasper and Andersen Fuller. A block from Jacob Steele and Fuller would tie the set at 22-22. Another block from Akin Akinwumi and Dvorak would send the Waves into set point, where Joe Deluzio delivered a kill to secure the set, 27-25.
 
Pepperdine started the second set with energy from kills provided by Jasper and Fuller, also accompanied by an ace from Akinwumi. The Waves gained an early 12-9 advantage from a strong attack the Golden Eagles could not defend. Pepperdine kept a steady lead throughout the set. An impressive dig from Joe Deluzio on a far ball would allow Jasper to deliver a kill, followed by a duo block by Fuller and Dvorak to make it 21-15. Jasper sent the Waves into set point. Jasper delivered a smash that finished set two, 25-18.
 
The Waves began set three in a point-for-point battle with the Golden Eagles, but quickly gained a four-point lead with more kills from Jasper and Akinwumi. Steele provided a huge kill that a Concordia defense would be unable to defend, bringing the score to 15-10. Although the opposition would attempt to close the lead, aces from Deluzio and more smashes from Jasper would block any chance at a comeback. A block from Steele and Fuller sent Pepperdine into match point. A challenged call would stand with the Golden Eagles, but that would not stop Fuller from finishing the match, 25-22.
 
UP NEXT
Next week, the Waves will host #2 UCLA on Thursday in Firestone Fieldhouse for the final home match of the season.  Pepperdine will then make the short trip to Westwood on Saturday to challenge the Bruins once again.
 
FOLLOW
Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter, @WavesVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram, @peppvolley.  Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on www.PepperdineWaves.com.