Pepperdine University
LIU
Waves Host LIU, Lincoln Memorial this Weekend
1/11/2024 5:48:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. — Fresh off two wins to start the season, the Pepperdine men's volleyball team will continue on with another slate of home matches for the next two weeks.
MATCH #3 — Saturday (January13) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine (2-0) vs. LIU (0-1) at 5 p.m. PT
MATCH #4 — Sunday (January 14) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine (2-0) vs. Lincoln Memorial (1-0) at 5 p.m. PT
COVERAGE — All Pepperdine home matches will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live scoring will be available for all matches. Links can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
UP NEXT — After hosting LIU and Lincoln Memorial this week, the Waves will welcome McKendree for a set of two matches on January 19 and 20.
TICKETS & SPECTATOR GUIDELINES — Tickets to all Pepperdine home men's volleyball matches in 2024 will be available via e-ticket only at tickets.pepperdinewaves.com. Pepperdine faculty, staff and students must show Pepperdine ID card for entry — no ticket purchase is required.
Due to campus construction, nearby parking is limited and guests are advised to arrive early. Each match costs $13 for adults, $8 for seniors (65+) and $5 for children and non-Pepperdine students.
FOLLOW — Follow the Waves on Facebook and X, @PeppVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram and TikTok, @peppmvb. Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on www.PepperdineWaves.com.
RANKINGS — The Waves were ranked #11 in the AVCA national poll this week, having moved up two spots after starting at #13 in the preseason poll released on January 3.
LAST WEEK — Pepperdine opened the 2024 season with two exhibition bouts with Canadian squads, British Columbia and Alberta, at home in Malibu last week. The Waves picked up 25-20, 30-28, and 28-26 set wins to sweep the Thunderbirds. Pepperdine led a strong defensive effort, tabbing six blocks to an opposing three on the other side of the net. The team produced 42 kills on a .209 clip, while giving up 42 kills on a .243 output from the opposition. Akin Akinwumi led the offensive effort, with 13 kills and Kevin Roberts added eight kills and a block for the Waves.
The Waves finished the match with the Bears with a five-set win, with 25-22, 25-18, 27-29, 22-25, and 15-10 set scores. Pepperdine led the offensive, with 58 kills on a .266 clip as opposed to 53 kills on a .236 clip. Alex Mrkalj posted double-figure kills with 13 and a .318 hitting percentage. Trey Cole and Ilay Haver held down the back row with 11 and 10 digs, respectively.
The squad then went on to take Fort Valley State, opening regular season play with a 3-0 sweep. The Waves posted 25-17, 25-14, and 25-12 set scores, tallying 43 kills on a .427 success rate, while the Wildcats were able to get 18 kills on a -.036 output. Roberts led the team in kills, with 11 on a .409 clip, and Akinwumi trailed close behind, with 10 kills with a .444 hitting percentage.
Wrapping up opening week, Pepperdine took on Morehouse College and had a program record attack output. With 25-3, 25-8 and 25-9 set scores, the Waves marked 32 kills on a .698 hitting percentage, opposed to the 11 kills and -.169 output from the Maroon Tigers. Jake Olsen led the squad with eight kills on a .889 clip, Cole Ketrzynski added five aces, and Andersen Fuller posted four blocks for the squad.
SQUAD — Pepperdine started the season off with two non-conference wins at home in Firestone Fieldhouse. The team has only allowed 4.83 kills/set on a -.092 clip, and has posted 12.5 kills/set on a .520 success rate, along with 2.83 aces, 10.5 digs, and 2.5 blocks per set.
On the offensive, Kevin Roberts leads the team with 3.67 kills/set with a .409 hitting percentage, while Cole Rasic and Akin Akinwumi trail close behind with 10 kills apiece, averaging 2.5 and 5.0 kills/set respectively and both on a .444 clip. Cole Ketrzynski posted five service aces and Tyler Stewart and Rasic both tallied three aces as well.
Trey Cole leads the Waves defensive efforts, with 13 digs and 3.25 digs per set, and Andersen Fuller leads the squads in blocks, with seven and 1.75 per set. Stewart marked 39 assists, and Ryan Graves has added 22 so far this season.
OPPONENTS — This will be LIU's third match after falling to Concordia Irvine, 3-0. The squad will also face Long Beach State on January 12 before heading to Malibu. This is LIU's third season in program history, and their first time facing Pepperdine.
Lincoln Memorial is 1-0 to start their season, sweeping Thomas More last week. The Railsplitters will head to USC to face the Trojans on January 13 before meeting the Waves the next day. Pepperdine took on Lincoln Memorial in 2023 and earned the sweep.
