Box Score MALIBU, Calif. –  The #11 Pepperdine men's volleyball team got to work early on Sunday night, dominating non-conference opponent Lincoln Memorial 25-14, 25-17, 25-19 for the Waves' fourth-consecutive win of the season in Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
The Waves (4-0) impressed with a .508 hitting percentage after blasting 37 kills with only five errors on 63 swings, while allowing only 22 kills on a -.027 to the Splitters (1-2).  It's the third time this season Pepperdine has hit over .425 in a match, and the second above a .500 clip.  This match also marked the third time the Waves have kept their opponents to negative hitting percentages.
 
Ryan Barnett and Cole Ketrzynski hit for double-figures to lead the Waves' attack force.  Barnett impressed with 12 kills on 18 errorless swings for a career-best .667 success rate.  It was his second match in double-digits this season and the fourth of his career thus far.  Ketrzynski marked his second match as a Wave in double-figures, while marking a career-high .529 output.
 
BIG WAVES
Ryan Barnett (Long Island, N.Y.): 12 kills, .667 hitting %, 2 blocks
Cole Ketrzynski (Toronto, Ontario, Canada): 11 kills, .529 hitting %, 4 digs
Martin De Chavarria (Palma de Mallorca, Spain): 9 blocks, 4 kills, 1 ace
Andersen Fuller (Manlius, N.Y.): 4 blocks, 4 digs, 2 aces, 3 kills
Ilay Haver (Kfar Saba, Israel): 4 kills, 3 blocks, 3 digs, 1 ace
Tyler Stewart (Broomfield, Colo.): 28 assists, 2 blocks
Trey Cole (Long Island, N.Y.): 7 digs
 
WAVES VS. SPLITTERS
The Waves kept the Railsplitters to only five kills on a -.130 clip in the first set to kick things off, while marking 13 smashes on a .600 clip in the set to counter.  The home team kept momentum with a flawless 14 kills on 25 swings in the second set for a .560 success rate and remained on track in the final set for the commanding offensive performance.  Along with the impressive hitting output, Pepperdine led Lincoln Memorial six aces to two offensively.  The Waves defensive efforts proved to be just as demanding as well, as a season-high 13.0 blocks outperformed the Splitters' 3.5 blocks throughout the match.  Pepperdine also led marginally 21-17 in digs.
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1           13        1          20        .600
2          14        0          25        .560
3          10        4          18        .333
TTL      37        5          63        .508
 
LINCOLN MEMORIAL ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          5          8          23        -.130
2          9          8          29        .034
3          8          8          21        .000
TTL      22        24        73        -.027

PLAY-BY-PLAY
After going point-for-point to open the match, a trio of kills from Andersen Fuller, Cole Ketrzynski and Ryan Barnett propelled the Waves to a 10-7 lead.  A pair of attack errors from across the net made it a five-point spread and resulted in a Railsplitters' timeout.  The Waves kept pounding down with smashes from Ketrzynski, followed by a block collaboration from Martin de Chavarria and Barnett, extended the Waves lead to 17-11.  Shortly after, Alex Mrkalj found the floor for a service ace and Ilay Haver went back-to-back on a pair of kills for an eight-point advantage down the home stretch 20-12.  Another exchange of points followed, but De Chavarria shut down the set with a solo rejection, 25-14.
 
It was a similar story in the second set and a pair of blocks from De Chavarria with either Tyler Stewart or Haver saw the score reach an even 5-5.  De Chavarria followed up the rejection with an ace and a flurry of kills from Barnett, Fuller and Ketrzynsk, along with a block from Stewart and Fuller, pushed the home team to a 12-8 lead.  Pepperdine kept strong at the net and another pair of blocks from Fuller with either Haver or Akin Akinwumi extended the team's lead to six, 20-14.  Two-consecutive kills from Ketrzynski pushed the advantage to an eight-point differential and the Waves rode that effort to set point.  A kill from   De Chavarria won the set for Pepperdine, 25-17, giving the squad a two-set advantage heading into the third set.
 
An ace from each Fuller and Stewart, as well as more blocks from De Chavarria with either Barnett or Haver started the third set off strong with a 7-3 Waves' lead.  Another pair of aces – one from each Haver and Fuller – kept the home squad moving forward and another trio of smashes from Haver, Barnett and Ketrzynski advanced the lead to 16-10.  The Waves kept rolling with a solo rejection from De Chavarria, and though the opposition was able to string a few points together, a solid kill from Akinwumi got things back on track, 20-15.  The two teams went point-for-point to the end of the set, with Pepperdine coming away on top after a final Barnett smash for the 25-19 set win.
 
UP NEXT
The Waves host two more matches at home before hitting the road, welcoming McKendree to Firestone Fieldhouse on January 19 and 20.
 
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.