Pepperdine University
McKendree (RV)
Pepperdine Set for Pair of Matches against McKendree this Week
1/17/2024 4:46:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. — The #10 Pepperdine men's volleyball team will host McKendree, a team receiving votes in the latest AVCA coaches poll, this week.
MATCH #5 — Friday (January 19) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine (4-0) vs. McKendree (0-0) at 6 p.m. PT
MATCH #6 — Saturday (January 20) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine (4-0) vs. McKendree (0-0) at 6 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.
PROMOTIONS — A free retro Pepperdine t-shirt will be given to the first 50 students with a valid Pepperdine ID on Friday.
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 — Pepperdine moved up another spot to #10 in the AVCA national rankings this week. The Waves began the season at #13 and have moved up each week of action thus far. In addition to the team ranking, the Waves have been making quite the splash on the team and individual stat rankings in this early season. Pepperdine ranks top-eight nationally and first or second in the MPSF in seven statistical categories, including first in the nation in hitting percentage (.415) and second in opponent hitting percentage (-.010). The squad is also fourth in aces (2.62) and digs (9.69), fifth in assists (12.00), sixth in blocks (2.85) and eighth in kills (12.62)
Pepperdine's blockers rank first and second in the league in blocks/set, with Martin de Chavarria ranking fourth nationally with 1.55 blocks and Andersen Fuller ranking seventh with 1.36 blocks. Trey Cole is fifth nationally, while leading the MPSF, with 2.73 digs. Closing up the national top-10 stat leaders, Ryan Barnett ranks eighth nationally and second in the MPSF with a .462 hitting percentage.
LAST WEEK — Pepperdine defeated both LIU and Lincoln Memorial, a team that was receiving votes in the AVCA coaches poll, last week. The Waves split the first two sets with LIU, 25-23, 22-25, before dominating the final two sets 25-14, 25-16 to secure the win. Pepperdine amassed 52 kills on a .248 clip, while posting 11 aces, 42 digs and 9.0 team blocks. The opposition was able to put up 31 kills on a .121 output, with three aces, 31 digs and 10.5 blocks. Cole Ketrzynski and Ryan Barnett led the squad with 14 and 10 kills respectively, while Trey Cole amassed a team-high 10 digs. Martin de Chavarria and Andersen Fuller posted five and four blocks respectively, while Tyler Stewart led with 25 assists and Ryan Graves added 17 assists. Fuller and Barnett also led the team with four aces apiece.
In the second matchup, the Waves swept past Lincoln Memorial 25-14, 25-17, 25-19 for the program's fourth-straight win of the season. Pepperdine marked 37 kills on a staggering .508 clip, while giving up only 22 kills on a -.027 output. The Waves also led with 13.0 blocks, 21 digs and six aces, while the Railsplitters were good for 3.5 blocks, 17 digs and two blocks. Barnett and Ketrzynski led again with 12 and 11 kills respectively - Barnett on a career-best .667 clip with no errors on 18 swings, and Ketrzynski with a .529 success rate. Stewart led the squad with 28 assists, while Cole posted a team-best seven digs. De Chavarria impressed with nine blocks, including three solo rejections, while Fuller led with a pair of aces.
SQUAD — The Waves have gone 4-0 to start the campaign this season and have won three of those matches in straight sets. As a team, Pepperdine produces 12.62 kills on a .415 clip, while adding 12.00 assists, 2.62 aces, 9.69 digs and 2.85 blocks. The squad gives up only 6.31 kills on a -.010 output on average, along with 0.45 aces, 6.24 digs and 1.38 blocks per set.
Cole Ketrzynski and Ryan Barnett lead the attack output for the Waves with 3.50 and 3.00 kills/set respectively. Barnett leads the team with 30 kills on a .462 success rate so far this season, while Ketrzynski has posted 28 smashes on a .440 clip. Martin de Chavarria and Andersen Fuller lead the squad at the net with 1.55 and 1.36 blocks/set respectively. De Chavarria has produced 17 blocks, with six solo rejections. Fuller also leads the team with six aces and 0.55 aces/set so far this season. Ketrzynski and Cole Rasic have added five apiece (0.63 aces/set) also.
Trey Cole has marked a team-best 2.73 digs/set, tallying 30 digs this season. Tyler Stewart and Ryan Graves have split the playmaking duties, with Stewart putting up 8.36 assists/set and Graves adding 4.70 assists/set.
OPPONENTS — McKendree's first game of the season will be against UC Irvine on Wednesday, January 17 in Irvine, Calif. The Waves and Bearcats have faced three times in history, with Pepperdine collecting two of the wins - in 2017 (3-2) and 2022 (3-0). Last season, McKendree picked up the program's first win against Pepperdine with a five-set road victory.
