BELMONT, N.C. –  The #10 Pepperdine men's volleyball team swept past Belmont Abbey in a non-conference matchup at Wheeler Center on Thursday afternoon. 
 
The Waves (13-5) made quick work of the Crusaders (11-3), defeating the host school with 25-16, 25-17 and 25-20 set scores. 
 
Cole Ketrzynski and Ryan Barnett led the team's attack force, blasting 17 and 10 kills respectively, and both with above .300 success rates.  Ketrzynski has led the Waves in kills 10 times this season so far, having amassed double-figure kills in 15 of the team's 18 matches.  Trey Cole also posted double-figure digs for the sixth time this season, and the 20^th time in his career, after amassing 10 today to lead Pepperdine.
 
Pepperdine will be back in action tomorrow against North Greenville in Tigerville, S.C. with first serve slated for 4 p.m. PT.
 
BIG WAVES
Cole Ketrzynski (Toronto, Ontario, Canada): 17 kills, .375 hitting %, 5 digs, 2 blocks, 1 ace
Ryan Barnett (Long Island, N.Y.): 10 kills, .308 hitting %, 7 digs, 2 blocks, 2 aces
Trey Cole (Long Island, N.Y.): 10 digs, 4 assists, 22 serve receptions (0 errors)
Akin Akinwumi (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.): 7 kills, 7 digs, 3 aces, 2 blocks
Ryan Graves (Irvine, Calif.): 33 assists, 7 digs, 4 kills
James Eadie (Newport Beach, Calif.): 4 blocks, 2 kills
 
WAVES VS. CRUSADERS
Pepperdine put in a solid offensive effort with 42 kills on a .333 success rate, while allowing Belmont Abbey only 25 kills on a .138 clip.  The Waves led the match defensively with 6.0 blocks to the Crusaders' 4.5 and a 38-28 dig ratio.  Pepperdine also led at the service line with six aces, as opposed to the opposition's one.
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          10        3          23        .304
2          13        3          25        .400
3          19        7          39        .308
TTL      42        13        87        .333
 
BELMONT ABBEY ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          7          7          32        .000
2          10        4          30        .200
3          8          2          25        .240
TTL      25        13        87        .138
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
The Waves rolled out to a 5-0 start to the match with a strong serving presence from Ryan Graves and a pair of blocks from James Eadie and Cole Ketrzynski.  Another block from Eadie with Akin Akinwumi pushed the lead to a quick 7-2 before the opposition started to string a few points together to eventually tie the set at 13's.  A kill from Ryan Barnett, followed by an ace and kill from Ketrzynski, got Pepperdine back on track with a 4-0 run, 17-13.  It was Waves from there as a pair of aces from Barnett and pair of smashes from Akinwumi fueled another late run for the squad 23-15.  The two teams then traded service errors before Barnett ended set one 25-16 with a kill.
 
The Waves and Crusaders traded points to start the second set, but a trio of kills from Ketrzynski, Graves and Martin de Chavarria pushed the squad to a 7-4 advantage.  An Akinwumi, de Chavarria block collaboration, followed by another Graves kill, the forced a Belmont Abbey timeout two points later.  Pepperdine came out of the break like they never left, however, and an Akinwumi ace and kills from de Chavarria and Ketrzysnki propelled the team to a 13-8 lead.  More smashes from Akinwumi and Ketrzynski, as well as a Barnett, de Chavarria block connection, put the Waves on a 7-3 run, 20-11.  After working towards set point, a pair of Akinwumi smashes would end the set 25-17 Pepperdine.
 
The Crusaders started the fourth set, 5-2, but kills from Akinwumi and Ketrzysnki got things back on track and put the ball in the Waves' court.  Akinwumi blasted a pair of aces in a set of four service attempts to tie the set at 6's and then help the squad pull ahead by two.  Another back-to-back offensive flurry from Barnett and a Barnett, Eadie block collaboration extended the team's lead to 16-7.  The opposition brought the set within two at the 19-17 mark, but would not come further than that as two-consecutive smashes from Ketrzynski helped the Waves move ahead yet again, 22-18.  Another pair of kills from the two offensive leaders, Ketrzynski and Barnett, and Pepperdine was facing match point.  Ketrzynski did the honors for the Waves' win with his 17^th kill of the night to close the set 25-20. 
 
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.