MALIBU, Calif. – In a five-set match with the No.1 team in the country, Pepperdine picked up two set wins, but could not finish off the match, falling to Long Beach State, 3-2.
The Waves posted 14-25, 26-24, 25-18, and 7-15 set scores against the Beach. Service errors plagued Long Beach and Pepperdine as a team, with the opposition dropping 24 points to service errors compared to the Waves' 16. Middle blockers James Eadie and Ethan Watson led the attack, posting nine and 10 kills each on a .667 and .625 success rate, respectively. Freshman Cole Hartke also tabbed 14 kills throughout five sets, while also adding two blocks and a service ace. Setter Gabe Dyer had a stellar night on playmaking duties, posting 37 assists, six digs, five kills, and one block.
During tonight's match, the 1985 National Championship team was honored to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the NCAA Championship. Pepperdine Men's volleyball alumni from across the decades attended the match, and were recognized between sets two and three.
BIG WAVES
Gabe Dyer (Gr./San Clemente, Calif./ Saddleback Valley Christian School/ UCSD): 37 assists, 6 digs, 5 kills
Cole Hartke (Fr./Barrington, Ill./Barrington HS): 14 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace
James Eadie (R-So./Newport Beach, Calif./ Newport Harbor HS): 10 kills, .625 hitting %, 2 blocks
Ethan Watson (R-So./ Sunnyvale, Calif./ Saint Francis HS): 9 kills, .667 hitting %, 2 blocks
Jacob Reilly (Jr./Cyprus, Texas/Cy-Fair HS/ CUI): 29 serve receptions, 7 digs, 2 assists
WAVES VS. BEACH
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 6 5 20 .050
2 12 7 32 .156
3 15 3 25 .480
4 13 4 24 .375
5 0 4 8 -.500
TTL 46 23 109 .211
LONG BEACH ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 14 1 19 .684
2 13 6 33 .212
3 9 6 24 .212
4 16 2 25 .560
5 5 1 10 .400
TTL 57 16 111 .369
PLAY-BY-PLAY
During set one, Pepperdine attempted to find their rhythm, unable to take the lead at any point throughout the set. The Waves had a hard time getting past the Beach's defense, only posting six kills throughout the set, three of which came from Ethan Watson. Long Beach tabbed 14 kills on a .684 success rate, with only a singular error. A duo block from Watson and Hartke would be the only one throughout the set, and the Beach took set one, 25-14.
After regrouping, the Waves came back ready to battle with the Beach in set two. Pepperdine and Long Beach shared 13 ties, while also having five lead changes. Pepperdine's defensive efforts were spread across the floor, with five separate Waves digging an attack attempt from the Beach. James Eadie went a perfect three-for-three attacking, while also adding two digs. Gabe Dyer dished out nine assists while posting three digs and a kill to help push the Waves to take set two, 26-24.
During set three, Pepperdine was able to gain a lead that Long Beach would be unable to come back from. Collectively, the Waves posted a match-high 15 kills with a .480 hitting percentage, led by Hartke who tallied six kills of his own, on eight attempts. Watson and Eadie combined for seven kills in the set, each having error-less swings. Pepperdine went on an 8-1 run in the middle of set two, which allowed the Waves to take it, 25-18.
Throughout the fourth set, there was only one lead change, with the Beach taking control of the set. Gabe Dyer was sneaky, dumping three sets over the net, while also adding nine assists. Eadie, had another nearly perfect set, posting three kills on four attempts. Long Beach's dominance from the service line would stop Pepperdine from being able to take the match in four sets, with the Beach taking set four, 25-17.
Long Beach's service aces kept Pepperdine from being able to secure a singular kill in the fifth set. Six out of seven of the Waves' points came from the Beach's service errors. On eight attacking attempts, Pepperdine was unable to secure a kill on any, with Long Beach ultimately taking set five, 15-7, and the match, 3-2.
UP NEXT
Pepperdine will host #8 Loyola Chiacago on Jan. 30 and #13 Lewis on Feb.1 in Firestone Fieldhouse.
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.
