MALIBU, Calif. - For the second time in eight days, UC San Diego was felled by sixth-ranked Pepperdine University, 3-0, in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) men's volleyball at Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday night. Set scores were 25-19, 25-14 and 25-22.
At the exact midway point of its 2015 regular-season schedule, UCSD dropped to 1-13 overall and 0-10 in the MPSF. With a 13th successive home triumph dating back to 2014, heavy preseason MPSF favorite Pepperdine improved to 12-2 overall and 8-2 in league play. The Waves had already just taken a three-set decision over the Tritons in La Jolla last Friday, Feb. 13, and have now won eight straight meetings, including seven in a row by virtue of a sweep
Pepperdine trotted out to a 7-1 advantage in the first set. The Tritons closed back to within a single point at 11-10 on a Tanner Syftestad kill. UCSD hung around, finally pulling even at 16-16 on a Syftestad block. The Waves regained a three-point cushion moments later at 21-18, however, with the Tritons calling for time, and tallied four of the next five to win the game.
UCSD was ahead 4-2 early in the second before stretches of 4-0, and later, 5-0, gave the hosts increasingly comfortable leads of 6-4 and 18-10, respectively.
Senior Pepperdine setter Matt West served aces on set point in each of the first two games, and also reached 4,000 assists for his career with his 12th of the contest late in the opening stanza. He would finish with 41 assists, four aces, seven digs, three kills and two block assists.
In the third set, the score was again level around the midway point at 14-14, before Pepperdine rattled off the next three, the last on another West ace, to force UCSD's first timeout of the frame. Coming out of the break, the Waves tallied two more points in a row on a Josh Taylor kill and West's fourth ace, to take command at 19-14. Though Syftestad and sophomore middle blocker Shayne Beamer teamed up for a stuff block for 20-17, the home side again earned the following two points. The Tritons made one final push to extend the match with three successive points on a Kirill Rudenko kill and two Pepperdine miscues for 22-20. Two Triton service errors and a Scott Rhein kill, around a Beamer kill and Wave error, capped off the sweep.
"We faced Pepperdine just one week ago, and our goal from last Friday to this Friday was to improve on our own side of the net," said UCSD head coach Kevin Ring. "I thought we had improved attacking tonight. We hit .250 with Tanner Syftestad leading the way with 12 kills, hitting .300. Pepperdine's a team with a very good, fast offense, and we needed to make calculated, decisive blocking moves tonight. I thought we did a better job of that, and came up with five stuff blocks. Even though they hit well on the night, we still gave ourselves a few opportunities in transition."
Beamer and Rudenko added seven kills apiece to Syftestad's 12, with Beamer and Syftestad each totaling one solo block and a pair of block assists. Libero Tyler Bird got to 10 digs, while another true freshman, setter Milosh Stojcic, finished with 29 assists, two digs, a block assist, one kill, and his first career service ace, UCSD's only one of the night. The Tritons hit a season-best .250 (34-11-92) as a team.
Three Waves reached double figures in kills, in Parker Kalmbach (14), Rhein (13) and Taylor (12). Kalmbach completed a double-double with 10 digs, while libero Brennan Anderson had a match-high 12. Pepperdine's .455 (50-10-88) attack rate was the second best by a Triton opponent this season.
UCSD returns home for three matches inside RIMAC Arena in the coming week. The stretch begins on Wednesday, Feb. 25, with a non-conference date with Holy Names at an earlier 5 p.m. start.
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