MATCH STATS
- #16 UC Santa Barbara def. #12 Pepperdine 3-1 (28-26, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23)
- UCSB moves to 3-1; Pepperdine falls to 1-2
- Malibu, California
- Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. – Junior outside Corey Chavers pounded down a career-high 24 kills and added six blocks and two aces to lift UC Santa Barbara past No. 12 Pepperdine on Saturday.
Sophomore outside Roy McFarland added 12 kills and redshirt freshman middle Jack Truman notched six blocks to aid the Gauchos in the win. Redshirt sophomore middle Brandon Hopper added five stuffs.
UCSB won every statistical category, topping the Waves in kills (52-38), hitting percentage (.220 to .118), aces (5-4) and blocks (11.5 to 11).
Senior outside Colby Harriman paced Pepperdine with 17 kills and six blocks, while senior outside Alex Harthaller chipped in nine kills, eight digs and three stuffs. Redshirt sophomore middle Jack Cole put up a match-high seven blocks.
UCSB started the match with a 9-5 edge, as Connor Drake and Chavers downed two kills apiece. Three Gaucho miscues helped Pepperdine work back to a tie at 12. UCSB went up three at 15-12 and held on from there. The Waves rallied from down three to tie it up at 22, but a Drake kill gave Santa Barbara a set-point try at 24-22. Two miscues kept Pepperdine in the set and a kill and a block by Harthaller put the Waves up 26-25. A service error kicked off a 3-0 UCSB run to cap the set. A Fredrick Spencer ace and McFarland putaway gave the Gauchos the 28-26 win.
UC Santa Barbara carried the momentum into Set 2, building a 9-4 advantage en route to a 14-7 lead. Three kills, two aces and a block by Chavers paced the Gauchos. Truman also put up three stuffs in the first half of the set. Pepperdine did not give in, however, rallying to a 16-15 lead with two kills and two blocks by Harriman. After a string of four ties, last at 20, the Waves capitalized on UCSB errors for the 25-21 victory.
Set 3 was a back and forth affair with UCSB holding the upper hand, but not leading by more than three. Midway through, it was a one-point game at 16-15. Two kills and a block by Chavers pushed the advantage back to three at 19-16 and a pair of McFarland putaways made it 23-19. A Harthaller kill and Robert Mullahey ace kept Pepperdine closed at 23-21. A service error put UCSB on the hill and a Randy DeWeese kill gave the Gauchos a 2-1 set lead at 25-22.
Pepperdine kept the final set close despite struggling offensively, committing 10 errors while managing just six kills for a -.167 hitting effort. The Waves led 16-10 midway through the stanza after a 5-0 run, including three Pepperdine miscues and a Harthaller ace. UCSB countered with a 7-0 run as Chavers notched three kills and a block. After ties at 17 and 18, the Gauchos surged ahead by three at 22-19 with two McFarland putaways. Another McFarland kill made it 24-22 and a service error closed out the road upset.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: UC Santa Barbara Athletics
Despite a two-week layoff caused by the Montecito mudslide and the subsequent closure of the 101 freeway, the UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball team showed no signs of rust in a 3-1 victory over No. 10 Pepperdine Saturday night at the Firestone Fieldhouse. Set scores were 28-26, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23.
Junior outside hitter Corey Chavers spurred UCSB (3-1) to victory with a career night on the attack, as the Downey, Calif. native set a new personal high with 24 kills on .333 hitting. Chavers wasn’t just dominant with his offense, but also led the team in both aces (two) and blocks (six, tied with freshman middle Jack Truman).
Sophomore outside hitter Roy McFarland chipped in a dozen kills of his own while sophomore libero Grady Yould led all players with a season-high 13 digs. Overall, UCSB outhit the opposition .220 to .118.
Pepperdine (1-2) received 17 kills from Colby Harriman, but no other Wave was able to crack the 10-kill mark.
The Gauchos led for the majority of the opening game, but Pepperdine was able to fight off two set points off a 24-22 deficit to send it to extra points. After a bit of see-saw action, UCSB emerged victorious when Spencer Fredrick registered an ace to set up the team’s fourth set point of the night, which McFarland capitalized on with his third kill of the frame.
Pepperdine put up its biggest fight in the second, erasing a 14-7 disadvantage by reeling off 10 of 13 points – a run featuring three momentum-sapping blocks – to knot it at 17-17. Unfortunately for the Gauchos, the Waves had another big spree in them, winning six of the last points to even the match at one apiece.
It was the Chavers Show in the final two frames, as the UCSB outside registered 6.5 points in the third set as UCSB hit a match-high .343 before putting down nine kills in a highlight-reel fourth set. Sophomore setter Randy DeWeese (43 assists) clinched the third with a nice left-handed dump off the pass and the Gaucho front row produced four blocks in the fourth as Pepperdine hit at a -.167 clip.
UCSB continues its season next week on the road at a pair of nationally-ranked MIVA institutions, tackling No. 8 Loyola-Chicago on Thursday before battling No. 11 Lewis on Saturday.
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