Waves Batter the Opposition in Five Consecutive Victories

Sure, it’s early in the season.

“Very early,” Pepperdine Coach Marv Dunphy will remind you.

But the Waves looked to be in midseason form at the UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball tournament Friday at the Events Center.

Pepperdine swept top-ranked BYU, 15-8, 16-14, and cast aside USC, 15-8, 15-9, in championship pool play.

This was after the Waves, ranked No. 3, swept three opponents in preliminary pool play.

Pepperdine will be in the championship match tonight at 7:30 p.m. if it beats Sacramento State and Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne today in championship pool play.

The victory over BYU, defending tournament champion, was the most impressive.

George Roumain delivered 20 kills, 12 in a tight second game, for the Waves, who were sharp in the middle with Hawaii transfer Rick Tune (nine kills) and senior Chris Jacobson (five kills, three blocks).

“Clearly, Tune is going to help them a bunch and Chris is doing some things that he hasn’t done in the past,” BYU Coach Carl McGown said. “We didn’t touch George and I don’t think many teams are going to.”

Ryan Millar, who played at Highland High, had 12 kills for BYU.

But the match, the day and maybe the tournament belonged to Pepperdine.

“This thing’s a marathon,” Roumain said. “Whoever’s in better shape usually wins it.”

Cal State Northridge didn’t fare as well as the Waves.

The Matadors ended up in the consolation bracket for the first time in recent memory.

Playing without All-American Chad Strickland, who was resting a sore right shoulder, Northridge went 2-1 in preliminary matches, and lost a tiebreaker against BYU and Sacramento State.

Only two of four teams in each preliminary pool advance to the championship bracket.

The Matadors lost to BYU, 15-8, 15-3, but found opposite hitter Junior Mosones, a sophomore from Channel Islands High.

Mosones delivered seven of his nine kills in the first game against the Cougars.

“We said he was going to have to be the man [Friday] and he was,” Northridge Coach Jeff Campbell said.

At the very least, Mosones might be able to take some of the heat off Strickland, who is expected to return for the Matadors’ Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener Tuesday at Pepperdine.

The Matadors rebounded during their first match of consolation play, sweeping Pacific, 15-13, 17-15.

But Northridge rested most of its starters one and lost to California, 15-6, 15-11.

“Real raw,” Campbell said of his team, which has six transfers. “That’s what this is for, to get ready.”

The Matadors resume consolation play today against La Verne and UC Davis.