Pepperdine-USC Is Close Call in MPSF Semifinal

Serving and blocking.

It might mean the difference between winning and losing when Pepperdine and USC square off in a semifinal match of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s volleyball tournament tonight at Pepperdine.

The second-seeded Waves (21-4) and third-seeded Trojans (22-4) are nearly identical in overall record, tournament seeding, blocking and serving.

Pepperdine finished first in MPSF matches with an average of two aces per game; USC was second with 1.96. The Waves were sixth in MPSF play with 7.07 blocks per game; USC was seventh with 6.17.

If either team wins both categories tonight, it could mean a trip to the MPSF championship match Saturday.

The Waves defeated USC twice during the season, holding a decisive edge in serving.

In a four-game victory for the UC Santa Barbara tournament championship, Pepperdine had 12 aces, USC five.

In an MPSF match on Feb. 29, Pepperdine had nine aces, four more than USC, and 21 service errors, 10 fewer than USC.

“We have five jump-servers and if we’re on, we’re tough to beat,” said interim Coach Jeff Stork of Pepperdine.

The Waves had a difficult time serving in a five-game victory over Stanford in the first round. They had 34 service errors and only four aces.

“It’s like a basketball team shooting free throws,” said setter Kurt Nelson. “If one player misses, everyone else seems to miss. We just have to serve well and block well.”

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Outside hitter Scott Wong of Pepperdine was selected a men’s volleyball All-American for the second consecutive season.

One of the top defensive players in the nation, the 6-foot-5 junior leads the Waves with 217 digs and 50 aces. He is second on the team with 502 kills.

Matt Prosser of Long Beach State, a former middle blocker at Buena High, was also an All-American selection.

Senior outside hitter Andre Breuer and freshman middle blocker Brad Keenan were second-team All-American selections for Pepperdine.

Breuer leads the Waves with 547 kills and Keenan leads the team with 146 blocks.

Setter Donald Suxho, a four-year starter at USC who holds the school record with 160 aces in his career, was selected NCAA player of the year.

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Cal State Northridge did not qualify for the MPSF men’s volleyball tournament, but the Matadors (12-14) defeated or played well against all four semifinalists.

The Matadors split the two-match season series with UCLA and Loyola Marymount, and lost to USC in a five-game match, 21-19 in the final game.

The Matadors lost twice to Pepperdine, although the first match went five games, ending in a 16-14 Pepperdine victory.

“That’s called a team that’s knocking on the doorstep,” said third-year Coach Jeff Campbell of Northridge. “It just goes to show you how close we are right now. We’re right there.

“We knew we weren’t going to win a national championship right away, but every year we’re going to get better.”