After getting to game point twice, the UCLA men’s volleyball team was unable to put away Pepperdine.
The No. 9 Bruins had the No. 1 Waves on the ropes with a 29-23 lead in the first set, but they were unable to convert, eventually losing 33-35.
“I thought we played really well,” freshman quick hitter Thomas Amberg said. “It’s just really tough not to be able to finish when you’re in there because you want so badly to beat the No. 1 team in the country.”
The first set was only an indication of things to come, as Pepperdine won in straight sets Wednesday night inside Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA came into the match having already lost to Pepperdine on Feb. 18, also in the minimum three sets. After winning four out of five matches, the Bruins seemed to be on the upswing.
Pepperdine, led by dominant senior opposite Paul Carroll, proved to be too strong however.
“Carroll just hit better than we can block,” coach Al Scates said. “Even when we knew the ball was going to him, he would take whatever we gave him.”
Carroll currently leads the nation in kills per game, averaging 6.15. He notched 23 against the Bruins.
“They don’t pass well, but they don’t have to,” Scates said. “We are bringing the heat, but they get the ball to Carroll and he puts it away. You just throw it up anywhere, and he just goes and gets it. He is a tremendous player.”
There were times when it looked like UCLA might be able to topple the top-ranked team, keeping it close during all three games. The Bruins were never far behind the Waves, leading for most of the first and third sets.
“Intensity on the court is such a big thing,” freshman quick hitter Nick Vogel said. “Intensity from the fans, from the bench, just getting a lot of people to stay loud really gets you fired up. I think if we had a few more people fired up we would have been able to close out this game.”
UCLA finished the game with 54 kills and hit .217 overall compared to Pepperdine’s 53 kills and .288. The Bruins improved throughout the match though, hitting .302 in the last set as opposed to .170 and .179 in the first two.
With the last home game of the season just around the corner against crosstown rival USC, the Bruins will look to improve for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament.
“USC is a good team because they have a really well-balanced attack,” Amberg said. “We just really need to be truly disciplined blocking wise. … Beating them at home would be such a great thing.”