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Purdue Fort Wayne
Pepperdine
Mastodons Take Down Top Seeded Pepperdine
5/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
May 3, 2007
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Columbus, OH - It may have taken six tries for the IPFW Men's Volleyball team to reach the NCAA Finals, but this time may have been the sweetest as the Mastodons upset the nation's number one team, Pepperdine, 3-1 on Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio.
IPFW topped the Waves by the scores of 27-30, 30-27, 30-27, and 30-25.
The 'Dons scored the first point of the match on a kill by junior middle hitter Josh Stewart, but quickly found themselves in a hole due to seven service errors.
Pepperdine (26-3) took a 20-16 lead on a kill by sophomore opposite Paul Carroll.
IPFW closed to within one at 27-26 on a kill by junior opposite Jason Yhost, but Carroll put the final touch on the first set with another kill from the right side to give the Waves a 1-0 lead.
Things looked even more ominous for the Mastodons in the second set.
Just as it happened in the MIVA Final with Ohio State, Pepperdine opened up a 5-0 lead, causing head coach Arnie Ball to use up his two allotted time outs.
But, just like the MIVA Final...it worked. Junior opposite Brock Ullrich served the 'Dons to six straight points and a 6-5 lead.
From there, junior two-time All-America C.J. Macias began to heat up.
Macias registered seven kills in the second set, and IPFW tied the match at 1-1.
IPFW (23-7), looking more comfortable in their championship surroundings began to let it all hang out.
In the third, Ullrich began to carve out an opening on the left side, putting down six balls, and it became apparent that Pepperdine was having difficulty with the 'Dons outside hitters.
Macias put down a pair of kills, and IPFW had taken a 2-1 lead with another 30-27 win.
Knowing how dangerous Pepperdine can be, IPFW kept up the intensity and pressure in the fourth.
Serving specialist Dan McNerney gave IPFW a 22-18 lead with an incredible dig of a blast by Carroll. McNerney's dig came all the way from the Mastodons' endline, to the far endline of the Waves, and fell to the floor for a kill.
McNerney wasn't done. For good measure, he jump-floated a serve to an open right corner of the court for an ace, making it 23-18.
And, on an attack error by Carroll, IPFW advanced to the Championship Match for the first time in school history. How significant was the win? It is only the third time that a team from the East Coast or Mid-West has reached the Finals.
Carroll led all scorer's with a match-high 26 kills for the Waves.
IPFW got a game-high 24 kills from Macias, who hit .341. Macias also had a pair of aces, three digs, a block solo, and three block assists.
Ullrich had a career-night with 20 kills. (His previous high was 15 vs. UPR Rio Piedras this season). Ullrich also had a pair of aces, four digs, and four block assists.
Yhost put down 18 balls, hitting .394.
Senior setter Colin Lundeen outplayed Pepperdine setter, and national player of the year Jonathan Winder. Lundeen had 64 assists to Winder's 57. Lundeen also had a solo block and four block assists to Winder's two block assists.
IPFW middle hitters Vitor Oliveira and Josh Stewart combined for 10 kills and 11 block assists.
The 'Dons out-hit the Waves .381 to .336.
Up next for IPFW are the Anteaters of UC-Irvine. UC-Irvine topped Penn State, 3-1 in the second national semi-final.
So, this year's NCAA Champion will be a first timer. Neither the Mastodons nor the Anteaters have captured a men's volleyball national championship.
IPFW owns a 3-1 all-time record over UCI. The last time the two teams met was March 19, 2004 in the Long Beach State/Active Ankle Classic.
Irvine won 30-23, 30-20, and 30-20. Current Anteater Jayson Jablonsky had 11 kills.
IPFW had two current players on that roster...Josh Collins and Jerrod Quillen each played, but neither registered a kill.
The Championship Match can be seen on ESPN2, Saturday at 7:00pm, with Beth Mowins and Mike Dodd making the call.
~Dons~
