Princeton University
1-3
Pepperdine
4-0
Men's Volleyball Downed by No. 5 Pepperdine
January 17, 2023 | Men's Volleyball
Malibu, CA - The Princeton men's volleyball team put up a valiant effort against the No. 5 Pepperdine Waves in Firestone Fieldhouse, but ultimately fell 0-3 in a hard-fought match. (17-25, 23-25, 19-25)
Despite the loss, the Tigers had several, admirable performances and key plays in Monday's matchup.
Brady Wedbush led the match in kills with eight, and Henry Wedbush continues to lead the team in assists, totaling 30 against the Waves.
Defensively, Nyherowo Omene came up with three big, blocks and James Hartley recorded five digs.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading points. A kill from Ben Harrington tied the score at 5-5, but soon after a kill from Pepperdine's Bryce Dvorak, the Waves were up 11-7.
Even a block from Nyherowo Omene wasn't enough to put the Tigers ahead, and Pepperdine managed to gain a lead that they wouldn't relinquish. The first set concluded 17-25 in favor of the Waves.
In the set two, Princeton put up a strong fight but ultimately fell behind in the final moments. Brady Wedbush had a strong presence in set two, recording a kill that traveled past three, Pepperdine blockers to put Princeton ahead 6-5.
Another major, kill from Brady Wedbush tied the set at 12-12. The teams went back-and-forth until the match point came from a Pepperdine kill, handing the Waves another set won, 23-25.S2: Princeton 6, Pepperdine 5
— Princeton Men's Volleyball (@PrincetonVolley) January 17, 2023
3 blockers can't stop Brady Wedbush from getting the kill to put the Tigers ahead! pic.twitter.com/oBb52hFa4p
Despite Pepperdine taking an early lead in set three, the Tigers would not let up. Princeton trailed by five (10-5) following a sequence of kills by the Waves.
Alexander Mrkalj made an immediate impact on the court with a kill to spark more scoring for Princeton. Mrkalj was also involved with a block featuring Ryan Vena and Ben Harrington that landed the Tigers at 13-18, still trailing behind. Within just one set, he totaled 4 kills and hit for .500.
Soon after a strong scoring run by the Waves, the west coast team sealed the match on their home court, taking set three 19-25.
S3: Pepperdine 18, Princeton 13
— Princeton Men's Volleyball (@PrincetonVolley) January 17, 2023
Harrington ?? Vena ??Mrkalj
The Tigers hang tough with a big block in Set 3! #NCAAMVB pic.twitter.com/4SeN9lGyMZ
Up Next:
Wednesday January 18th : Princeton vs. Concordia (2-0)
Date: Wednesday, January 19th
First Serve: 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET
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