UCLA
Pepperdine
Men's Volleyball Claims Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Title
April 29, 2000 | Men's Volleyball
April 29, 2000
LOS ANGELES -- Senior outside hitter Ed Ratledge pounded down a match-high total of 27 kills leading No. 3 ranked UCLA to a 6-15, 15-11, 15-4, 15-9 victory over No. 2 ranked Pepperdine in the championship match of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament played Saturday night in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 2,862 fans at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.
Ratledge added nine digs and seven total blocks as the Bruins earned the MPSF's automatic berth to next week's NCAA Championships.
Junior outside hitter Mark Williams collected 17 kills, two service aces, four digs and five total blocks for UCLA (27-5), while sophomore outside hitter Matt Komer contributed 11 kills, two service aces, seven digs and three total blocks.
Freshman middle blocker and senior setter Brandon Taliaferro each had 10 kills in the balanced Bruins' attack. Taliaferro recorded a team-high total of 11 digs and notched six blocks along with 69 assists.
Pepperdine (22-5) was led by senior outside hitter Andre Breuer who matched Ratledge with 27 kills. Breuer recorded three service aces, eight digs and four total blocks.
Junior outside hitter Scott Wong added 20 kills, two service aces, nine digs and six total blocks for the Waves, while junior outside hitter Keith Barnett contributed 12 kills, 12 digs and two total blocks.
Pepperdine is expected to earn the at-large berth to the four-team NCAA Championships, joining UCLA, Penn State and Ohio State.
Penn State defeated Concordia tonight by scores of 15-7, 15-7, 15-7 to win the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament in State College, Pennsylvania.
In the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament, host Ohio State swept IPFW by scores of 15-12, 15-10, 15-4 in Columbus, Ohio.
The NCAA Championships will be played at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The semifinals will be played next Thursday (May 4) at 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. (PDT), with the NCAA title match scheduled for next Saturday (May 6) afternoon at 11 a.m. (PDT). The championship match will be televised live nationally on ESPN2.
Pepperdine got off to a quick start in the first game, rolling to a decisive 15-6 win.
UCLA scored the first six points of the second game, but Pepperdine rattled off eight consecutive points to take an 8-6 lead. The Waves built an 11-7 advantage and appeared to be seizing the momentum, but behind the leadership of Taliaferro, the Bruins rallied to score the game's final eight points to tie the match.
The Bruins dominated the third game, winning by a comfortable 15-4 margin. UCLA jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the fourth game. Pepperdine pulled within a 10-7 count, but the Bruins held off the charge. UCLA recorded a team hitting percentage of .322 and limited Pepperdine to a .234 team attack mark. The Bruins outblocked the Waves by a decisive 21-14 margin.
