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Middle attacker Matt Tarantino led all players with a season-high 11 blocks as No. 3 Pepperdine defeated No. 8 USC 25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 14-25, 15-11 on Saturday in Malibu, Calif., to move a step closer in clinching a home playoff match.
Pepperdine in the late-season conference victory out-blocked USC 16.5 to 8 and held the Trojans to less than a .200 attack percentage in two of the five games.
Pepperdine outside attacker Josh Taylor also added a team-high 18 and was the only Waves player to finish with double-digit kills. In addition, USC outside attacker in the loss had a match-high 19 kills.
With this victory, Pepperdine remains in in second place in the MPSF and enters the final week of the regular season needing one more win to clinch a home match for the conference tournament quarterfinals.
Check out the video highlights from Off the Block special contributor Jonathan Bates of the Waves’ victory against the Trojans.