Box Score IRVINE, Calif. – No. 5 UC Irvine used a big blocking effort to capture a 3-1 victory (25-21, 16-25, 25-19, 29-27) over No. 10 Pepperdine at Firestone Fieldhouse Sunday afternoon.

The Anteater block came up huge with three rejections late in the fourth set and 10.5 overall. Seven different players recorded at least one block, led by middle blockers Scott Stadick and Matthew Younggren with a match-high five each.

Junior Karl Apfelbach led UC Irvine (4-1) with a match-best 19 kills and four block assists. Senior Aaron Koubi totaled 10 kills, eight digs and three blocks, while Stadick and junior JB Kam added eight kills. Libero David Parker recorded a season-high 13 digs and setter Dante Chakravorti had a season-high 44 set assists.

Pepperdine's Alex Harthaller led the Waves with 18 kills with Colby Harriman recording 14. Pepperdine's serving was solid with 8 aces to UCI's 1.

UC Irvine started slow in the first set with its only four points scored on Pepperdine's three service errors and an attack error until kills by Karl Apfelbach and Dante Chakravorti and a block by Matthew Younggren and Aaron Koubi got the Anteaters back in to the set, 7-8. The Waves would score six of the next seven points to build back a 14-9 advantage. A block by Stadick and JB Kam was followed by kills by Apfelbach and Stadick forcing Pepperdine to call a timeout (15-14). Out of the huddle, Stadick and Koubi locked down the net to tie the set at 15 then took their first lead on a Pepperdine attack error (16-15). UCI would never trail again winning the set, 25-21 on a Stadick and Koubi block.

The second set started much like the first with the Waves claiming a 4-1 lead. UCI narrowed the margin to 8-7, but Pepperdine would score the next five, four on kills, to open a 13-7 advantage. UCI tried to play catch-up, but Pepperdine went on a 25-16 victory.

UCI jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third set only to watch the Waves score six straight to take a 7-4 lead. A solo block by Younggren after a long rally tied the set at 9-9. The Anteaters scored four consecutive points, three on Pepperdine errors, to open a 16-12 lead. UCI would end the set with kills by Kam and Koubi and a block by Stadick and Chakravorti for the 25-19 win.

In the fourth set, UCI would trail 23-21, before the block would rise up, earning the next two points to tie the set. The teams would trade points until a UCI service error gave Pepperdine the 27-26 advantage. The Anteaters would end the set on a kill by Stadick, a block by Stadick and Apfelbach and a Wave attack error, 29-27.

UCI will travel to Grand Canyon next week, playing NJIT on Friday (Jan. 19) then Benedictine and Grand Canyon on Saturday (Jan. 20).

NOTES: UCI out-blocked its three opponents this week 23.5-14.5…the Anteaters have out-blocked its opponent in all but one match this season…Parker has recorded double-digit digs in four of five matches…Apfelbach's 19 kills is his second most this season…8 kills is a career-best for Kam…Koubi has recorded back-to-back matches in double-figure kills.