VBelo Scouting Report: January 05, 2023
1 down, 792 to go...
The Pepperdine Jaspers Waves began the season with a strong win against a very good Lincoln Memorial squad. The main story is the dominance of Jaylen Jasper’s arm. In spite of not stopping Jasper, LMU was able to out block Pepperdine 10-7. The rest of the counting stats belonged to Pepperdine, however. Kohl Kutsch (LMU) was 1 dig away from the first double-double of the year (26 assists, 9 digs). This was also Head Coach Jonathan Winder’s first career win at Pepperdine. To celebrate, the Waves get a 9 day break before they welcome Edward Waters to Malibu and play their first match ever against a SIAC opponent.
Today we will see 4 ranked teams step onto the court. We will also get our first ranked vs ranked match with #10 USC taking on #7 UCSB at the Asics Invitational (hosted by UCSB). By the looks of it, there aren’t a lot of tight matchups for today. An interesting match to keep an eye on will be Lincoln Memorial facing a young UCSD. There are a lot of factors that will be at play in this one including fatigue, roster turnover, and playing on a neutral court. This match may play a big role in shaping the narrative around both of these teams.
Match Recaps
Non-conference
Pepperdine (52%) def. Lincoln Memorial (48%)
3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-20)
Jaylen Jasper (4x All-American) was unstoppable with 21 kills and a .486 hitting percentage! He also added 5 service aces, 6 digs, and 2 blocks. His campaign for a 5th All-American honor is off to a great start.
It looks like no one thought LMU would pull-off the upset…and they were right.
Match Projections
Non-conference
Central State (36%) vs #13 Ohio State (64%)
#10 Southern California (29%) vs #7 UC Santa Barbara (71%)
CSU Northridge (12%) vs #2 UCLA (88%)
Lincoln Memorial (71%) vs UC San Diego (29%)
