MALIBU, California – Behind 13 kills from Spencer Wickens and 12 kills and nine blocks from Austin Wilmot, the #4 Pepperdine men's volleyball team posted an excellent bounce-back win in four sets (24-26, 25-21, 25-23, 25-22) over #8 UCLA on Saturday night in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play.
 
The Waves (8-3, 8-3) suffered a tough five-set loss to the Bruins (9-4, 9-4) on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion, but after dropping a close first set tonight, came back and got the win to stay perfect (4-0) in Firestone Fieldhouse this season.
 
Pepperdine went from hitting .158 on Thursday to .291 tonight, and after the Bruins got 13 service aces in the first matchup, the Waves' serve receive was up to the task and limited UCLA to five.
 
BIG WAVES

• Senior outside hitter Spencer Wickens (Irondequoit, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit HS) overcame a rough start to post team highs of 13 kills and seven digs. Eleven of his kills came in sets three and four.
• Senior middle blocker Austin Wilmot (Valley Village, Calif./Crespi Carmelite HS/UC Irvine) hit a career-best .550 (12-1-20) with a season high in kills. His nine blocks tied the most by any MPSF player this season. He also had a career-high two service aces.
• Sophomore opposite Jacob Steele (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./El Toro HS) had seven kills, five blocks and four digs.
• Freshman middle blocker Andersen Fuller (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius HS) had six kills while hitting .417 (6-1-12) with five blocks.
• Redshirt freshman opposite Akin Akinwumi (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Peninsula HS), in limited playing time off the bench, had six kills on seven swings for an .857 attack rate.
• Senior outside hitter Noah Dyer (San Clemente, Calif./Saddleback Valley Christian HS) had four kills, five blocks and four digs.
• Freshman setter Bryce Dvorak (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar HS) handed out 32 assists.

MATCH STATS 

• PEPP hitting: .291 overall (.053 set one, .364 set two, .233 set three, .438 set four)
• UCLA hitting: .231 overall (.258 set one, .172 set two, .250 set three, .241 set four)
• Service Aces: PEPP 4, UCLA 5
• Digs: PEPP 30, UCLA 27
• Blocks: PEPP 14.0, UCLA 10.5
• UCLA was led by Cole Ketrzynski's 15 kills.

PLAY BY PLAY
 
The Waves got off to a nice start in the first set, going up 7-4 after a block by Fuller and Wickens, an ace by Wilmot and a kill by Fuller. But the Bruins came back quickly and took an 11-8 lead. UCLA's lead grew to seven at both 19-12 and 20-13, though the Waves went on a 6-0 run behind two Steele kills and three Bruin attack errors to make it 20-19. The Waves tied it at 23 and 24 but UCLA got the final two points of the first set.
 
The Waves never trailed in the second set. Steele made it 3-1 early on with a kill. At 13-10, the Waves scored five in a row as Akinwumi had three consecutive kills. The Bruins closed the gap a bit on that eight-point lead, making it 20-16 and 24-21, but the Waves evened the match on the next point.
 
There were 11 ties and seven lead changes in the third set, most of them coming early on. Pepperdine went up 14-10 after a Dvorak service ace and a Bruin attack error. UCLA would eventually go ahead 22-21. But Wilmot had a big finish to the set. He had two kills and joined Steele on a block to put the Waves back up 24-22, after a UCLA point, Wilmot and Steele again combined on a block to make it 2-1 in the Waves' favor.
 
The fourth set was close throughout. Pepperdine went up 11-9 after a kill by Wilmot and a UCLA attack error. The teams sided out for the next 18 points, making it 20-18 Pepperdine. But a kill by Fuller increased the lead to 21-18, the biggest advantage for either side in the final set. UCLA closed to within one point at 23-22, but a Bruin service error and a block by Wilmot and Steele ended the match.
 
UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine hosts BYU for a pair of matches next Friday and Saturday (March 19-20), both at 1 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. Both matches will be streamed online via WaveCasts. Due to COVID-19 protocols, fans will not be permitted.