MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine went undefeated in their opening weekend of 2025, not dropping a single set at the North American Challenge in Long Beach this weekend. The Waves defeated Trinity Western, Saskatchewan, and the University of Calgary in straight sweeps during the exhibition matchups. Ryan Barnett, Jacob Reilly, and Cole Hartke all picked up Player of the Match awards in their respective matches after their impressive performances.
VS. TRINITY WESTERN:
The Waves posted 25-17, 25-15, and 25-20 set scores to sweep the Spartans in their first match of the weekend. Pepperdine led in most areas throughout, posting 32 kills on a .383 clip, while allowing 27 kills on a .060 output to Trinity Western. The Waves also led with 10 blocks, as opposed to the Spartan's two, while also leading with 18 digs, and 30 assists compared to Trinity Western's 13 and 26, respectively. George Dyer tabbed six kills with a .667 hitting percentage, also adding three digs, two blocks, and two assists. Ryan Barnnett earned Player of the Match status after posting 13 kills with a .435 success rate, six digs, two blocks, and an ace. William Whidden led the Malibu Roofing Co. with five blocks, including one solo denial. Ryan Graves led the team in assists as the playmaker for the match, totaling 26, along with three blocks, one kill, and a service ace.
VS. SASKATCHEWAN:
Against the Huskies, the Waves posted 25-17, 25-22, and 25-20 set scores to secure their second sweep of the day. Pepperdine kept Saskatchewan to a .041 success rate and led the match in kills (30), assists (28), and service aces (8), as opposed to the opposition's 24 kills, 22 assists, and one service ace. Jacob Reilly earned the Player of the Match nod after an error-less match, posting two digs, 16 serve receptions, and an assist. Cole Hartke led the attacking efforts for Pepperdine, adding 10 kills with a .304 hitting percentage, while also tabbing two blocks and a service ace. Ethan Watson and Jose Gomez each tallied three blocks, two service aces, and three kills, with Gomez also adding two assists throughout the three sets. Ilay Haver finished off match point with a kill, and also tallied six kills, two assists, and two blocks in three sets.
VS. CALGARY:
To round out the weekend, Pepperdine tabbed 25-22, 25-21, and 25-15 set scores against the University of Calgary, securing their third and final win in the North American Challenge. The Waves led the match with 41 kills, 38 assists, 11 service aces, and six blocks, as opposed to the Dino's 36 kills, 36 assists, two service aces, and two blocks. Throughout the match, the Waves collectively posted an impressive .465 hitting percentage, led by Player of the Match, Hartke, who tabbed 15 kills on a .591 clip. Hartke also added four digs, two blocks, and one service ace to help Pepperdine secure the sweep. Gabe Dyer led playmaking for the squad, tallying 34 assists as well as two kills, a dig, and a block. Gomez had another impressive match, ending the third set with a service ace to secure the win, and tabbing nine kills, two service aces, two blocks, a dig, and an assist throughout the match. James Eadie led the squad in blocks, adding three, with one being a solo rejection, Eadie also tabbed six kills on nine attempts, one dig, and an assist.
UP NEXT: The Waves will open the regular season with three home matches next weekend against Merrimack (Jan. 10), FDU (Jan. 12th), and Missouri S&T (Jan. 13th).
FOLLOW: Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter, @WavesVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram, @peppvolley. Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on www.PepperdineWaves.com.
