MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men's volleyball team took No. 2 UCLA to four sets on Saturday night, posting 22-25, 22-25, 27-25, and 16-25 set scores. 
Collectively, the Waves were kept to a .272 hitting percentage, tabbing 52 kills and 4.5 blocks. Cole Hartke led the attack for Pepperdine, posting 22 kills, two service aces, two digs, and assisting on a block. James Eadie accounted for three of the Waves' rejections at the net, including a solo denial, while also adding three kills. Ryan Barnett also added 14 kills on a .303 offensive clip and assisting on two denials while Ethan Watson was the most efficient for the Waves, tallying 11 kills on a .556 hitting percentage. Jacob Reilly was spread out on the floor, with 29 error-less serve receptions and 10 digs. 
 
BIG WAVES
Ryan Barnett (R-Jr./Westhampton Beach, N.Y./St. Edward's): 14 kills, .303 hitting %, 29 serve-receptions, 4 digs, 2 blocks
Cole Hartke (Fr./Barrington, Ill./Barrington HS): 22 kills, 2 aces, 2 digs, 1 block
Gabe Dyer (Gr./San Clemente, Calif./UCSD): 45 assists, 7 digs 
Ethan Watson (R-So./ Sunnyvale, Calif./ Saint Francis HS): 11 kills, .556 hitting %, 2 digs
 
WAVES VS. BRUINS
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          12        9          34        .088
2          12        3          27        .333
3          16        2          28        .500
4          12        7          25        .200
TTL      52        21        114      .272
 
UCLA ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          11        3          29        .276
2          17        0          25        .680
3          19        5          37        .378
4          12        0          20        .600
TTL      59        8          111      .459
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Throughout the close first set, the Waves and Bruins fought to gain a lead, which UCLA found at 10-4. A 5-2 run from Pepperdine would put the two teams in a close battle once again. Although the Waves were able to secure more kills than the Bruins, attack errors plagued Pepperdine and kept them to a .088 success rate. UCLA's four blocks and minimal errors allowed the Bruins to take set one, 25-22. 
In the second set, the Bruins were error-less, posting 17 kills on a .680 hitting percentage, compared to the Waves' 12 kills on a .333 offensive clip. Ryan Barnett led the set with five kills on 12 swings, while Cole Hartke trailed close behind with three kills on six attempts. UCLA took an early lead that Pepperdine would try and catch up to, but ultimately the Bruins' error-less performance allowed them to take set two, 25-22. 
During set three, the two teams were tied 17 times, with three lead changes. The Waves posted 16 kills on a .500 success rate while keeping the Bruins to a .378 hitting percentage. Hartke led the way with eight kills on 11 swings, also assisting on a block with James Eadie, while Ryan Barnett added another four kills. A kill from Hartke sent the set to extra points where he was able to finish it off, with Pepperdine taking set three, 27-25. 
Although Pepperdine and UCLA both tallied 12 kills during the fourth set, the Bruin's .600 efficiency and four blocks prevailed. Hartke had another five kills while Ethan Watson and Barnett had three apiece. Jacob Reilly captained Pepperdine's defense throughout the set, with seven error-less serve-receptions and two digs. The Bruin's steady lead allowed the opposition to take set four, 25-16, and the match, 3-1. 
 
UP NEXT
Pepperdine will play No. 5 USC on April 3 at the Galen Center before hosting the Trojans for a match on April 5.
 
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.