PROVO, Utah – The seventh-ranked Pepperdine men's volleyball team travels to Utah this weekend for two matches against eighth-ranked BYU. The series holds huge implications on tournament seedings for next week's MPSF Championship, hosted at Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
MATCH #25 — Friday, Apr. 18 @ 6:00 PM PT | Smith Fieldhouse | Provo, Utah | B1G+
 
MATCH #26 — Sat, Apr. 19 @ 6:00 PM PT | Smith Fieldhouse | Provo, Utah | B1G+
 
LAST TIME OUT — In their final home matches of the regular season, the Pepperdine men's volleyball team delivered back-to-back wins over Jessup to build momentum heading into Provo and postseason play. Last Thursday, the Waves earned a 3-1 victory behind standout performances from Cole Hartke and Ryan Barnett, who combined for 34 kills. Pepperdine followed that with a dominant sweep Friday as the Waves controlled the tempo throughout the second match, limiting Jessup to under .100 hitting while serving seven aces.
 
SCOUTING THE COUGS — BYU men's volleyball currently stands 17–9 overall while going 5–5 mark in MPSF play. The Cougars started the season strong, securing early wins against ranked opponents like Ohio State and Ball State. However, they faced challenges midseason and have since fallen to USC, Grand Canyon and UCLA during conference play. Luke Benson and Miks Ramanis lead the attack for the team totaling 492 kills and averaging 3. and 2.3 per set respectively. Setter Tyler Herget has delivered 676 total assists at a rate of 7.7 per set, while libero Jackson Fife picks up 1.8 digs per set. Middle blocker and Hawai'i transfer Teon Taylor anchors the defense with 1.0 blocks per set. As a team, BYU averages 11.3 kills per set with a .279 hitting percentage and holds a 2.5 blocks per set average.
 
SEEDING ON THE LINE — The series in Provo will likely decide the third and fourth seeds heading into next week's conference tournament. BYU currently sits one game behind the Waves.
 
UP NEXT — Firestone Fieldhouse will play host to the 2025 MPSF Championship beginning Tuesday, April 22. Seedings will be announced Sunday the 20th.
 
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves are returning 11 players this season, including five starters, while also adding 15 new faces to the squad. MPSF Freshman of the Year, Ethan Watson, returns for Pepperdine after coming in second on the team for total blocks, posting 74 throughout his 60 sets played. Outside hitter, Ryan Barnett, ranked in the top five in three separate statistical categories for the team last season, including posting 200 kills, 82 digs, and 14 service aces throughout his 80 sets played. Sophomore setter, Ryan Graves, is also returning for his second year after leading the team in assists as the key playmaker for Pepperdine last season. Graves posted 596 assists 18 kills, and five service aces during the 2024 season.
 
MPSF PRESEASON POLL — In the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's preseason poll, the Waves came in fourth place after a 5-7 overall conference record last season.
 
FRESH FACES — Pepperdine has 15 newcomers this season, including 11 freshmen and four transfers. Outside hitter, Cole Hartke joins the Waves as a three-time JVA All-American, Volleyball Magazine All-American, member of the U21 Men's National Team, and won gold this season at the Norceca Pan-Am Championship. Outside, Jose Gomez also joins the squad after having international experience playing with Cuba's U19 and U21 National teams, playing in three Norceca Pan-Am Cups. Joining the Waves in January is freshman Grant Lamoureux who served as the captain for the U19 National Indoor Team this summer at the Norceca Continental Championship, helping the team capture a gold medal. He is a two-time AAU All-American and a three-time JVA All-American, and in the sand placed ninth at the Beach 2024 U19 World Championships in China. The Waves' transfer crew includes graduate student brothers George and Gabe Dyer who came to Pepperdine after playing for UC San Diego and USC, respectively. Jacob Reilly joins Pepperdine from Concordia University Irvine, after playing two seasons as a libero for the Golden Eagles.
 
2024 SEASON — Pepperdine concluded the 2024 campaign ranked #10 in the country.  The Waves went 17-11 overall and finished fifth in the MPSF regular season after tallying a 5-7 league record. The Waves faced Stanford in the MPSF Tournament, falling in the first round.
 
COACHES — Returning for his fifth season as an associate head coach, Matthew Pollock will rejoin the sidelines for the Waves.  With Pollock on the staff, the Waves advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished with a #5 ranking in both 2021 and 2022.  Pollock played for the Waves from 2009-12 and was a starter middle blocker in his final two seasons, earning All-MPSF honors as a senior.  He played professionally in Finland, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy and Germany. Luke Reynolds joined the Waves' sideline this summer after serving as a head coach for the University of Charleston's program. He also was recently hired as Team USA's collegiate national men's team assistant coach in 2024. While with the Golden Eagles for three seasons, Reynolds led the team to 44 wins and a .543 winning percentage.  He garnered EIVA Coach of the Year in 2023 after leading the program to a 22-7 record with a 14-match winning streak to open the season.  That year, the team entered the AVCA national coaches polls for the first time in program history. Will Craft also joined the staff as an assistant in July 2023, bringing a wealth of playing and coaching experience at both the professional and collegiate levels.  He most recently served as the head men's coach at Dominican (DIII) and was named Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year.  He was an All-American at Carthage before playing with SVG
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #75 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
 
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