MALIBU, Calif. –  The Pepperdine men's volleyball team (2-1), who tied for third in this week's AVCA national poll, took a set off the UC Irvine Anteaters (5-0) before falling in four 1-3.
 
"We learned a lot from this game," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "UCI is a deep and talented team. We need to learn how to make the plays to win as a team and know it doesn't have to be perfect or feel great."
 
Falling to UC Irvine in four sets, the Waves put up a fight until the end. Hitting better than the Anteaters on the night, Pepperdine ended four sets at .406 compared to UC Irvine's .376.
 
In a tight first set, Ryan Barnett led the squad with six kills and an ace. 16 ties through the first set alone showed the night would be a tense one. On the other side of the net, D'Arcy William would have some timely kills to give the visitors the first set 23-25.
 
Starting off in a sprint for the second set, Pepperdine jumped out to a 13-5 lead thanks to kills from Barnett, Cole Hartke, and a pair of blocks, triggering an Anteater timeout. Holding the seven point lead up 18-11, the Waves were outscored 3-9 as back-to-back UC Irvine aces shaved the Pepperdine lead to one at 21-20. Four more kills paired with an ace gave the Anteaters set two 24-26.
 
Down two sets to none, the Waves fought hard in the third. With just nine kills in the set, Barnett led the way with four, followed closely by Grant Lamoureux who had three. Pepperdine was efficient, fending off another attempt at a run from the visiting side to down UC Irvine 25-22 to take set three. 
 
Eleven errors in the fourth would hold the Waves back from a chance to play a fifth set. Despite eight ties in the fourth, Pepperdine was playing from behind down the stretch, falling 20-25 to lose the match 1-3.
 
PEPPERDINE VS. UC IRVINE
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         17      3         27       .519
2         12       5         28       .250
3         9         1         21       .381
4          11        1          20        .500
 
UC IRVINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         17       2         31       .484
2         13       4         33       .273
3         13      6         27       .259
4          16        3          26        .500
 
"We have two really tough road matches next week," Winder said. "So we've got to be hungry to learn and improve as we keep going."
 
Headed on the road for the first time this season, the Waves are out east in Chicago to first take on the No. 6 Loyola Chicago Ramblers in a NCAA Quarterfinals rematch Friday before heading out to No. 9 Lewis University the next day. First serve Friday is scheduled for 4 p.m. with streaming available on the Marquee Sports Network and live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
 
 
GAME NOTES
• Ryan Barnett led the team with 15 kills, hitting .522
• Grant Lamoureux matched Barnett's hitting percentage of .522 with 14 kills of his own.
• Andrej Polomac led the Waves for the third straight match in assists with 43 and only one error.
• For the first time this season Jacob Reilly had the match-high in digs with seven.
• Noé Matthey had a hand in a team-leading five blocks.
• Cole Harke, with two aces on the night, led the Waves in points created with 17.
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine men's volleyball boasts one of the richest histories in collegiate volleyball, with five NCAA National Championships. Four of those championships came under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Marv Dunphy who totaled 612 victories in 34 seasons at the helm. With 19 NCAA Appearances and 63 All-Americans, the program has consistently been a destination for top talent across the country. Under current head coach Jonathan Winder, the Waves reached the NCAA Final Four in his third season at the helm in 2025.
 
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