MALIBU, Calif. –  The Pepperdine men's volleyball team (6-2, 1-0 MPSF) swept Vanguard (3-7, 0-4 MPSF) Tuesday night in the first ever match up between the two squads.
 
"We served and passed again really tonight," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "And Cole did some awesome things for us. We did a nice job to be prepared and play a good clean match to get our first win in league play."
 
Cole Hartke, as per usual, led the Waves through the first with four kills, while Ryan Barnett was not far behind with three himself as the duo accounted for 70 percent of the attacks in the set. Dominating the Lions behind the service line, the Waves secured six aces through the stretch, with three coming from Andrej Polomac. The set ended on a 6-0 run with Jensen Pascua serving in his collegiate debut for the Waves. Pepperdine took the first in a lopsided 25-12 score.
 
In the best offensive showing of the night, the Waves hit .684 on 19 total attempts in the second set. Six of the 14 kills came from Hartke, hitting a perfect 1.00. Jose Gomez had the longest stretch for the Waves behind the service line, accounting for a third of the Waves' serves in the second, tallying one of two aces in the set. William Whidden, who made his debut for the season tonight, notched the other ace to finish the set 25-14.
 
The third was a more balanced effort on both sides, as the Waves barely outhit the Lions, .444 to .435. The minimal errors resulted in a tighter battle between the squads. Gomez led Pepperdine offensively with six kills, with Ryan Barnett keeping pace at five. Hartke had the sole three aces for the Waves in the final set, including two to secure the match win 25-21.
 
Pepperdine begins MPSF play 1-0 and improves to 6-2 overall.
 
 
PEPPERDINE VS. VANGUARD
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         10        3          19        .368
2         14        1          19        .684
3         16        4          27        .444
 
VANGUARD ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         3          6          18        -.167
2         8          3          15        .333
3         13        3          23        .435
 
The Waves are back at it this weekend, welcoming the No. 15 UC Santa Barbara to Malibu in the latter half of a double-header with men's basketball. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. with streaming available on ESPN+ (subscription required) and live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
 
 
GAME NOTES
• Overall, the Waves hit a stunning .492 as a squad.
• With a team-high 11 kills, Barnett was the most efficient tonight, hitting .625.
• The Waves secured 11 aces tonight, led by Hartke who had four, followed by Anrej Polomac with three.
• Jose Gomez and Polomac led the team with four digs a piece.
• Jensen Pascua made his collegiate debut against the Lions tonight.
• In four total blocks tonight, James Eadie secured the lone solo block.
 
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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