MALIBU, Calif. –  The No. 6 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (7-2) rode the waves of momentum, beating No. 15 UC Santa Barbara (6-4) in five at home Saturday night.
 
"The guys battled," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "UCSB played really tough defense and passed quite well which made things challenging on offense. The serving for us made a big difference in the match as it went on. The ability of the guys to fight and hang in there was really impressive."
 
In a back and forth match, Pepperdine kept the set losses close, separating themselves in the third set with a decisive win, before dominating the Gauchos to take the set in the fifth.
 
Set one foreshadowed a full five-setter in Firestone with 16 ties and nine different lead changes. Hitting just .148 with the lowest kill count of the night, the Waves dropped the opening set in close fashion, 23-25. Cole Hartke led the squad with three kills and Eadie had three block assists in the Waves' 10 through the opening set.  
 
In a similar fashion to the first, set two was a tight fought battle. Hartke once again led the Waves with seven kills, while Ryan Barnett had the best hitting percentage through the second with .556. Neck-and-neck the entire set, the Waves took the second into extra points, with Ethan Watson securing the set victory with an ace to win it 27-25.
 
Set three was all Pepperdine. Hitting .435 compared to UC Santa Barbara's .000, the Waves took advantage of the Gauchos seven errors. Behind four kills apiece from Hartke and Barnett, Pepperdine cruised into set four with a 25-21 set three win.
 
The fourth set was yet another close battle between two top-15 teams. With a night-high eight errors, Pepperdine fended off the Gauchos for as long as they could. Hartke once again led the Waves in kills, this time with seven on a .357 hitting percentage. Through eight ties and five lead changes, the Waves fell on the wrong side of the set 21-25, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
 
Putting an exclamation point on the night, Pepperdine dominated the fifth set. Hitting a stunning .800, the Waves had no errors, UC Santa Barbara notched seven, hitting in the negative for the first time all night. Behind just four kills, split evenly between Hartke and Barnett, Pepperdine won set five decisively 15-5 as Aidan Tune finished the night behind the service line for the home team. Pepperdine took the ranked-matchup on Valentine's Day 3-2.
 
PEPPERDINE VS. UC Santa Barbara
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         10      6         27       .148
2         18       3         29       .517
3         12       2         23       .435
4         14       8          39       .154
5         4         0         5          .800
 
 
UCSB ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         12       9         36       .083
2         15       3         27       .444
3         7         7         29       .000
4         13       2         30       .367
5         3         7         12       -.333
 
 
Pepperdine hits the road next week to face the same opponent, this time in Santa Barbara. 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
• Cole Hartke, hitting a team-leading .425 on the night, had a night-high 23 kills, accounting for 25 points.
• Ryan Barnett had a night-high of three service aces, followed by Jose Gomez who had two.
• James Eadie led the Waves on blocks with five assists and two solo stuffs.
• Andrej Polomac had 49 of the 57 assists.
• Ryan Barnett was close behind Hartke in point count, second on the team with 21.5 total.
 
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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