SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –  The No. 6 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (7-3, 1-0 MPSF) was swept in three close sets Wednesday night at the hands of the No. 14 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (7-5).

"We just didn't play well tonight," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "In all phases of the game we were off and UC Santa Barbara played really well. We've learned more from our losses than our wins this season, so I'm looking forward to what the group learns and improves on from this experience."
 
Hitting .144 on the night, the lowest of the season by over 10 percent, the Waves struggled to find an offensive groove through the three sets.
 
With just six kills in the first set, Pepperdine had a slow start. Losing the lead after being up 4-2, the Waves played catch-up for the duration of the opening set. Cole Hartke had three kills as Ryan Barnett had the team's sole service ace as the Waves dropped set one 23-25 to the Gauchos.
 
Starting off the same way in the second, the Waves were fighting from behind the majority of the set. Pepperdine took the first and only lead of the second set at 17-16 with Zach Chapin at the service line. Despite hitting .300 down the stretch, UC Santa Barbara hit a key five kills down the stretch to take the second set 21-25.
 
Set three was similar to the first two as Pepperdine had to fight from the jump to stay even with the home team. Nine ties and two lead changes broke in the Gauchos favor at the end of the match. Despite taking the No. 14 team to extra points, the Waves fell in the third set 24-26 to lose in three straight sets for the first time this season.
 
PEPPERDINE VS. UC Santa Barbara
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         6         5         26       .038
2         14       5         30       .300
3         9         6         34       .088
 
UC SANTA BARBARA ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         15       4         35       .229
2         15       4         32       .344
3         16       7         35       .257
 
 
Pepperdine is back home this weekend to take on No. 19 Lincoln Memorial Saturday night. At the "Block Out Cancer" game, commemorative pink shirts will be given to the first fans in attendance as well as free Chick-Fil-A for students after the game as a part of the Late Night Lineup. With a first serve of 7 p.m., the match will be available to stream on B1G+ (subscription required) and live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
 
GAME NOTES
• Cole Hartke led the team in kills through the three sets with 10.
• Ryan Barnett had a night-high of three service aces for the second match in a row.
• Jacob Reilly had a team-leading seven digs on the night.
• Andrej Polomac led the Waves in assists with 23.
• Pepperdine out-blocked UC Santa Barbara 9.5 to 4.5.
• The two solo blocks came from Barnett and Ethan Watson, who was a part of a team-high three tonight. 
• Tonight was the lowest number of kills so far this season for the Waves with 29.
 
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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