PROVO, Utah –  The No.6 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (16-4, 7-0 MPSF) beat BYU (17-7, 4-3 MPSF) in Utah for the first time in 10 years in four sets Friday night.
 
"That was a great win for the Waves," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "Aidan Tune was the spark that pushed us up to a higher level at the end of the third set. I thought the guys were battling and playing well in the match, but couldn't get our serving going. Then Aidan inspired the group when he came in and Barnett followed up with an ace to win that third set and keep rolling in the 4th."
 
Pepperdine took advantage of the home team's slow start in the first set. Ten errors by the home team with an overall hitting percentage of -.037 allowed the Waves to strike while the Cougars tried to find their rhythm. A team-leading five kills by Ryan Barnett gave the Waves a one-set lead as the visitors took set one 25-21.
 
The Cougars got even in set two with a near .500 hitting percentage. Cleaning up the error, BYU dished out 14 kills and two aces to even the match with a 25-19 victory.
 
Set three was the tone-setter for the Waves. Keeping it within one point down the stretch, the Waves started to lose control in the race to 25, down 21-18. Enter service specialist Aidan Tune. Giving Pepperdine the spark they needed, Tune subbed in for the Waves to tie things up at 22-22 behind a kill from Noe Matthey. Unwilling to go down without a fight, Pepperdine stuck it out for the long haul, hitting a monster .571 down the stretch to take the set 25-23 thanks to an ace from Barnett to put the Waves up 2-1 in the match.
 
Set four was a lopsided cherry on top of the cake for the Waves. Holding BYU to a .038 hitting percentage, Pepperdine smothered the Cougars 25-15 to take the match. Barnett once again led the charge with three kills in the set, while Cole Hartke dished out two of the team's four aces. Doubling BYU's blocks in the fourth, the Waves finished the well-rounded outing in Provo to take match one of two this weekend 3-1.
 
With a 7-0 conference record, Pepperdine puts it to the test again tomorrow night, staying in Provo to take on the Cougars once again. The match tomorrow night has an anticipated first serve time of 6 p.m and will be available to stream on B1G+ (subscription required) with live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com.
 
"BYU is a good team and it's a great environment, so we're excited to get to battle again tomorrow night," Winder said.
 
 
PEPPERDINE VS. BYU
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         12       3         24      .375
2         12       4         25       .320
3         13       1         21       .571
4         8         2         14       .429
 
BYU ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         9         10      27       -.037
2         14       3         24       .458
3         13       3          25       .400
4         6         5          17       .059
 
 
GAME NOTES
• Ryan Barnett led the team in kills with 14, followed closely by Jose Gomez who had 13.
• Gomez was the most accurate tonight, recording just two errors for a .611 hitting percentage.
• Andrej Polomac accounted for 41 of the Waves' 45 assists tonight.
• Pepperdine recorded five service aces, with Cole Hartke and Ryan Barnett splitting the top spot at two apiece.
• Gomez, who split receiving duties with Barnett tonight did not have any errors through 23 attempts.
• Jacob Reilly recorded the most digs with eight.
• Set three saw the most momentum shifts with 14 ties and six lead changes.
• Pepperdine outblocked BYU 10.5 to 6.0.
• The Waves outhit the Cougars .417 to .226.
• Tonight is the program's first win in Provo since 2016.
 
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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