PROVO, Utah –  The No.6 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (17-4, 8-0 MPSF) took the second straight match against No. 9 BYU (17-8, 4-4 MPSF) in Provo for the first time in 24 years.
 
"I thought the team showed tonight that we are tough and have some really talented players," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "We didn't play perfect by any means, but battled all night and made the plays to win. Cole [Hartke] and Ryan [Barnett] dominated the match in their serving and attacking, which was great to see. I thought it was a great team effort tonight."
 
Dropping the first set of the night, the Cougars came out to avenge their worst set-loss of the season in set four last night where the Waves won the match in the fourth 25-15. Both teams averaged a hit percentage of .163 through the opening set as neither could settle into their offensive system. A night-high seven errors allowed the Cougars to take set one 20-25.
 
Working at a deficit, Pepperdine flipped a switch offensively to even the match. On par with all eight sets between the two teams throughout the two nights, the second set of match two was neck-and-neck. Despite six service errors, the Waves got back on track with a .279 hitting percentage, led by Cole Hartke who recorded six kills on 12 attempts. The sole ace of the set by Grant Lamoureux highlighted the set while a triple block by Hartke, James Eadie, and Ryan Barnett secured the win 25-23 for the Waves to even the match at 1-1.
 
The Waves took off offensively in the third as all breaks seemed to fall in the way of the Smith Fieldhouse visitors. Attacking at an insane .650 percentage, Barnett and Hartke split the title of top-producer with four kills apiece. Pepperdine's stellar offense made up for the seven service errors as the Waves took the opening point of the set off a Barnett kill, never letting up the lead to win the third 25-22.
 
Barnett took off in the fourth and final set, recording eight kills on nine attempts to surpass his career-high for a total of 20 kills on the night at an attacking percentage of .643. Zach Chapin and Hartke recorded the two aces in the final set of the night with one apiece as the Waves hit +.500 for the second set in a row at .538. Noe Matthey went on the longest service run for either side in the fourth down the stretch, aiding the Waves to pull off the 25-22 set win, the second match victory of the weekend. The Waves have not won in Provo in back-to-back matches since Marv Dunphy was at the helm of the program in 2002.
 
Entering next week a perfect 8-0 in conference play, the Waves have not had a spotless conference record this far in the season since 2003. Pepperdine welcomes the No. 1 team in the country to Malibu Thursday, hosting UCLA before heading across Los Angeles to face them in the Pauley Pavilion next Saturday. Fans are encouraged to wear white. First serve will be at 6 p.m. with the match available to stream on B1G+ (subscription required). Live stats will be available at www.pepperdinewaves.com.
 
 
PEPPERDINE VS. BYU
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         11       7         27      .148
2         13       2         29       .379
3         14       1         20       .650
4         17       3         26       .538
 
BYU ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         11       6         28       .179
2         14       5         30       .300
3         10       5          22       .227
4         9         2          17       .412
 
 
GAME NOTES
• Ryan Barnett led the team in kills with a career-high 20, followed by Cole Hartke with 16.
• Barnett also led the team in accuracy, hitting .643.
• Andrej Polomac accounted for 48 of the Waves' 53 assists.
• Barnett was targeted the most tonight with 31 receptions.
• Polomac had a team-high eight digs tonight, followed by Jacob Reilly who had six.
• Hartke was the only Wave with multiple service aces tonight with two of the team's five.
• The Waves had season-high service errors both tonight and Friday night at 25.
• Pepperdine had the same number of blocks as BYU at 6.5.
• The Waves outhit the Cougars .412 to .268
• Tonight is the program's first back-to-back match wins in Utah since 2002.
 
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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