Saturday, April 11
Malibu, Calif.
6:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
20-5,11-1MPSFMVB
3
vs
1
Stanford University
9-14,6-6MPSFMVB
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 17 | 25 | 19 | 21 | 1 |
| Pepperdine | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Kelly Nugent
No. 5 Men’s Volleyball Takes Down No. 14 Stanford in Four Saturday
4/11/2026 10:02:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. – The No. 5 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (20-5, 11-1 MPSF) allowed just one set to Stanford (9-14, 6-6 MPSF) in the four-set victory Saturday night in Firestone Fieldhouse.
"The guys battled tonight when things weren't perfect," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "I thought Stanford played better tonight and created some new challenges for us. I'm proud of the guys for their fight and being able to dig to kill some balls in transition to score enough points to win. And we did a nice job with some passing adjustments."
Pepperdine cruised past Stanford in the first set, picking up where they left off last night. Cole Hartke led the way with five kills while a combined six service aces helped move things along. Despite 11 ties and four lead changes, the Waves seemed to be in control the whole way, taking the opening set 25-17.
The Cardinal showed their fight through the second, evening the match at 1-1. The Waves hit .194 with four service errors to give the visitors the opportunity to take the set. Hartke had half of the team's 12 kills through the set as the Waves' night-high six errors gave Stanford set two 25-23.
Coming back with a vengeance in the third, the Waves were on their best offensive streak, hitting .591 through the third with Hartke and Ryan Barnett splitting the lead role with four kills apiece. The longest run behind the service line came from Ethan Watson, extending a Wave lead early. Aidan Tune came in late to put the set away, serving up an ace to force a Cardinal timeout at 22-17 Pepperdine. The third ended in an error from the visitors after a Noe Matthey kill as the Waves took a 2-1 match advantage with a 25-19 set win.
The fourth and final set of the night was a team effort to secure the match win. All five Waves who contributed on the offensive end recorded multiple kills as Pepperdine notched zero errors. Jose Gomez had the longest service run by either team in the set, opening the fourth on a 5-0 run for the Waves to force a Cardinal timeout. Watson, the other Wave with the ace in the fourth, recorded his fifth ace of the season down the stretch as Pepperdine maintained control of the set and the match. Ending on kills from Barnett and Matthey, the Waves took the fourth 25-21 to give Stanford just one of seven sets played this weekend. Moving to 10-1 in conference play, Pepperdine has one week left in the regular season as they sit in first place in the conference.
With two matches before the MPSF tournament in Provo, Utah, the Waves head across town Thursday to face No. 4 USC before welcoming them to the Farwell Firestone match in Malibu, the last time the men's volleyball program will play in the historic building. Thursday's match has a first serve time of 7 pm pst and will be available to stream on B1G+ (subscription required). Live stats will be available at www.pepperdinewaves.com.
PEPPERDINE VS. STANFORD
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 10 4 23 .261
2 12 6 31 .194
3 15 2 22 .591
4 14 0 24 .583
STANFORD ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 7 5 21 .095
2 13 3 35 .286
3 11 7 26 .154
4 11 5 25 .240
GAME NOTES
• Cole Hartke led the Waves in kills 19.
• Hartke also led the team in accuracy, hitting .429.
• Andrej Polomac notched 43 of 51 total assists.
• The Waves did not record a single error in the fourth set.
• Stanford narrowly put up more blocks than Pepperdine, 5.0 to 4.5.
• Jacob Reilly, Ryan Barnett, and Jose Gomez split receiving duties equally to account for all by one of the receptions tonight.
• Reilly recorded the most digs for Pepperdine tonight with eight.
• Noe Matthey had a hand in the most blocks tonight with three.
• Pepperdine outhit Stanford .390 to .206.
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.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .
"The guys battled tonight when things weren't perfect," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "I thought Stanford played better tonight and created some new challenges for us. I'm proud of the guys for their fight and being able to dig to kill some balls in transition to score enough points to win. And we did a nice job with some passing adjustments."
Pepperdine cruised past Stanford in the first set, picking up where they left off last night. Cole Hartke led the way with five kills while a combined six service aces helped move things along. Despite 11 ties and four lead changes, the Waves seemed to be in control the whole way, taking the opening set 25-17.
The Cardinal showed their fight through the second, evening the match at 1-1. The Waves hit .194 with four service errors to give the visitors the opportunity to take the set. Hartke had half of the team's 12 kills through the set as the Waves' night-high six errors gave Stanford set two 25-23.
Coming back with a vengeance in the third, the Waves were on their best offensive streak, hitting .591 through the third with Hartke and Ryan Barnett splitting the lead role with four kills apiece. The longest run behind the service line came from Ethan Watson, extending a Wave lead early. Aidan Tune came in late to put the set away, serving up an ace to force a Cardinal timeout at 22-17 Pepperdine. The third ended in an error from the visitors after a Noe Matthey kill as the Waves took a 2-1 match advantage with a 25-19 set win.
The fourth and final set of the night was a team effort to secure the match win. All five Waves who contributed on the offensive end recorded multiple kills as Pepperdine notched zero errors. Jose Gomez had the longest service run by either team in the set, opening the fourth on a 5-0 run for the Waves to force a Cardinal timeout. Watson, the other Wave with the ace in the fourth, recorded his fifth ace of the season down the stretch as Pepperdine maintained control of the set and the match. Ending on kills from Barnett and Matthey, the Waves took the fourth 25-21 to give Stanford just one of seven sets played this weekend. Moving to 10-1 in conference play, Pepperdine has one week left in the regular season as they sit in first place in the conference.
With two matches before the MPSF tournament in Provo, Utah, the Waves head across town Thursday to face No. 4 USC before welcoming them to the Farwell Firestone match in Malibu, the last time the men's volleyball program will play in the historic building. Thursday's match has a first serve time of 7 pm pst and will be available to stream on B1G+ (subscription required). Live stats will be available at www.pepperdinewaves.com.
PEPPERDINE VS. STANFORD
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 10 4 23 .261
2 12 6 31 .194
3 15 2 22 .591
4 14 0 24 .583
STANFORD ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 7 5 21 .095
2 13 3 35 .286
3 11 7 26 .154
4 11 5 25 .240
GAME NOTES
• Cole Hartke led the Waves in kills 19.
• Hartke also led the team in accuracy, hitting .429.
• Andrej Polomac notched 43 of 51 total assists.
• The Waves did not record a single error in the fourth set.
• Stanford narrowly put up more blocks than Pepperdine, 5.0 to 4.5.
• Jacob Reilly, Ryan Barnett, and Jose Gomez split receiving duties equally to account for all by one of the receptions tonight.
• Reilly recorded the most digs for Pepperdine tonight with eight.
• Noe Matthey had a hand in the most blocks tonight with three.
• Pepperdine outhit Stanford .390 to .206.
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.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .
Team Stats
Stan
PEP
Kills
42
51
Errors
20
12
Attempts
107
100
Hitting %
.206
.390
Points
53.0
64.5
Assists
40
51
Aces
6
9
Blocks
5
4.5
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
4
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
