MALIBU, Calif. –  The No.6 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (18-4, 9-0 MPSF) ended UCLA's (20-1, 7-1 MPSF) undefeated season Thursday night in Malibu, defeating the No. 1 Bruins in a five-set classic.
 
"They're a really good team," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "We did a good job not to let them wear us down. This is a good moment, but it's a moment. There's a lot more opportunities to come and we can keep learning and getting better."
 
Hosting the top team in Firestone Fieldhouse, Malibu showed up with an attendance of 1,278, the highest in eight years. In front of the record crowd, Pepperdine opened the match going toe-to-toe with UCLA. Cole Hartke led the Waves in the opening set, recording five of the team's eight kills. Hitting just .182 through the first frame, the Waves managed to keep it close, in part thanks to UCLA's eight service errors. With 15 ties and four lead changes, Pepperdine narrowly dropped the first set 25-22.
 
Evening things out in the second set, Pepperdine flipped the script on the Bruins. Hitting .484 with just two errors, the Waves cleaned the offense up to match UCLA's 17 kills. Hartke hit .500 to lead the home team. Aidan Tune had the longest serving stint for Pepperdine in the second set, turning the tide to bring Pepperdine, down by as much as four down, dead even with the Bruins at 22-22. The Hawai'i native had a huge hand in forcing the set into extras as three kills by Hartke and one from James Eadie down the stretch willed the Waves to a 31-29 victory, evening the match at one set apiece.
 
In the most lopsided victory of the night for the Waves, Ford Harman was the silent killer in the third set. Three digs and a team-high seven receptions gave him room to step up and he did not disappoint. Paired with six kills from Ryan Barnett, set three was all Pepperdine. Barnett went on a five-point run behind the service line, the longest of the third for any Wave, opening it with back-to-back aces to stretch the Pepperdine lead to 16-13. Malibu Roofing Company finished the set as Eadie and Hartke notched the fourth block of the set to give the Waves the 25-22 set victory and a 2-1 match lead.
 
Refusing to go down without a fight, UCLA would force a fifth set. The Waves hit just .107 in the fourth to give room for the Bruins to creep their way back in. Hartke once again led the team in kills, notching three of the team's nine. The sole ace of the set came from Andrej Polomac as Pepperdine dropped the fourth 25-18, looking to shake off the mistakes in the fifth and final set.
 
Staring down an opportunity to take down a team that had not lost since May 12, 2025, the Waves did not back down. Led by Hartke and his four kills, the Waves rallied behind both Hartke and Grant Lamoureux at the service line in the heart of the fifth to go from down 2-6 to leading 9-8. Zach Chapin got his time serving as well, bringing the Waves to match point before Hartke put the final dagger in the Bruins' spotless record, cementing the 3-2 upset over UCLA with a 15-13 set win.
 
The Waves are now 3-2 against the Bruins in the past year alone, avenging two 2025 regular season losses with an MPSF tournament win to send Pepperdine to the championship match. Tonight's attendance was the sixth best in the last 10 seasons, including the fourth best in regular season matches.
 
Still undefeated in conference play, the Waves head to Westwood to test the record at No. 1 UCLA's home in Pauley Pavilion Saturday. Pepperdine is searching for the first win across town since 2015. First serve will be at 5 p.m. with the match available to stream on B1G+ (subscription required). Live stats will be available at www.pepperdinewaves.com.
 
 
PEPPERDINE VS. UCLA
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         8         4          22      .182
2         17       2         31       .484
3         12       3         24       .375
4         9         6          28       .484
5         8         3          19       .182
 
UCLA ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct 
1         14       5         25       .360
2         17       6         38       .289
3         14       6          28       .286
4         11       3          23       .348
5         6         4          16       .125
 
 
GAME NOTES
• Cole Hartke led the Waves, and all players on the court tonight, with 23 kills.
• Hartke and Ryan Barnett combined accounted for 38 of the team's 54 kills.
• Andrej Polomac notched nearly all assists tonight, with 52 of 54.
• Barnett was the only Wave with multiple aces, securing two of the team's six.
• Jacob Reilly had nine digs tonight, tied with Ford Harman to lead the Waves.
• Hartke and Noe had a hand in a night-high five blocks tonight.
• Reilly was targeted the most tonight with 29 receptions, followed closely by Barnett who had 23.
• There were a total of 41 ties and 16 lead changes tonight.
• The Waves recorded 9.5 blocks tonight compared to the Bruins' 7.5
• UCLA narrowly outhit Pepperdine .292 to .290.
 
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_ .