Saturday, May 2
Noblesville, Ind.
3:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
vs
Ball State University
Photo by: Kelly Nugent
No. 4 Men’s Volleyball Sweep Fort Valley State to Advance to Regional Finals
5/1/2026 7:28:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – The No. 4 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (24-6, 13-1 MPSF) swiftly defeated Fort Valley State (14-13, 8-0 SIAC) in three straight sets in the opening round of the NCAA tournament Friday night.
"We're grateful for the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "The guys played solid and got a good feel of the arena and we're excited to keep moving on."
Starting the night with a perfect 100 percent sideout in the opening set, Pepperdine did not let Fort Valley State score once while serving, forcing the Wildcats to earn all their points starting on defense. With a monster .636 hitting clip in the first set, the Waves secured a night-high 16 kills in the 25-16 set victory. Cole Hartke led the team with five kills at an unreal .833, with the first ace of the night for the home team as well. Jose Gomez was not far behind the sophomore with four kills of his own.
Cleaning up service errors in the second set, the Waves reduced their faults behind the line from eight to three as Hartke once again led the squad in kills, this time with four. Gomez and Hartke combined for 15 of the Waves' 24 serves down the stretch, ensuring Pepperdine maintained control of the set and the match. Just one error through the second with three service aces secured a 25-18 win, putting the Waves up 2-0 in the match.
Set three was almost identical to the first two, as Gomez and Hartke accounted for eight of Pepperdine's 11 kills. Two blocks brought the Waves' tally for the night up to five, with Ryan Barnett and Noe Matthey having a hand in the most with three. The match ended on Hartke's third ace of the night, as Pepperdine took the third 25-17. Hitting .541 as a team, the Waves held the Wildcats to just .130.
Securing the first ever NCAA regional win as this is the first year with an expanded 12-team field, the Waves will play in the regional final tomorrow night at 6 p.m. local time, 3 p.m. pst. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
PEPPERDINE VS. FVSU
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 16 2 22 .636
2 11 1 18 .556
3 11 2 21 .429
FVSU ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 6 4 15 .133
2 11 7 30 .133
3 10 7 24 .125
GAME NOTES
• Cole Hartke led the team in kills with 13 as well as accuracy without a single error at .650.
• Andrej Polomac took care of 31 of 35 total assists tonight.
• The Waves had six aces tonight, with Hartke securing half of them.
• Pepperdine outhit Fort Valley State .541 to .130.
• The Waves unblocked the Wildcats 5.0 - 2.0.
• Jacob Reilly tallied the most digs with four
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.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .
"We're grateful for the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament," head coach Jonathan Winder said. "The guys played solid and got a good feel of the arena and we're excited to keep moving on."
Starting the night with a perfect 100 percent sideout in the opening set, Pepperdine did not let Fort Valley State score once while serving, forcing the Wildcats to earn all their points starting on defense. With a monster .636 hitting clip in the first set, the Waves secured a night-high 16 kills in the 25-16 set victory. Cole Hartke led the team with five kills at an unreal .833, with the first ace of the night for the home team as well. Jose Gomez was not far behind the sophomore with four kills of his own.
Cleaning up service errors in the second set, the Waves reduced their faults behind the line from eight to three as Hartke once again led the squad in kills, this time with four. Gomez and Hartke combined for 15 of the Waves' 24 serves down the stretch, ensuring Pepperdine maintained control of the set and the match. Just one error through the second with three service aces secured a 25-18 win, putting the Waves up 2-0 in the match.
Set three was almost identical to the first two, as Gomez and Hartke accounted for eight of Pepperdine's 11 kills. Two blocks brought the Waves' tally for the night up to five, with Ryan Barnett and Noe Matthey having a hand in the most with three. The match ended on Hartke's third ace of the night, as Pepperdine took the third 25-17. Hitting .541 as a team, the Waves held the Wildcats to just .130.
Securing the first ever NCAA regional win as this is the first year with an expanded 12-team field, the Waves will play in the regional final tomorrow night at 6 p.m. local time, 3 p.m. pst. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
PEPPERDINE VS. FVSU
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 16 2 22 .636
2 11 1 18 .556
3 11 2 21 .429
FVSU ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 6 4 15 .133
2 11 7 30 .133
3 10 7 24 .125
GAME NOTES
• Cole Hartke led the team in kills with 13 as well as accuracy without a single error at .650.
• Andrej Polomac took care of 31 of 35 total assists tonight.
• The Waves had six aces tonight, with Hartke securing half of them.
• Pepperdine outhit Fort Valley State .541 to .130.
• The Waves unblocked the Wildcats 5.0 - 2.0.
• Jacob Reilly tallied the most digs with four
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.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's Volleyball
