Senior libero Jacob Reilly receives the UCLA Bruins’ serve April 2 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Reilly had nine digs in the match, marking 131 total digs on the season. Photos by Katherine Lytle
In the most attended Waves game in eight years, according to Pepperdine Athletics, Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball defeated the No. 1 UCLA Bruins on April 2 at Firestone Fieldhouse 3-2 in stunning fashion after taking the final set 15-13.
The Waves, who entered this game on a six game win streak coming off back-to-back wins against No. 9 Brigham Young University, have now beat the Bruins twice in a row, after losing the previous nine matchups, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“It feels great,” sophomore outside hitter Cole Hartke said. “We worked hard for it.”
The Bruins came into the match 20-0 as the undisputed No. 1 in collegiate rankings, while Pepperdine was ranked No. 6, just behind the UC Irvine Anteaters, according to the AVCA. The Waves, after this win, are now the only team left undefeated in the MPSF conference, improving to 9-0 while the Bruins fall to 7-1, according to the MPSF.
“Really feels great, because honestly, at the beginning of the year, we felt like we fell short a couple games.” freshman outside hitter Ford Harman said. “Its been great to be able to set up a little bit with our games at BYU and this game now.”
Freshman middle blocker Noe Matthey (left) celebrates a Waves point against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins on April 2 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Matthey recorded one solo block and four block assists in the match.
The Waves entered the fourth set up 2-1, but UCLA did not back down, taking an early 13-9 lead. The Bruins continued to build on their momentum, expanding their lead to 17-11 before forcing Pepperdine to take a timeout.
The Bruins continued to dominate the fourth set, going up 20-12 before the Waves had a chance thanks to a UCLA service error. The Waves rode the momentum the best they could for the rest of the set, closing the gap to 21-17, but ultimately fell 25-18, forcing the fifth set.
“We didn’t pass great in the fourth set,” Head Coach Jonathan Winder said. “They were just kind of bombing away.”
Junior setter Andrej Polomac sets up the offense against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins on April 2 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Polomac recorded 52 assists in the match, his second highest in a match this season.
Heading into the fifth set, the Bruins continued to stay hot, taking a 3-1 lead. Thanks to a mix of Waves’ errors and UCLA kills, the Bruins managed to expand their lead to 6-2, which forced a Pepperdine timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Waves offense ramped back up. Hartke and Ryan Barnett, redshirt senior outside hitter, alternated attacks, both managing multiple kills through the latter half of the set. The Waves tied it up after a UCLA attack error, then Grant Lamoureux, redshirt freshman outside hitter, gave Pepperdine the first lead of the set after a service ace, making it 8-7 Waves.
“Just giving each other energy, getting energy from the guys is great,” Hartke said. “We have a great group of guys here, so it’s just feeding off of them, letting them help us.”
UCLA and the Waves kept exchanging scores to the near end of the set before UCLA committed an attack error to put Pepperdine up 14-12, which led to a Bruins timeout. The Waves committed a service error out of the timeout, but recovered off the UCLA serve, forcing an attack error and taking the win despite the Bruins challenging the call, 15-13.
“They’re a really good team, so they’re gonna go on runs,” Winder said. “The guys did a great job to respond, even when we started down in the fifth set at just making some good plays.”
Pepperdine took an early loss in the first set of the match, falling 25-23 after a service error gave UCLA the chance to close it out at 24-23. The Waves bounced back, winning the next two sets 31-29 and 25-22, respectively. This is Pepperdine’s fourth comeback win this season, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves celebrate the win against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins on April 2 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Pepperdine has won the last two matchups against the Bruins, both in five sets.
Hartke had 23 kills and two solo blocks, leading the Waves in both, while Barnett followed with 15 kills. Junior setter Andrej Polomac led with 52 assists, while Harman and senior libero Jacob Reilly both tied with nine digs each.
Pepperdine had six service aces with 22 service errors, while UCLA had nine service aces with 27 service errors in the match.
Pepperdine’s next match is a rematch against the UCLA Bruins on April 4 at Pauley Pavilion. The Waves look to get their first win against the Bruins at home since Jan. 27, 2015, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“It’s good to come in from a position of confidence,” Winder said. “Just playing with the same attitude, energy and effort that we want to have all the time because the goal for us is to be the best team when we step on the court.”
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Contact Shane Stephens via email: shane.stephens@pepperdine.edu