BYU prepares to face No. 7 Pepperdine in Malibu

BYU prepares to face No. 7 Pepperdine in MalibuBYU prepares to face No. 7 Pepperdine in Malibu

PROVO, Utah — BYU men’s volleyball hits the road to face Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opponent No. 7 Pepperdine in the Firestone Fieldhouse this Friday and Saturday.

The history between the Cougars and the Waves dates back to 1990. Currently, BYU leads the all-time series with a tight 35-34 record and is on a three-match winning streak against Pepperdine.

Brigham Young University Cougars (7-11, 2-4 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)

  • BYU ended its nine-match losing streak after two wins (3-0, 3-1) against Concordia University Irvine in the Smith Fieldhouse two weeks ago, in the Cougars' most recent action. They had last weekend off.
  • Off the Block named BYU sophomore setter Bartosz Slawinksi as National Setter of the Week after his performance against Concordia Irvine. He put up a total of 82 assists over the two-match seres and contributed to the Cougars boasting a .569 hitting percentage on Friday, which was the team's top clip of the season.
  • Nationally, BYU ranks No. 16 in assists per set (11.38), No. 17 in hitting percentage (.288), No. 18 in kills per set (12.01) and No. 21 in blocks per set (1.986).
  • Senior outside hitter Davide Gardini ranks No. 10 in the NCAA in kills per set (3.88), No. 11 in points per set (4.44) and No. 17 in attacks per set (8.00).
  • Out of BYU’s 18 matches this season, head coach Shawn Olmstead has had 12 different starting lineups, as the Cougars rebuild after losing five starters from last season.
  • The Cougars finished the 2021 season with a 20-4 record, its eighth MPSF conference championship title, a trip to the NCAA national championship game and a No. 2 national ranking.

No. 7 Pepperdine University Waves (11-6, 2-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation)

  • Last week, the Waves faced CSUN twice, notching sweeps in both matches. 
  • Alex Gettinger and Spencer Wickens became the fifth and sixth different members of the Pepperdine men's volleyball team to earn weekly honors from the MPSF this season, as they collected the league's Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week awards, respectively, on Monday. 
  • Pepperdine ranks No. 3 in the NCAA in assists per set (12.32), No. 4 in kills per set (12.89), No. 6 in hitting percentage (.341), No. 6 in blocks per set (2.532), No. 9 in aces per set (1.56) and No. 13 in match winning percentage (.647).
  • Sophomore setter Bryce Dvorak ranks No. 4 in the NCAA in assists per set (10.52) and No. 11 in aces per set (.516).

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