PROVO, Utah – No. 9 BYU men's volleyball fell to the No. 6 Pepperdine Waves 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 19-25, 22-25) on Saturday night in Smith Fieldhouse.
With the win, Pepperdine moves to 8-0 in MPSF play to maintain its No. 1 spot, while BYU drops to 4-4 in conference play.
Trent Moser led the Cougars with 10 kills, while Connor Oldani and AJ Cottle had nine and eight, respectively.
Five different Cougars recorded an ace tonight: Gavin Chambers, Tyler Herget, Ian Little, Cole Hauser and Oldani.
BYU hit .268 to Pepperdine’s .412, and the Waves became just the second team to hit above the .400 plateau against the Cougars this season. Hawai'i did so in both wins against BYU this season.
Set 1
Pepperdine got on the board first, but then BYU went on a 3-0 run, all off Wave errors. The teams then traded points until the Waves knotted it at 10.
A 4-1 Pepperdine run powered by two kills earned it a two-point lead, 15-13, going into a media timeout. Out of the break, BYU took the lead off a 4-0 spurt, courtesy of two kills and a Chambers kill, which forced the Wave to call a timeout.
The Cougars built their run to 8-1, as two errors, a Hauser ace and a Teilon-Jonathan Tufuga kill benefited them, forcing another Pepperdine timeout with BYU ahead, 20-16.
A kill from the Waves stopped BYU’s run, but an ace from Herget helped them stay in front, 23-17. Pepperdine scored two straight points, but another Tufuga kill made it set point. The Waves staved it off once, but a Cottle kill sealed set one for the Cougars, 25-20.
Set 2
Pepperdine opened the second set with a 3-1 run, led by two kills. Oldani and Moser each responded with a kill, both off assists from Herget, to tie the set at three.
Back-to-back BYU errors and a Wave ace gave Pepperdine the lead at 8-6. The teams traded points, but Pepperdine built a three-point lead going into a media timeout.
The teams exchanged points until BYU put together a 3-1 run to make it a one-point game at 18-17, the closest since 12-11.
The Waves reached set point at 24-22, but a Pepperdine service error helped BYU stave it off once. A Cougar error then handed the Waves set two, 25-23.
Set 3
Pepperdine took a quick 8-4 lead. BYU cut into the deficit with a 3-1 run, but back-to-back Wave kills forced a Cougar timeout at 11-7.
Herget recorded a kill off an assist from Jackson Fife to cut the deficit to three points, but a 3-0 Wave run forced another BYU timeout at 19-13.
Pepperdine extended its run to 5-0 after the timeout. Two straight Herget kills cut the deficit to 21-16 and resulted in a Wave timeout. Pepperdine stayed in front and reached set point. The Cougars staved it off twice, but the Wave won the set, 25-19.
Pepperdine hit .650 with 14 kills on 20 swings and just one error in the set.
Set 4
BYU took a 5-3 lead on an ace from Little who just subbed into the match. The Cougars did not hold the lead long, as a Wave kill and a BYU error tied it at six.
Neither team found a run until a 3-1 stretch for the Cougars, with kills from Little, Oldani and Moser, pushed a 16-13 advantage.
A 3-1 Wave run off two kills and an ace made it a one-point game. After a Pepperdine service error, the Wave recorded another ace-kill combo to tie it at 18. The set remained close, but Pepperdine took the lead at 21-20. A 3-0 Wave run forced a BYU timeout with the Cougars trailing, 22-20.
The Waves reached match point off a Cougar service error. A Moser block staved it off once, but Pepperdine prevailed, 25-22.
Up Next
BYU will travel to Costa Mesa, California, for two matches against Vanguard on April 2-3 at Don Nasser Family Plaza. First serve is set for 8 p.m. MST.