Pepperdine University’s men’s volleyball team, ranked sixth nationally, secured a five-set victory over No. 15 UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night in Malibu. The match was marked by shifts in momentum and closely contested sets.
“The guys battled,” said head coach Jonathan Winder. “UCSB played really tough defense and passed quite well which made things challenging on offense. The serving for us made a big difference in the match as it went on. The ability of the guys to fight and hang in there was really impressive.”
The opening set featured 16 ties and nine lead changes, with Pepperdine ultimately losing 23-25 despite three kills from Cole Hartke and three block assists from James Eadie. In the second set, Hartke led again with seven kills while Ryan Barnett recorded a .556 hitting percentage. Ethan Watson secured the set win for Pepperdine at 27-25 with an ace.
Pepperdine dominated the third set, hitting .435 compared to UC Santa Barbara’s .000, capitalizing on seven Gaucho errors for a 25-21 win. The fourth set saw eight errors from Pepperdine but remained close throughout; Hartke contributed seven kills with a .357 hitting percentage, though the Waves lost 21-25.
In the deciding fifth set, Pepperdine hit .800 without committing any errors while UC Santa Barbara struggled offensively, recording seven errors and hitting negative for the first time in the match. Four kills—split between Hartke and Barnett—helped secure a decisive 15-5 win.
Statistical leaders included Cole Hartke with 23 kills on a .425 hitting percentage, accounting for 25 points; Ryan Barnett with three service aces; Jose Gomez with two aces; James Eadie leading blocks with five assists and two solo blocks; Andrej Polomac providing 49 of the team’s 57 assists; and Barnett finishing second in total points at 21.5.
Pepperdine will face UC Santa Barbara again next week on the road in Santa Barbara, with coverage available via ESPN+ (subscription required) and live stats provided through www.pepperdinewaves.com.
The Pepperdine men’s volleyball program has won five NCAA National Championships—four under Hall of Fame coach Marv Dunphy—and reached its most recent NCAA Final Four appearance under current head coach Jonathan Winder in 2025. The program has had 19 NCAA appearances and produced 63 All-Americans over its history.
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