PROVO, Utah — Sophomore opposite Ben Patch led No. 1 BYU men’s volleyball over No. 8 Pepperdine in three sets (28-26, 25-19, 25-20) Friday night at the Smith Fieldhouse.

“It took us a bit to get started,” BYU head coach Shawn Olmstead said. “I felt like our guys got a little tentative in the first set. Pepperdine's hands were in our faces, blocking touches, and I felt like it took a little bit out of us. Even if we got a few points, we put off the gas and they came right back. As always though, glad to get a win.”

Patch led BYU with 18 kills on a .452 clip. Leo Durkin had his second career double-double with 42 assists and a career high of 12 digs. Price Jarman led the team with seven blocks and five kills. Jake Langlois and Brenden Sander each added double-digit kills with 12 and 11, respectively, in the win.

Kills from Patch and Langlois led BYU (17-2, 13-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) to a 3-1 lead over Pepperdine (10-7, 9-7 MPSF) at the start of the first set. The Waves battled back after two kills and a BYU attack error, closing the gap at 6-5. BYU then took the lead by one point with a kill from Patch. The Waves countered with a 7-2 rally to take an 11-8 advantage. BYU fought back to tie the set 15-all with two more Patch kills. With kills from Jarman and Sander, BYU took the lead 19-18. Langlois and Jarman teamed up to block the Waves, taking a 24-23 lead and forcing set point. The two teams were tied from that point on until kills from Patch and Sander allowed the Cougars to take the close set 28-26.

After two kills from Michael Hatch and four back-to-back blocks from Jarman, Langlois and Durkin, the Cougars led 7-3 at the beginning of the second set. The Waves rallied back with six kills, closing the gap at 10-all. With two-consecutive kills from Patch, the Cougars took the lead 14-11 over Pepperdine. Following a trio of kills from Hatch, Langlois and Patch, the Cougars pulled ahead 20-15. An attack error from Pepperdine allowed the Cougars to take the second set 25-19.

A trio of kills from Hatch, Sander and Patch helped the Cougars take the lead 3-1 at the start of the third set. The Waves quickly rallied with a nine-point streak to take the lead 10-9 over the Cougars. With an ace from Sander and three back-to-back Patch kills, the Cougars took control of the game and led the Waves 15-12. With nine kills at the end of the third set, the Cougars kept their advantage and wrapped up the match 25-20. 

The Cougars will face off against Pepperdine again Saturday, March 19, at 7:00 p.m MDT in a rematch at the Smith Fieldhouse. The match will be broadcast live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio - Sirius XM 143.

PROVO, Utah – After a bye week, No. 1 BYU men’s volleyball returns home to the Smith Fieldhouse for matches against No. 8 Pepperdine.

Last Time Out

The Cougars (16-2, 12-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) had a bye last week after defeating No. 7 Hawai’i twice on the islands – first in three sets, then in four. Ben Patch was named MPSF and AVCA Player of the Week for his performance of 39 total kills, including hitting at a season-high .700 clip the first night.

No. 8 Pepperdine

• BYU will play the Waves (10-6, 9-6 MPSF) both Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. MDT.
• Pepperdine started the season 6-2 but has gone just 4-4 in its last eight matches. The Waves picked up two wins over the weekend – a four-set win over Cal Baptist and a five-set upset victory at home against Stanford.
• Pepperdine currently sits in fifth place in the conference standings. The Waves were picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll following a 24-6, 17-5 record in 2015.
• Pepperdine leads the overall series history 31-26. The Waves won both meetings a year ago in Malibu, each in four sets. The Cougars hold an 18-8 advantage when playing at home.

Match Info

Both matches this week will be broadcast live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143. Links to live stats and video/audio feeds can be found on the BYU men’s volleyball schedule page.