No. 1 BYU to Host No. 7 Pepperdine in Two-Match Series

PROVO, Utah – The No. 1 BYU men's volleyball team is set to host the No. 7 Pepperdine Waves Friday, Feb. 12, and Saturday, Feb. 13,  at 7 p.m. MST in the Smith Fieldhouse.

BYU (1-1) will welcome Pepperdine (2-0) to Provo for a pair of matches this weekend. Both games will be broadcast on BYUtv and available on the BYUtv App. 

The Waves lead the overall series 34-32. BYU is 11-25 when playing in Malibu but the Cougars own the series at home 21-9. The last time these two teams faced off was Feb. 8, 2020, in the Smith Fieldhouse. That BYU victory marked Coach Olmstead's 100th win with the program. 

BYU is currently 1-1 after splitting with UCLA at home. Despite the lone loss, the Cougars remain the No. 1 team in the country after this week’s NVA/ AVCA Division I coaches poll. For the first time this season, first-place votes were tied 8-8 between BYU and the University of Hawai'i. UH has not played any matches yet this season. 

Senior opposite hitter Gabi Garcia Fernandez is coming off of a career week, taking home two player of the week awards; MPSF Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA DI Player of the Week. These are BYU’s first awards for the 2021 season. 

The Cougars currently sit at number four in MPSF conference rankings. Pepperdine leads, followed by UCLA, Grand Canyon then BYU. This year, MPSF rankings are determined by win percentage as each team will only be playing in-conference opponents during the regular season.