BYU picks up big 3-2 road win at No. 7 Pepperdine

PROVO, Utah — BYU men’s volleyball took down MPSF opponent and No. 7 team in the country Pepperdine, gutting out a 3-2 victory (32-30, 21-25, 20-25, 31-29, 15-9) in the Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday.

The Cougars now hold an overall season record of 8-11 and are 3-4 in MPSF play. 

BYU racked up 55 kills and a .280 hitting percentage. A highlight included 15 service aces, a new season-high tally for the Cougars. Meanwhile, Pepperdine put up four extra kills, hitting 59, and a slightly lower clip of .273.

Pepperdine’s Jaylen Jasper led the night with 20 kills. BYU had a balanced attack with senior outside hitter Davide Gardini and sophomore outside hitter Kupono Browne both slamming 15 kills and freshman outside hitter Miks Ramanis racking up 14 kills.

SET ONE
Pepperdine started the match with a 3-0 run, including two points off of errors by BYU. The Waves allowed a service error to get the Cougars on the board, but Pepperdine’s Jasper laid two kills to keep a 5-2 lead. A 9-1 kill streak commenced among the teams, including points by Gardini and Ramanis. These points allowed BYU to trail only four points behind at 11-7.

Five more kills by the Waves kept the Cougars at bay. Gardini battled back with two aces and a kill. One Pepperdine attack error tied the set for the first time at 19-19. The teams traded service errors until the Waves pulled ahead at 23-21. However, kills by Ramanis, Taylor and Gardini tied the set at 24-24.

Four BYU kills and four Pepperdine errors later and the Cougars took the first set-win at 32-30.

SET TWO
Browne started the set with a quick kill to put BYU in the lead. The Waves took over after a BYU attack error and a Pepperdine kill. Gardini and Browne tallied kills to take back the lead. 

Six additional BYU kills and an ace by sophomore middle blocker Gavin Julien allowed the Cougars to maintain its edge at 18-16. The Waves battled back with a 7-1 run, including three crucial BYU errors. This put Pepperdine ahead at 23-19. 

Gardini slammed one more kill, but two more BYU errors allowed Pepperdine to win its first set at 25-21 to even the match.

SET THREE
Pepperdine’s Bryce Dvorak tacked on two service aces to give the Waves a 3-0 lead. BYU followed with a 10-3 run, featuring two kills by Ramanis and five errors by Pepperdine. This allowed the Cougars to take the lead at 10-6. Two aces paired with two kills by Pepperdine’s Jacob Steele tied the set at 12-12.

Putting up a fight, Gardini quickly added two kills and an ace to his stat line. The Cougars maintained this lead until an opportune 6-0 run by the Waves. Pepperdine allowed one service error, but finished the set with a 5-1 run to take its second set-win at 25-20.

SET FOUR
The Cougars started strong with a 7-1 run, featuring four consecutive service aces by Browne. This lead was short-lived, as four Pepperdine kills and four BYU errors tied the set at 9-9. Tying another four times by 16-16, the Cougars broke away with a 4-0 run, extending their lead to 19-16.

Kills by sophomore setter Bartosz Slawinski and Browne brought BYU to set-point at 24-20. The momentum shifted after the Waves laid down a 4-0 run to tie the score. The teams ping-ponged momentum in extra points until an error by Pepperdine gave BYU its second set-win at 31-29.

SET FIVE
Three kills by Ramanis and an ace by Browne gave BYU a quick 5-2 lead. The Cougars gave up a point due to a service error before taking off on a 5-1 run. Pepperdine’s Jasper racked up another two kills, attempting to close the gap. 

In the end, three Pepperdine errors and a kill by Julien secured BYU its third set-win at 15-9.

Up next, the teams will face off again in the Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday, March 26 at 6 p.m. PST.