Cougars Drop Second Straight, Fall to Pepperdine, 3-0

MALIBU -- For the first time since April 4, 1998, the BYU men's volleyball team lost its second straight match, falling, 3-0, to third-ranked Pepperdine on Thursday, 15-12, 15-7, 15-12. The loss ended a stretch of 44 straight matches without losing back-to-back contests. April 4, 1998 was also the last time BYU lost a match, 3-0.

Pepperdine (5-0, 3-0) hit over 45 percent on the night (.458), recording 93 kills on 153 attempts, while the Cougars tallied just 69 kills on 134 attempts to hit .336. Junior Scott Bunker produced a team high 16 kills on 23 swings, registering a match-high .609 average. Bunker also led the Cougars with five blocks, including four block assists.

BYU (7-3, 4-3) started things off in game one with a stellar offensive performance, hitting 51 percent. However, the Waves demonstrated their offensive firepower, collecting 38 kills on 58 attempts to hit an amazing 51.7 percent. In games two and three, the Cougars hit .262 and .234, respectively, while Pepperdine poured it on, hitting .512 in game two and .346 in game three.

Andre Breuer and Scott Wong each had 29 kills for the Waves, while Mike Wall (10), Matt Olsen (10), Casey Jennings (13) and Joaquin Acosta (11) each reached double figures in kills for the Cougars.

Sixth-ranked BYU will take Friday off before completing the three-match road trip on Saturday. The Cougars will wrap up its two-match series with Pepperdine, beginning at 7 p.m. (PST). BYU returns to Provo next week, taking on Loyola Marymount on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 11-12. Friday's match will be at 7 p.m., while Saturday's contest will take place at 5 p.m. (MST). Both matches will be played in the Smith Fieldhouse.