In the first of two consecutive matches against No. 6 Pepperdine, the No. 15 UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team took on the Waves away.

The Gauchos pushed the Waves to the edge, nearly upsetting their top ten opponent, but ultimately came away with a 3-2 loss. 

After a 5-5 tie in the first, Pepperdine put down three straight points to make it 8-5, but Santa Barbara put down four and had it 10-8.

The teams stayed within two points of one another through the remainder of the set until a final tie at 23-23 was broken by a Pepperdine service error. George Bruening then brought the Gauchos to victory, slamming a kill and securing the first set win against Pepperdine since February of 2024. 

The second set started the same, with the teams tied for the first points. Finally, with a service ace by Riggs Guy, the Gauchos secured the largest lead of the match so far at 12-8.

At this point, Bruening was eight for 13, killing 61%. The Gauchos kept their lead until Pepperdine finally caught up at 22-22. Santa Barbara made it to set point 24-23, but the Waves equalized. They tussled into overtime, but it was Pepperdine who emerged at 27-25. 

Pepperdine won the third set 25-9. They got off to a 7-1 lead and carried it from there. Santa Barbara recovered some ground and made it into double digits, but they could not climb Pepperdine’s score. 

The Gauchos were back in business in set four, fending off the Waves and forcing the match into five. Santa Barbara secured a minor, early lead, but would stay even with Pepperdine through 10-10.

There, the Gauchos began to run ahead. Multiple blocks powered the Gauchos to an 18-13 heading. They finished ahead by four at 25-21. 

The Waves took home the match after winning the fifth 15-5. They once again got to a six point head start, though setter Cole Schobel dotted their point run with a kill. He totaled four kills for the match and hit .800. 

Both Bruening and Ethan Saint powered 15 kills and reached 17 points. Bruening had a career-high two solo blocks, the most solo blocks in a single match by a Gaucho this season, and Saint made four assists.

Dylan Pilkvist also walled four blocks, while Mikey Denver had a career-high three digs. Jason Walmer had a season and team-high 10 digs, while Cole Schobel followed up with eight. 

The Gauchos have two at home, beginning with a rematch with Pepperdine on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 7:00 in The Thunderdome. On Friday, the Gauchos will host No. 20 Lincoln Memorial at 7:00 p.m. in The Dome.