PROVO, Utah –Straight sets was all that was needed as the No. 5 BYU men's volleyball team defeated No. 10 Pepperdine (25-22, 25-23, 25-20) at the Smith Fieldhouse on Saturday for their first home match sweep of the year.

"Anytime we get a block, it's huge, and the crowd goes wild," said BYU outside hitter Taylor Sander. "We're one of the best blocking teams in the nation. That really helps our momentum and helps our energy throughout the game, and especially tonight. Getting a big block is a big momentum changer and we were able to control the momentum tonight."

Sander led all players with 13 kills and six digs. Robb Stowell added eight kills as Russ Lavaja, Josue Rivera, and Futi Tavana all had seven.

Lavaja led all players in the match with six total blocks and is now third on BYU's all-time career total blocks list. Tavana joins Lavaja on the all-time list in second place, just five blocks away from being the all-time leader.

The Cougars took set one, capitalizing on late miscues and costly errors by the Waves. After the Waves tied it at 21-all, the Cougars reeled off five of the last six points to win the set 25-22.

Pepperdine gained the momentum right back to start the second set, taking an early 5-2 lead. After a seesaw battle with several long rallies, the Cougars took their first lead of the set at 12-11. Up 24-23, setter Joe Kauliakamoa blasted a kill to take the set and 2-0 lead in the match. Kauliakamoa finished the match with four kills, 35 assists and seven digs.

In set three BYU jumped to an early 6-2 lead behind kills from Tavana and Rivera but Pepperdine roared back to take a 10-9 lead. However, Sander tied it right back with a crushing kill. After ten ties in the final set, BYU reeled off five straight points for the sweep.

The Cougars will play their last two home of matches, of this 8-match home swing, next weekend against the Pacific Tigers.

Quick Look
#5 BYU Cougars: 11-4, 7-3 MPSF
#10 Pepperdine Waves: 8-6, 6-5 MPSF

The No. 5 BYU men's volleyball team continues its homestand this weekend against the No. 10 Pepperdine Waves on Friday and Saturday, March 2 & 3, at 7 p.m. MT. Both matches will be broadcast live on BYUtv and online live at byutvsports.com/gameday.

The Cougars are riding an 11-4 overall record after splitting last weekend’s matches against UC Santa Barbara at home. Senior Robb Stowell leads the Cougar offense with 200 kills followed by teammate Josue Rivera who is contributing 160. Nine other BYU players also join Stowell and Rivera with double-digit kills on the year.

Russ Lavaja leads the team with 101 blocks, is second in the NCAA for blocks/set and the only player in the NCAA, at this points in the season, with more than 100 total blocks.

Joe Kauliakamoa leads the squad with 523 assists.

The Waves come to Provo with an 8-6 overall record and 6-5 record in league play. Maurice Torres leads the offense with 177 kills and a team-high 18 service aces. Teammate Josh Taylor joines Torres as the only other player recording 100+ kills with 171. Matt Pollock leads the team with 51 blocks. Pepperdine is most recently coming off a 3-1 win at Pacific. 

The Waves lead the all-time series 27-20 but the Cougars are 12-8 all-time against them when playing in the Smith Fieldhouse. 

Follow: @BYUvolleyball
Like: BYU Men's Volleyball