MALIBU, Calif. – Men's volleyball started its two-game road trip Tuesday night with a trek up the freeway to face #6 Pepperdine at the Firestone Fieldhouse for the first time in program history. The Blue and Gold grew into the game, turning heads in the final set, but it was Pepperdine who ultimately capitalized on their late run to win the frame and win the match in straight sets (12-25, 14-25, 21-25). The Lions fall to 3-7 and 0-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Pepperdine wins its conference opener and moves to 6-2, 1-0.

Cole Oliver led the Lions with nine kills and had the only two Vanguard aces for the night. He hit .294 (9-4-17) while also adding three digs. Braddock Duckworth helped VU win the front row (7-4 blocks) over the Waves, as the sophomore matched a career-high five blocks, which included two solo stuffs. Logan Freemon fired six kills, while Micah Sybesma made his return from injury to sport three kills, two digs, and a block.

The Lions won at the net and were close in total digs (18-14 Pepp). The Waves were clinical from the service line, though, nearing a season-high with 11 service aces to VU's two.

What Happened?
VU had a tough start on enemy soil, as they were planted in the negatives at -.167 (3-6-18) for the opening frame. Pepperdine was a well-balanced .368 (10-3-19) and more impressively fired down six aces in the period.

The Waves aced twice over their first five serves, sporting a fast 5-0 lead. Freemon's swipe at the net warranted a Pepperdine block error and the first Lion point of the evening. The sophomore continued his pressure in the front row with back-to-back points, closing the seam with Duckworth for a well-timed double block.

The Lions earned their next three points via Wave miscues, but Pepperdine poured out three aces during a 6-1 run to go up 13-5.

VU battled for a well-fought side out, with an out-of-system Oliver kill, set up by Grant Veldman set in transition. Freemon followed suit on the next rally, molding another dish toward Oliver for his second kill of the night (13-7 Pepp).

That was Vanguard's last kill of the stanza. Pepperdine pushed the set into the media timeout, then continued their forward momentum with a pair of aces to cap a 5-2 run (18-9 Pepp). The Lions claimed a two-point rush with Oliver's ace to the back corner but were outscored 7-0 through the red zone to drop the first set.

Set 2
The Blue and Gold bounced back offensively, climbing up to .333 (8-3-15) in the second stanza. Pepperdine, however, also upped the ante with a new standard that was set at .684 (14-1-19).

Pepperdine utilized an ace and two Lion errors to take an early 5-1 lead and push VU into a quick timeout. The Lions were sharp out of the interval, building their own 5-1 response to put the set in close quarters (7-6 Pepp). Libero Jacob Bayston's assist to Freemon and a heavy-handed Sybesma solo block were among the highlights of the run.

Vanguard triggered two ties with the Waves, on the back of Oliver's persistence on the pins. The transfer had four kills in the set and helped keep the Lions within one (11-10 Pepp) approaching the media timeout.

The fine margins forced an answer from Pepperdine, and their reply was swift and decisive. The Waves went on a 10-2 run to finally get away from the Lions and settle in their control of the period (21-12). VU's only points during the run came from a Sybesma swing through the middle and a Freemon cross-court kill. Pepperdine concluded the set on a 4-2 run.

Set 3
VU connected for its match-best .435 (13-2-23), matching the Pepperdine .444 (16-4-27) clip. They also led 4-1 in blocks, but felt the Waves make up the difference at the service line (3-1).

Sybesma stamped the Lions in front with a quick lift from Brock Henderson through the middle. Then Henderson paired up with Bayston's pass, striking on two to issue the second Lion point of the set (2-1 VU).

It was a 6-2 response from the Waves as VU went empty in the kill counter (7-5 Pepp). Veldman's swing on the cut shot, then finish on a line drive were the first signs of steering the Lion ship back in the right direction. Freemon and Oliver also joined in, splitting the next four Lion points to try to keep the Vanguard on pace with the Waves (15-10 Pepp).

Pepperdine picked up its first ace of the set right after the media timeout, but VU got its middles involved to try to root a foothold in fighting back. They won two of their next five points through the middle with hits from Sybesma and Duckworth, but suffered a service error to place the Waves up 21-16.

Duckworth did the damage to spark hopes of a late comeback. He had his hands in four of the next five Lion points, netting one two kill, two block assists, and a solo shutdown to make it a 5-0 Vanguard run.

Pepperdine's first timeout of the night was taken at 21-19, but Oliver sliced an ace through their defenses to set up a nervy Pepperdine finish to the frame.

Sadly, for Vanguard, that was not the story to close out the night. With the game tied at 21-all, Pepperdine put the match to bed with a 4-0 run, including back-to-back aces to rinse away the VU resistance, and secure a win on their MPSF opening night.

What's Next? The Lions will play #2 Long Beach State at the Pyramid on Valentine's Day at 7 p.m.