MALIBU, Calif. – The University of California, Merced men's volleyball team (3-13, 0-8) lost 3-0 to No. 6 Pepperdine on Saturday afternoon by set scores of 25-15, 25-10, 25-17.
Joshua Woodhams highlighted the Bobcats with eleven kills and a service ace. His eleven kills are the most by any Bobcat against a NCAA Division One opponent since Cole Smith on January 12, 2018 (at CSUN). Woodhams finished with a .400 hitting percentage (11/1/25).
Mason Stokes tallied five kills and three digs.
Colin Ryan pitched in three kills, a block, and a service ace. He delivered his three kills without an error on five swings. Donovan Guglielmana and Achilles Huang also had three kills each.
Other notables include five digs from George Buljan and a block from Huang.
UC Merced held leads of 1-0 and 6-5 in the opening set but Pepperdine responded to the latter deficit with a 7-2 run. After two straight Bobcat points including a Toves ace, the Waves continued to build their lead and got to 20 points first while leading 20-14. The Bobcats earned a sideout, however the Waves then closed out the frame with five straight points with three kills and two aces. Pepperdine had 17 kills in the opening frame with a .552 hitting percentage.
The Waves led wire-to-wire in the second set and continued to excel offensively, recording a match-high .688 hitting percentage. Pepperdine led by at least four points from the 5-1 mark on and would lead by double figures for the first time at 19-9. Pepperdine closed the set on a 9-1 run overall to go up 2-0 in the match.
UC Merced led 9-8 and 10-9 in the back-and-forth early goings of the third set. Woodhams and Stokes combined for five of the Bobcats first ten points via the kill. However, Pepperdine scored the next three points and used an 11-3 run overall to get to 20. The Bobcats trailed 20-13 but pulled within five a few rallies later, 21-16. Pepperdine would finish off the Bobcats by winning four of the next five points capped by a service ace for match point. Pepperdine hit .611 in the frame, while the Bobcats ran their best offense of the match at a .304 clip.
The Waves hit .603 on the day overall.
Up next, UC Merced will return home to host Concordia University Irvine on Friday, March 27. First serve from the Joseph Edward Gallo Gymnasium in Merced, Calif., is scheduled for 6:00pm.
