No. 1-ranked Cougs head to Pepperdine

Top-ranked BYU will look to end its two-loss skid as the Cougars return to Mountain Pacific Sports Federation volleyball action tonight and Saturday against second-ranked Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif.

BYU (9-2, 5-1 MPSF) is coming off a three-game loss Tuesday night to three-time NAIA champion Cal-Baptist in the Cougars' final nonleague contest of the season. Cougar co-coaches Shawn Patchell and Ryan Millar used the match as a chance to play a host of players who have seen only limited time so far this season.

Only one of BYU's regular starters — freshman middle blocker Rodnei Santos — started against the Lancers, with most of the regulars making one- or two-game cameos. Two of the Cougars' top hitters, Ivan Perez and Robby Stowell, did not see any action.

In the current CSTV/AVCA Top 15 coaches poll, BYU and Pepperdine (9-1, 7-1 MPSF) are ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively.

Pepperdine already has one upset victory over a top-ranked team this season. The Waves swept then-No. 1 and preseason NCAA favorite UC Irvine in three games on the Anteaters' home court in mid-January. The UCI loss allowed No. 2 BYU to move into the top spot in the rankings.

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