SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 15 UC Santa Barbara Men's Volleyball team (6–5) returns home this week for two top 20 matchups, first running a rematch against No. 6 Pepperdine on Wednesday before welcoming the No. 20 Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters for an East Coast showdown on Friday.

COMING OFF LAST WEEK
UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine battled through five sets last week, but the Gauchos fell 3-2 on the road. After taking the opening set 25–23, Pepperdine answered with a narrow 27–25 win in the second before pulling away in the third, 25–11. UCSB regrouped to claim the fourth and force a decisive fifth set but ultimately came up just short. Ethan Saint led the front row with 15 kills and four blocks, while George Bruening followed him with 15 kills and three blocks of his own, putting up a good fight for the Gauchos.

LOOKING AT THE OPPONENT
No. 6 Pepperdine enters the week at 7-2 overall. The Waves are coming off a 3-0 sweep of Vanguard and last week's five-set victory over UCSB, carrying momentum into The Thunderdome on Wednesday night.

Lincoln Memorial University brings a 7-3 record into the weekend and is riding a three-match win streak. After earning home victories over Belmont Abbey and Thomas More, the Railsplitters head west looking to continue their strong stretch of play against the Gauchos.

FOLLOW ALONG
First serve against Pepperdine is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday at The Thunderdome, followed by Lincoln Memorial at the same spot at 7 p.m on Friday. Fans unable to attend in person can follow live stats at ucsbgauchos.com and watch the match live on ESPN+.