They always say practice makes perfect.

And in Friday’s case, it was perfected passing that made all the difference.

Playing its second five-game match of the week, the No. 5 UCLA men’s volleyball team managed to come out on top this time due to a tweaking in its passing and digging.

“We emphasized everybody passing in correct position,” coach Al Scates said. “That’s what we worked in practice, and it really showed. I didn’t see anybody out of position tonight.”

The Bruins (6-3, 4-2 MPSF) stunned the No. 2 Pepperdine Waves (4-2, 4-2 MPSF) Friday night at the Firestone Fieldhouse for their first win in Malibu since 2004. In a five-game thriller, UCLA beat all odds and came out on top 21-30, 30-20, 27-30, 30-28, 15-12. The Bruins improve to 4-2 in conference play, while the Waves, who dropped both of their matches this week, fall to 4-2 both in overall play and in the MPSF.

Ever since a loss to Long Beach State two weeks ago, the UCLA coaching staff has noted that its back-row defenders have missed some critical assignments.

Emphasizing to their players to stop their feet before the ball reaches them, the coaches may have finally succeeded. They have utilized their weekday practices to address this issue and are now reaping the dividends.

“Guys were just nailing their passes all night,” Scates said. “This was the best passing combination we’ve put on the floor, and that passing combination is just going to get better because (outside hitter) Brett Perrine is new at it.”

Libero Tony Ker led the floor with 16 digs, followed by outside hitter Garrett Muagututia’s 11.And because perfect passing opens up more options for the setter, the Bruins tore up the middle.

With a wavering attack from the left side, setter Matt Wade, who came in for starter Kevin Ker, took full advantage of the team’s on-point passes and went to his quick hitters Jamie Diefenbach and DJ Stromath. The two put up staggering numbers, as Diefenbach slammed 21 kills at a .690 clip, and Stromath spiked down 17 for a .556 average.

“Brett and Garrett weren’t hitting very well, but they were passing so great we could go to the middle whenever we wanted to,” Scates said.

Despite Muagututia, the team’s usual kill-leader, putting down a meager eight kills at an inefficient .083 average, and Perrine hitting .200, Diefenbach and Stromath picked up the slack.

“Neither team could stop the other team,” Scates said. “We couldn’t stop their outside hitters and they couldn’t stop our middles. They were staying bunched in the middle but they weren’t stopping us.”

Ryan Ratelle also put up a repeat performance of the USC match of last Wednesday, leading the Bruins with 23 kills, a new career high for the junior. The newly transitioned opposite was given one third of UCLA’s total sets, many of which were in clutch situations, and he did not disappoint.

The Bruins return to Pauley Pavilion this week for a four-match home stand, beginning with Cal Baptist on Wednesday and No. 10 UC Irvine, who also defeated Pepperdine this week, on Friday.