The men’s volleyball team does not want to find itself in the business of grave-digging.

That’s why when the No. 5 Bruins (5-3, 3-2 MPSF) take on the No. 2 Pepperdine Waves (4-1, 4-1) tonight, they will make sure to not to dig themselves into a big hole again.

Against No. 11 USC on Wednesday, the Bruins found themselves backed up against the wall. Down two games to none, they had to play flawlessly to claw back into the match and force a fifth game, only to lose it in the end. So this time around, they vow not to let it happen again.

“We fought hard,” outside hitter Garrett Muagututia said about the comeback in games three and four against the Trojans on Wednesday night. “But it shows that we still have work to do.”

“You can win losing the first and second games,” coach Al Scates said. “But I say win them all; we prefer to win the first, second and third game.”

With Pepperdine being ranked second in the nation, the Bruins may not have a chance to bounce back if they slip up in the beginning.

The Waves lead the league in blocks with 3.83 per game and also are atop the conference standings in hitting percentage and service aces per game. In short, they are not a team the Bruins want to dillydally around with.

“We can’t get in such a big hole (against Pepperdine),” Muagututia said. “We have to come out strong in the beginning. Lately we haven’t come out strong.”

UCLA will need an especially strong start against the Waves, as they will certainly have the same plan of action in mind. In its first loss of the season, Pepperdine fell to UC Irvine on Wednesday, picking up a win in game three after falling behind two games.

Tonight, as they have all season, the Bruins will search within themselves to pull out a victory instead of worrying about their opponents. They will be looking to fix the minor problems that cost them the little points against Long Beach State and USC, which included missed blocking assignments and defensive positioning.

“It’s something different for everybody that we need to work on,” Scates said. “We’re not worried about Pepperdine; we’re just working on our ability to work better when we’re serving.

“There are little things like DJ Stromath is putting his hands together at the end of the block. Jamie Diefenbach is being misdirectioned by the opponents’ quick attacker. (Matt) Wade is over running the set.”

With just a day of practice between the two matches, Scates and the team hope they can pull it together in time for a win tonight.

“It’s a big week for us,” Muagututia said. “If we can get at least a win it’ll be good.”