Hall of Fame
From the 2018 Hall of Fame program:
Few families have impacted any sport at Pepperdine quite like that of the Riggs and the men’s volleyball program. Matt Rigg, one of four brothers to suit up for the Waves, was both an All-American and a two-time NCAA champion.
A native of Honolulu, Rigg was a two-time all-state player at the Punahou School. He was also the Most Valuable Player at the 1982 National Sports Festival. In the fall of 1983, Rigg followed in the footsteps of older brothers Mark and Scott by enrolling at Pepperdine. Younger brother Doug would join him a year later.
Rigg, who was noted at the time as “an emotional player, obsessed with playing well in crunch situations,” was a crucial member of the 1985 and 1986 NCAA championship squads. He made the NCAA All-Tournament team both times. In the 1985 national championship match, he put down 21 kills against USC, and in 1986, he recorded 29 kills in the semifinal against Penn State and 32 in the final against USC.
He earned All-American first team status as a sophomore in 1985, then the second team in 1986 and the third team in 1987. He was also named all-conference three times, including making the first team in 1985.
In all four of his seasons, Rigg finished second on the team in kills, including a career-best 488 as a 1986 junior. At the time of his graduation, he was the program’s all-time leader in kills with 1,539 (he’s now seventh).
He also previously held the school’s career record for digs with 692 (he’s now tied for third), including a single-season school-record 367 in the 1986 season.
Rigg was also part of a national runner-up team as a freshman. During all four of his seasons, the team finished no worse than the third in the national rankings and compiled an overall 92-23 (.800) record. He spent his first two seasons playing for Marv Dunphy, and the final two under Rod Wilde.
After graduating from Pepperdine in 1988 with a degree in sports medicine, Rigg went on to play professional indoor volleyball in France and Switzerland. From 1992-96, he played on the Bud Light 4-man professional beach volleyball tour (and made the all-league team in 1994). In 1999, his team won the USA Volleyball Men’s 35 championship.
Rigg also has been a standout in the sport of competitive canoe paddling, winning the Moloka’i Hoe Canoe Race with his club in 1998, 1999 and 2000. He still holds a record in the Master’s division of this 40.8-mile open ocean race from Moloka’i to Oah’u.
For the past 24 years, Rigg has worked for the Honolulu Fire Department. He is currently a fire inspector, with plans to retire next year.
He and his wife Leah have three children: Balen, Aidan and Mariah.
