Waves Host Harvard and Rutgers-Newark in Non-Conference Action
3/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
March 14, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
MALIBU, Calif. - The #13 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (6-11, 4-11 MPSF) enters Firestone Fieldhouse for a pair of non-conference matches with Harvard and Rutgers-Newark this week. The Waves meet with the Crimson for the first time in program history on Tues., March 15 at 7 p.m. The Raiders enter Malibu on Sat., March 19, also at 7 p.m.
Harvard brings with it a 7-6 overall record, while Rutgers is 13-4 and is slated to face Cardinal Stritch and Cal Baptist before its match with Pepperdine. Both squads are members of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
ON THE WEB — Wave Casts are new and improved for the 2011 season, offering FREE video broadcasts of all home events, as well as audio broadcasts of select road contests. In addition, live stats will also be available through Game Tracker and can be accessed at www.PepperdineSports.com. THIS WEEK: Can't make it out to the match? Catch the live video broadcast with Woody Quinn calling the action. Links to all available media can be found on the Pepperdine men's volleyball schedule page.
NOTING THE WAVES - This will be the 984th and 985th match in Pepperdine history ... The Waves are 673-307 all time ... In conference play the Waves are 473-231 and 268-114 in MPSF action ... Pepperdine is 4-0 all time versus Rutgers-Newark ... This is the first meeting between Harvard and the Waves ... Marv Dunphy boasts a career record of 513-210 ... The Waves are 354-103 when playing inside Firestone Fieldhouse ... Cory Riecks became Pepperdine's 16th member of the 1,000 kills club against USC on Feb. 11. His career total currently stands at 1,057 and ranks 13th in the Wave record books ... Tyler Jaynes tallied his 500th career put down at Cal State Northridge on Feb. 25. and currently ranks fourth with a career attack percentage of .426
HARVARD CRIMSON - Harvard is 7-6 overall and 0-3 in the EIVA ... Matt Jones is Crimson's top hitter averaging 3.85 kills/set ... Chris Gibbons adds 2.69 kills/set ... Rob Lothman manages the offense with 9.98 assists/set ... Nick Madden has stuffed hitters on 58 total occasions ... Three different players average more than one dig/set.
RUTGERS-NEWARK RAIDERS - Rutgers-Newark is 13-4 this season and 3-4 in the EIVA ... Austin Pappas is the Raiders' top hitter with a 3.29 kills average ... As a team, Rutgers-Newark averages 12.47 kills/set while holding opponents to under 10 ... The Raiders boast a .301 hitting percentage ... Pappas also averages .64 service aces/set and 35 total ... Grant Metheny is Rutgers-Newark's top blocker ... Jeff Zornig has dished 1,022 assists earned on a .493 percentage.
LOOKING BACK - The Waves lost to UC Irvine in three sets at home before rallying back from a two set deficit against UC San Diego. The Waves eventually lost in the fifth set. Beau Vandeweghe nailed down a career-high 19 kills and eight digs versus the Tritons.
LOOKING AHEAD - The Waves return to MPSF action on Fri., March 25 for the second contest of the season versus top-ranked USC. The Waves defeated the Trojans in five sets inside Firestone Fieldhouse on Feb. 11. To date, that is USC's sole loss of 2011.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN - Pepperdine has won the last three consecutive contests versus non-conference foes dating back to last season, and is 11-3 in the last five years. The Waves have never lost to either opponent they are to face this week.
PEPPERDINE IN THE MPSF RANKS - Kasey Crider averages 10.64 assists for sixth ... Maurice Torres tallies a fifth-best 4.44 points/set and a fifth-best 3.79 kills/set ... Torres ranks sixth with .35 service aces/set ... As a team, Pepperdine boasts the ninth-highest attack percentage (.263) and the sixth highest assists (11.91) average ... The Waves rank 10th in blocks (2.14), eighth in kills (12.41), 10th in digs (7.50), 12th in service aces (.86) and 11th in opponent hitting percentage (.337).
IT COULD HAPPEN - Cory Riecks could play in his 96th and 97th match this week ... Beau Vandeweghe is 25 kills shy of the century mark ... Matt Pollock has 82 total blocks attributed to his stat line ... Tyler Jaynes enters Tuesday's match with 99 career digs and has assisted in 399 blocks for a total of 436.
STARTING SEVEN - Head coach Marv Dunphy has utilized five different starting line ups this season ... Kasey Crider (setter), Mike McMahon (libero), Matt Pollock (middle), and Cory Riecks (outside) have started in every match. Other Waves to have earned the starting job are Maurice Torres (opposite), Tyler Jaynes (middle), Sean Pedersen (middle and opposite), Beau Vandeweghe (outside) and Chase Rose (outside, injured)
STREAKING - Tyler Jaynes has tallied at least one block in every start of the season (12 total) ... Mike McMahon has tallied six or more digs in six of the last seven contests ... Matt Pollock has posted at least two blocks five consecutive matches ... Kasey Crider has gone errorless on the attack in five of the last seven matches.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS - The key to success this season has been striking first and on-target hitting. The Waves are undefeated when winning the first set, and have also not lost when hitting a better attack percentage than the opponent.
KASEY AT SET - Senior setter Kasey Crider has managed the offense this season with 10.64 assists/set totaling 702. Against Cal State Northridge, his match-opening ace sparked a 7-0 run that was never relinquished. His season setting percentage stands at .459 with his single match best coming at UC Irvine with a .538 success rate.
Matt Pollock - Has been one of the most consistent hitters in the lineup for Pepperdine, averaging 2.00 kills/set on a .383 hitting percentage. He is one of four players to have played in every single set this season. On defense, Pollock's 6-9 frame has lent itself to a team-high 65 total blocks on a .98 average.
SOPHOMORE SLUMP (less) - Maurice Torres, sophomore opposite, picked up right where he left off in 2010. After leading the Waves with 391 kills as a freshman, Torres has opened 2011 with a 3.79 kills/set average in addition to 1.11 digs/set on defense. He also leads the team with 22 service aces while contributing .56 blocks/set.
OUTSIDE HITTERS - The Waves have tested their depth in the outside hitting position, after starter Chase Ross was sidelined due to injury. Beau Vandeweghe and Parker Kalmbach have divided the time, with Vandeweghe emerging as the new starter. He is currently averaging 1.94 kills/set and 1.08 digs/set. Cory Riecks is the other starting outside hitter and ranks second on the team with 2.11 kills/set. Ryan Leung has also logged time on the outside.
RANKINGS — Pepperdine is ranked 13th on the latest installment of the AVCA Coaches Poll.
| 1/5 | 1/10 | 1/17 | 1/24 | 1/31 | 2/7 | 2/14 | 2/28 | 3/7 | 3/14 | 3/21 | 3/28 | 4/4 |
| #3 | #3 | #6 | #8 | #11 | #11 | #9 | #9 | #9 | #11 | #13 |
MPSF PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Beau Vandeweghe became the Waves' first MPSF Player of the Week this season on Feb. 14 after his stellar performance in the 3-2 win over top-ranked USC on Feb 11. Since 2006, the Waves have been awarded player of the week on 21 occasions. Active players who have received the recognition are Maurice Torres (twice, last on Mar. 15, 2010), Cory Riecks (twice, last on Feb. 22, 2010), Tyler Jaynes (once, Feb. 1, 2010), and Kasey Crider (twice, last on Mar. 20, 2009).
JAYNES AT YOUR SERVICE - Tyler Jaynes holds a team-high .965 serving percentage, with just five misfires the entire season.
VIEW FROM THE TOP - No stranger to achieving a #1 ranking in the AVCA Coaches' Poll, Pepperdine also faces its fair share of #1-ranked opponents. Since 1986, the Waves have played a team who was ranked #1 during the time of the match on 47 occasions and has been victorious 16 times. In the last six seasons, Pepperdine is 8-4 versus a #1-ranked team. The last win over a #1 team was on Feb. 11 versus USC.
STEADY AS SEAN GOES - After falling behind 24-16 against Ohio State on Jan. 10, a Buckeye service error put the ball in the hands of Sean Pedersen, who jump served an incredible eight-consecutive points to bring the Waves back in the match. Despite the eventual 28-26 loss, the emotional boost provided by the remarkable comeback gave Pepperdine the momentum it needed for the deciding fifth game.
COMEBACK KILLERS - Pepperdine erased a two game deficit against UC San Diego on Mar. 12, but eventually lost the thriller in the fifth set. The last time the Waves have comeback from a two game deficit and won was on April 15, 2010 when they topped Long Beach State, 3-2.
GOING THE DISTANCE - The Waves went five sets in four-consecutive matches, defeating Ohio State, but losing to Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine during the opening two weeks of play. The only other time the Waves have played in four-consecutive five set contests was during the 1978 season. In total, Pepperdine has 2-4 in five-set matches in 2011.
Marv Dunphy — Now in his 28th season as head coach of the Waves, Marv Dunphy has time and again proven himself to be one of the top teachers in the sport. He has directed Pepperdine to four NCAA championships, each in a different decade (1978, 1985, 1992, 2005). He was the 2005 National Coach of the Year and is a three-time MPSF Coach of the Year. He entered the 2011 season with a career record of 507-199 (.717). Dunphy has long been involved with USA Volleyball, having been part of the coaching staff at five Olympics, including head coach of the 1988 team and consultant coach for the 2008 squad, both of which won gold. He has been inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame (1994), AVCA Hall of Fame (2009) and the Pepperdine Athletics (2010).
MPSF PRESEASON POLL - The Waves were chosen to finish fourth the Mountain Pacific Sports Federations preseason coaches' poll. USC and UC Irvine tied for the top spot, followed by Stanford in third place. After Pepperdine the fifth through 12th place slots were occupied by BYU, Hawaii, UCLA, UCSB, Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge, Pacific and UC San Diego, respectively.
ROSTER — The Waves return four starters to the lineup including Kasey Crider, Tyler Jaynes, Cory Riecks and Maurice Torres. Six letterwinners and two redshirts are joined by eight newcomers (seven freshmen, one sophomore) to bring the squad total to 20. A balance of veterans and rookies are likely to make up this year's starting lineup, with seniors Crider, Jaynes and Riecks leading the way. In terms of athletic eligibility, the squad breakdown includes five seniors, four juniors, three sophomores, and eight freshmen.
2010 RECAP — It was another solid year for the Pepperdine men's volleyball team. Kasey Crider earned AVCA All-American first team honors while Cory Riecks was named to the second team. Additionally, Riecks made the All-MPSF first team, while Crider was placed on the second team. J.D. Schleppenbach, who finished his eligibility in 2010, made the third team, and Tyler Jaynes was awarded an honorable mention. Maurice Torres rounded out the MPSF accolades with an appearance on the all-freshman squad. As a team, the Waves finished tied for fourth in the MPSF while concluding the season ranked T-5th by the AVCA.
TICKETS — Single-match tickets to all home men's volleyball games are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free to all Pepperdine students and faculty with a university ID.
PEPPERDINE TWEETS — To receive all the latest up-to-date information on the Waves, follow the Pepperdine Athletics Twitter at www.twitter.com/peppsports
VOLLEYBALL HISTORY — Pepperdine has won five NCAA men's volleyball championships, second only to UCLA. The Waves have won the MPSF Tournament four times and have won or shared nine regular-season conference titles. Pepperdine has won either an MPSF regular-season or tournament title in seven of the last 12 seasons. The Waves have finished in the top six in the final AVCA poll in each of the last 13 seasons. Pepperdine student-athletes have won national player of the year honors eight times and All-American accolades 75 times. A Pepperdine alum has competed for the U.S. at the Olympics every time since 1984 (Sean Rooney won gold in 2008).
ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports — one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
