Pepperdine Tabbed 2015 MPSF Favorite
12/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. - In the most decisive preseason men's volleyball coaches' poll in MPSF history, Pepperdine collected 121 points and 11 first-place votes in placing at the top of the 2015 edition. The honor comes on the heels of yesterday's AVCA Preseason Poll announcement, where the Waves also came in at #1.
The 23-point cushion over second-place UC Santa Barbara (98) surpasses UC Irvine's 12-point differential at the top of 2007. The Waves finished last season in a tie for first in the league standings, and return five starters plus libero to the 2015 lineup.
Pepperdine's senior-heavy returning contingent includes setter Matt West (Seattle, Wash./Shorewood HS), outside hitter Josh Taylor (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School), libero Brennan Anderson (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar HS/Ohio State), middle blockers Matt Tarantino (Van Nuys, Calif./Bishop Alemany) and Nikola Antonijevic (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson HS) and opposite side hitter Parker Kalmbach (Coto de Caza, Calif./Tesoro HS).
Additionally, upperclassmen J.J. Mosolf (Saugus, Calif./Hart HS/Hawaii) and Scott Rhein (Pleasant View, Tenn./Aaron Academy) are back to boost the Waves' depth and possess ample playing and even starting experience.
West and Taylor were All-American performers in 2014. Both were joined by Tarantino and Kalmbach on the All-MPSF squad.
USC is expected to make the largest leap from the final 2014 standings, placing third in the poll with 92 points following an eighth-place season. All-American senior setter Micah Christianson, national freshman of the Year Lucas Yoder and freshman All-American Andy Benesh return for the Trojans.
UCLA was fourth with 86 points, the only other team besides Pepperdine to earn a first-place vote. Setter Steve O'Dell, libero Jackson Bantle (MPSF All-Freshman), and middles Trent Kersten and Mitch Stahl (MPSF All-Freshman) are the top returnees for the Bruins.
UC Irvine totaled 83 points for fifth, with the return of two-time All-American libero Michael Brinkley and opposite Zack La Cavera.
Back-to-back defending MPSF Champion BYU (77) rounds out the top-half of the MPSF, with all-conference honorees Michael Hatch and Josue Rivera back.
Hawaii (63) and Cal State Northridge (50) are projected to return to the MPSF Championship Tournament after missing the field in 2014, placing seventh and eighth, respectively.
Stanford (46), Long Beach State (44), Cal Baptist (19), and UC San Diego (13) complete the poll.
The 2015 MPSF Championship Tournament begins with quarterfinal action on April 25, hosted by the top-four seeds. The conference semifinals are on April 30, on the home floor of the top-seeded team to win in the quarters. That evening's winners will battle on May 1 for the MPSF title, contested at the semifinal site, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line (May 5-9 at Stanford).
The Waves open MPSF action at Cal Baptist on Jan. 14. Pepperdine's conference home opener is scheduled for Jan. 24 against Cal State Northridge. View the Waves' compete 2015 schedule here.
2015 MPSF Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank | Team | Points (1st Place) | 2014 Record | 2014 MPSF Finish |
| 1 | Pepperdine | 121 (11) | 19-7, 18-6 MPSF | 1T (MPSF Semifinal) |
| 2 | UC Santa Barbara | 98 | 18-9, 16-8 MPSF | 4 (MPSF Semifinal) |
| 3 | USC | 92 | 16-11, 14-10 MPSF | 8 |
| 4 | UCLA | 86 (1) | 18-11, 15-9 MPSF | 5T (MPSF Quarterfinal) |
| 5 | UC Irvine | 83 | 18-11, 15-9 MPSF | 5T (MPSF Quarterfinal) |
| 6 | BYU | 77 | 21-9, 18-6 MPSF | 1T (MPSF Champion/NCAA SF) |
| 7 | Hawaii | 63 | 15-12, 13-11 MPSF | 9 |
| 8 | Cal State Northridge | 50 | 10-17, 9-15 MPSF | 10 |
| 9 | Stanford | 46 | 24-9, 17-7 MPSF | 3 (MPSF & NCAA Final) |
| 10 | Long Beach State | 44 | 18-10, 15-9 MPSF | 5T (MPSF Quarterfinal) |
| 11 | Cal Baptist | 19 | 4-24, 2-22 MPSF | 11 |
| 12 | UC San Diego | 13 | 4-23, 2-22 MPSF | 11 |
