MALIBU, California — Coming off its best two matches of the season to start Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play, the #5 Pepperdine men's volleyball team hits the road for a non-conference match at #11 CSUN, followed by an MPSF contest at Grand Canyon.
This is the start of a stretch that will see the Waves play eight straight matches away from Firestone Fieldhouse.
David Wieczorek was named both the AVCA National Player of the Week and the MPSF Offensive Player of the Week after averaging 4.33 kills and 6.17 points while hitting .571 in last week's matches against BYU and Stanford.
MATCH #11 — Wednesday (February 13) at The Matadome in Northridge, California: Pepperdine (8-2, 2-0) at CSUN (7-5) at 7 p.m.
MATCH #12 — Friday (February 15) at Antelope Gymnasium in Phoenix, Arizona: Pepperdine at Grand Canyon (7-7, 0-2) at 6 p.m. MT / 5 p.m. PT.
WATCH/ONLINE — The CSUN match will be shown on BigWestTV and the Grand Canyon match will be shown on GCU TV. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
OPPONENTS — Pepperdine leads CSUN 62-21 and has won nine straight meetings, including four in Northridge ... Pepperdine is 2-1 all-time against Grand Canyon, losing in five sets in Phoenix last year, followed by a three-set win in Malibu.
LAST WEEK — The Waves began MPSF play in hugely impressive fashion, sweeping then-#7 BYU (25-17, 25-19, 25-18) and then-#9 Stanford (25-21, 25-22, 25-21) at home. Pepperdine's excellent serving set the tone, with a season-high 13 aces against the Cougars (five apiece by
David Wieczorek and
Michael Wexter) and eight more against the Cardinal. The Waves hit .400 against BYU and .370 against Stanford.
NEXT — The Waves continue MPSF play on the road at Concordia-Irvine on Friday, February 22.
PEPPERDINE VOLLEYBALL — Pepperdine has won five NCAA men's volleyball championships, second only to UCLA. Coaching legend
Marv Dunphy stepped down after the 2017 season. He won four of the NCAA titles, plus 612 matches over his 34 years with the Waves. Pepperdine has won 14 regular-season or tournament conference titles. The Waves have finished in the top six in the final AVCA poll in 17 of the last 22 seasons, and in the top 10 in 21 of the last 22 years. A Pepperdine alum has competed at the Olympics every time since 1984 (Sean Rooney won gold in 2008).
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 25 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #46 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
