MALIBU, California — First place is up for grabs in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation when the last two conference unbeatens, #4 Pepperdine and #6 UCLA, square off in men's volleyball action on Wednesday night in Pauley Pavilion. The Waves then continue MPSF play at #13 USC on Saturday.
The Waves have won six consecutive matches and have their best record after 13 matches since 2015 (also 11-2). The last time they had a longer winning streak was also 2015 (nine).
Kaleb Denmark became the fourth different Wave to earn an MPSF weekly award this season when he was named the Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
This is part of a stretch that will see the Waves play eight straight matches away from Firestone Fieldhouse.
MATCH #14 — Wednesday (February 27) at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California: #4 Pepperdine (11-2, 4-0) at #6 UCLA (12-4, 4-0) at 7 p.m.
MATCH #15 — Saturday (March 2) at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California: #4 Pepperdine at #13 USC (7-7, 1-3, at Concordia on Thursday) at 7 p.m.
WATCH/ONLINE — The UCLA match will be televised by the Pac-12 Network. The USC match will be streamed at Pac-12.com. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
OPPONENTS — Pepperdine is 42-81 all-time against UCLA. Both teams won at home in last year's two matches. The Waves' last win at UCLA came in 2015 ... Pepperdine is 64-39 all-time against USC, with a 23-19 record in away matches. The Waves have won seven of the last 11 matches, including both regular-season meetings last year, though the Trojans pulled off an upset in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals.
LAST WEEK — After dropping the first set, Pepperdine rallied back to take down Concordia in four sets (23-25, 25-16, 29-27, 25-22) last Friday in Irvine. The Waves hit .369 to the Eagles' 281.
Michael Wexter had a career-high 24 kills, hit .352 and had 10 digs.
David Wieczorek had 22 kills and hit .400.
Kaleb Denmark had a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs.
Robert Mullahey had a career-high 55 assists.
NEXT — Pepperdine's road swing finally comes to an end at Hawai'i's Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Invitational. The Waves will play three matches in three nights (March 7-9) against #15 Ball State, King and the host and #2 Rainbow Warriors.
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.
