MALIBU, California — The #6 Pepperdine men's volleyball team steps away from Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play for a week to head to Hawai'i for three matches at the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Invitational.

This is the end of a stretch that has seen the Waves play eight straight matches away from Firestone Fieldhouse.

MATCH #16 — Thursday (March 7) at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i: #6 Pepperdine (11-4) vs. #15 Ball State (9-8) at 4 p.m. HT / 6 p.m. PT.

MATCH #17 — Friday (March 8) at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i: #6 Pepperdine vs. King (10-5) at 4 p.m. HT / 6 p.m. PT.

MATCH #18 — Saturday (March 9) at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i: #6 Pepperdine at #2 Hawai'i (12-0) at 7 p.m. HT / 9 p.m. PT.

WATCH/ONLINE — Saturday's Hawai'i match will be streamed online through BigWest.tv. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.

OPPONENTS — Pepperdine is 8-1 all-time against Ball State, 4-1 on neutral courts. Last season, the Waves posted a 3-1 victory at George Mason's tournament ... This will be the first meeting between Pepperdine and King, an NCAA Division II school located in Bristol, Tennessee ... Pepperdine is 44-34 all-time against Hawai'i. The Waves last beat the Rainbow Warriors in Hawai'i in 2009 (10 straight road losses). Pepperdine beat Hawai'i 3-1 in Malibu last season.

LAST WEEK — It was a tough week on the road in MPSF play, as the Waves lost to then-#6 UCLA in five sets after taking a 2-0 lead, followed by a four-set loss at then-#13 USC. Michael Wexter led the Waves in kills in both matches, collecting 20 against the Bruins and 15 against the Trojans. Pepperdine was outhit .352-.248 by UCLA and .317-.256 by USC.

NEXT — After more than a month, Pepperdine finally gets a home match on Tuesday (March 12) against #14 George Mason before heading back out for its final two regular-season road matches at #8 Stanford (Thursday, March 14) and #10 BYU (Saturday, March 16).

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.