MALIBU, California — It's the final week of the regular season and the #4 Pepperdine men's volleyball team has eyes on its first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season title since 2014.
The Waves are unbeaten in Firestone Fieldhouse this season (10-0) and if they can defeat #6 USC and #14 Concordia here, they'll be assured of at least a share of the title. Pepperdine owns the tiebreaker with UCLA, if necessary, and would host the MPSF Tournament semifinals and final for the first time since 2007.
Pepperdine will honor eight seniors before Saturday night's match against Concordia. Two of the eight,
Kaleb Denmark and
Kevin Vaz, swept this week's MPSF/Molten Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week awards, respectively, while Denmark also earned the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honor.
MATCH #25 — Thursday (April 4) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California: #4 Pepperdine (18-6, 7-3) vs. #6 USC (15-8, 6-4) at 7 p.m.
MATCH #26 — Saturday (April 6) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California: #4 Pepperdine vs. #14 Concordia (14-16, 3-7) at 5 p.m.
WATCH/ONLINE — Both matches can be seen via WaveCasts on TheW.tv and Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Famer Al Epstein will have the call. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
TICKETS — Single-match tickets at Firestone Fieldhouse cost $10 each for adults and $8 each for children under 12, seniors 65+ and alumni/Crest members. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $5 each.
OPPONENTS — Pepperdine is 64-40 all-time against USC after suffering a four-set loss in Los Angeles last month. The Waves had won six straight in Firestone Fieldhouse before the Trojans won here in an MPSF quarterfinal last season ... Pepperdine is 4-0 all-time against Concordia after posting a four-set win in Irvine in February.
LAST WEEK — Pepperdine moved back into a tie for first place in the MPSF after posting home wins over #5 UCLA (25-21, 29-31, 25-16, 25-17) and Grand Canyon (25-16, 25-10, 25-17). The Waves hit .485 against the Bruins, then had season bests of .529 hitting and 15.5 blocks against the Lopes, while holding GCU to an opponent-season-low .042 hitting.
NEXT — The Waves hope to avoid the MPSF quarterfinals, set for Saturday, April 13. The semifinals are on Thursday, April 18, and the final is on Saturday, April 20.
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.
