MALIBU, California – David Wieczorek knocked down a match-high 18 kills en route to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament's Most Valuable Player award, helping the #4 Waves to a three-set sweep of USC, 25-23, 25-20, 27-25, in Saturday's championship match in Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
By virtue of winning the tournament title, the top-seeded Waves (22-6) have earned the automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Championships. It's the first time for both in more than a decade.
 
Wieczorek was joined on the All-Tournament team by Michael Wexter and Robert Mullahey.
 
Pepperdine hit .410 against the third-seeded and fifth-ranked Trojans (18-10) and committed just seven attack errors, the Waves' fifth time in the last six matches with errors in single digits. Pepperdine won its season-high seventh match in a row and stayed perfect at home with a 14-0 record.
 
BIG WAVES

• Senior outside hitter David Wieczorek (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy) hit .571 (18-2-28) along with seven digs, two service aces and two blocks. He had a total of 34 kills in six sets en route to MVP honors.
• Senior opposite Michael Wexter (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West HS) had 10 kills, four blocks and four digs.
• Senior outside hitter Kaleb Denmark (Redlands, Calif./Arrowhead Christian Academy) had eight kills and seven digs.
• Sophomore setter Robert Mullahey (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) passed out 39 assists and had four digs and three blocks.
• Senior middle blocker Max Chamberlain (Burbank, Calif./John Burroughs HS) had three kills, four blocks and two digs.
• Graduate transfer middle blocker Kevin Vaz (Paris, France/Cal Baptist) had two kills, four blocks and two digs.
• Sophomore libero Spencer Wickens (Irondequoit, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit HS) had a team-high eight digs.

MATCH STATS 

• PEPP hitting: .410 overall (.538 set one, .321 set two, .379 set three)
• USC hitting: .233 overall (.276 set one, .103 set two, .343 set three)
• Service Aces: PEPP 4, USC 6
• Digs: PEPP 37, USC 35
• Blocks: PEPP 8.5, USC 3.0
• USC was led by Jack Wyett's 13 kills.

PLAY BY PLAY
 
The Trojans came out serving hot in the first set, accumulating four early service aces en route to a 10-6 lead. USC still led at 16-13 when the Waves rattled off four straight points, two on Wieczorek kills, to go up 17-16. Tied at 19, the Waves got back-to-back kills from Wexter and Denmark to take the advantage, and then the teams went back and forth with sideouts until it ended 25-23 in Pepperdine's favor.
 
The Waves kept the momentum going early in the second set, taking leads of 6-1 and 8-2. The lead grew to as many as nine points at 21-12 before USC began to close the gap. The Waves took timeouts at 21-16 and 23-19 and would eventually end the second set at 25-20 on a Wieczorek kill.
 
The third set was tight throughout with a total of 12 tie scores. USC went up by two or three points multiple times early in the set, but the Waves kept tying the score up. At 13-13, the Waves ran off three straight points, one on a Wexter service ace and another on a Wieczorek kill. Pepperdine went up 18-14 on another Wieczorek kill. But USC closed the gap, and eventually tied it at 23. At 25-25, Wieczorek put the Waves ahead with a kill, and then then championship point was decided on a Chamberlain and Wieczorek combined block.
 
QUOTABLE
 
Pepperdine Coach David Hunt said: "It was pretty special. It was special for me to do this in our home gym and to know that we're going to the NCAAs, and to do it with Marv (Dunphy) on the bench. This team has put in a lot of hard work to get there."
 
UP NEXT
 
The NCAA Tournament selection show will air on NCAA.com at 10 a.m. on Sunday.