Tuesday, April 30
Long Beach, Calif.
7:30 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
vs
Princeton (NCAA Quarterfinal)
Photo by: Martin A. Folb
Men's Volleyball Meets Princeton in NCAA Quarterfinals
4/27/2019 7:16:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
MALIBU, California — The five-time national champion Pepperdine men's volleyball team is back in the NCAA Championships after being absent for more than a decade. On Tuesday, the Waves play in the quarterfinals against Princeton, the same team they defeated in the 2019 season opener.
MATCH #29 — Tuesday (April 30) at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California: #3 Pepperdine (22-6) vs. #13 Princeton (18-12) at 7:30 p.m.
WATCH/ONLINE — Tuesday's quarterfinal will be live streamed by Long Beach State on BigWest.tv. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY — Pepperdine's five national championships — 1978, 1985, 1986, 1992 and 2005 — are more than any other school except for UCLA. The Waves are 17-10 in 15 previous NCAA Tournament appearances and are making their first trip since 2008.* This is the second time that Pepperdine has taken part in an NCAA Championships at Long Beach State (2003, lost in the semifinals to Lewis).
OPPONENT — Pepperdine is 6-0 all-time against Princeton. The first four meetings took place in the 1990s, including the semifinals of the 1998 NCAA Championships (won 3-0 by the Waves in Honolulu). The last two have been in 2018 and 2019 in Malibu. The Tigers won the EIVA regular-season and tournament titles, then beat Barton in the opening-round match of the NCAA Championships.
NEXT — A victory puts the Waves into the semifinals and a matchup against Long Beach State on Thursday (May 2) at 7:30 p.m. The final is set for Saturday (May 4) at 5 p.m.
MPSF AWARDS — David Wieczorek repeated as MPSF Player of the Year, highlighting the league's postseason awards. It's the eighth time a Wave has earned POTY honors, more than any other school. He's just the fourth MPSF player to repeat as the award-winner, and the second Wave (George Roumain, 1998-99). Joining Wieczorek on the All-MPSF first team was Michael Wexter, while Kaleb Denmark made the second team and Robert Mullahey was honorable mention. David Hunt was named MPSF Coach of the Year for the first time.
MPSF TOURNAMENT — After winning the regular-season title, the Waves received a first-round bye and then had hosting duties for the semifinal and final. Pepperdine posted a pair of sweeps, defeating #12 BYU in the semis (25-17, 25-23, 25-18), and then #5 USC in the championship (25-23, 25-20, 27-25). David Wieczorek (5.7 kills/set, .547 hitting) was named Tournament MVP and Michael Wexter and Robert Mullahey also made the all-tournament team. Pepperdine hit .401 over the two matches.
MPSF TITLES — The Waves won their seventh MPSF regular-season title. It was their first since 2014, and their first outright championship since 2007. Pepperdine was picked third in the preseason MPSF coaches poll. It's the program's 11th regular-season title across all conferences. The Waves won their fifth MPSF Tournament title, the first since 2008.*
WIN NOTES — Pepperdine has won 20 matches for the 17th time in program history. It's the first time since 2015, though just the second time in the last 10 seasons ... The Waves are currently on a season-best seven-match win streak, their longest since winning nine in a row in 2015 ... Pepperdine's last five matches have been three-set sweeps and the Waves have won 17 consecutive sets.
HITTING — Pepperdine's team hitting percentage of .346 is on pace to be its best since 2005, when the Waves hit .358. The Waves have had eight matches this year with single-digit attack errors, including five of the last six. Pepperdine ranks third in the nation in hitting percentage and kills per set (13.5).
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 16* 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 was the most recent to medal, winning 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.
MATCH #29 — Tuesday (April 30) at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California: #3 Pepperdine (22-6) vs. #13 Princeton (18-12) at 7:30 p.m.
WATCH/ONLINE — Tuesday's quarterfinal will be live streamed by Long Beach State on BigWest.tv. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY — Pepperdine's five national championships — 1978, 1985, 1986, 1992 and 2005 — are more than any other school except for UCLA. The Waves are 17-10 in 15 previous NCAA Tournament appearances and are making their first trip since 2008.* This is the second time that Pepperdine has taken part in an NCAA Championships at Long Beach State (2003, lost in the semifinals to Lewis).
OPPONENT — Pepperdine is 6-0 all-time against Princeton. The first four meetings took place in the 1990s, including the semifinals of the 1998 NCAA Championships (won 3-0 by the Waves in Honolulu). The last two have been in 2018 and 2019 in Malibu. The Tigers won the EIVA regular-season and tournament titles, then beat Barton in the opening-round match of the NCAA Championships.
NEXT — A victory puts the Waves into the semifinals and a matchup against Long Beach State on Thursday (May 2) at 7:30 p.m. The final is set for Saturday (May 4) at 5 p.m.
MPSF AWARDS — David Wieczorek repeated as MPSF Player of the Year, highlighting the league's postseason awards. It's the eighth time a Wave has earned POTY honors, more than any other school. He's just the fourth MPSF player to repeat as the award-winner, and the second Wave (George Roumain, 1998-99). Joining Wieczorek on the All-MPSF first team was Michael Wexter, while Kaleb Denmark made the second team and Robert Mullahey was honorable mention. David Hunt was named MPSF Coach of the Year for the first time.
MPSF TOURNAMENT — After winning the regular-season title, the Waves received a first-round bye and then had hosting duties for the semifinal and final. Pepperdine posted a pair of sweeps, defeating #12 BYU in the semis (25-17, 25-23, 25-18), and then #5 USC in the championship (25-23, 25-20, 27-25). David Wieczorek (5.7 kills/set, .547 hitting) was named Tournament MVP and Michael Wexter and Robert Mullahey also made the all-tournament team. Pepperdine hit .401 over the two matches.
MPSF TITLES — The Waves won their seventh MPSF regular-season title. It was their first since 2014, and their first outright championship since 2007. Pepperdine was picked third in the preseason MPSF coaches poll. It's the program's 11th regular-season title across all conferences. The Waves won their fifth MPSF Tournament title, the first since 2008.*
WIN NOTES — Pepperdine has won 20 matches for the 17th time in program history. It's the first time since 2015, though just the second time in the last 10 seasons ... The Waves are currently on a season-best seven-match win streak, their longest since winning nine in a row in 2015 ... Pepperdine's last five matches have been three-set sweeps and the Waves have won 17 consecutive sets.
HITTING — Pepperdine's team hitting percentage of .346 is on pace to be its best since 2005, when the Waves hit .358. The Waves have had eight matches this year with single-digit attack errors, including five of the last six. Pepperdine ranks third in the nation in hitting percentage and kills per set (13.5).
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 16* 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 was the most recent to medal, winning 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.
Players Mentioned
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