MALIBU, California — The 50th season of Pepperdine men's volleyball gets its official start this weekend when the Waves host Cal Lutheran. The new-look Waves have only three starters back from a team that advanced to the semifinals of the 2019 NCAA Tournament but a number of talented younger players will be given their opportunity to shine.
MATCH #1 — Sunday (January 5) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Pepperdine, California: #9 Pepperdine (0-0) vs. Cal Lutheran (0-0) at 3 p.m.
WATCH/ONLINE — Sunday's home match will be streamed online via WaveCasts with Pepperdine Hall of Famer Al Epstein on 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. Faculty and staff are free with their Pepperdine ID. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $5 each.
OPPONENT — Pepperdine has played one official match with Cal Lutheran previously, a 3-0 home victory in 2018. CLU, a Division III school, will consider this match an exhibition.
LAST WEEK — The Waves won three exhibitions in three days to get ready for the season. They defeated a pair of Canadian schools, Guelph in four sets and Brandon in five sets, and knocked off #10 Princeton in straight sets in a rematch from the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Among the stat leaders were
Alex Gettinger (2.33 kills/set and 0.58 aces/set),
Diego Perez (2.92 digs/set),
Noah Dyer (1.43 blocks/set) and
Rob Mullahey (6.43 assists/set).
50 SEASONS — This is the 50th season for Pepperdine men's volleyball — which began in 1971 — and the program's rich history will be celebrated throughout this spring's schedule. All Pepperdine men's volleyball alums will be welcomed back for the March 15 match vs. Harvard. The Waves will also celebrate each decade at various matches, beginning with the 1970s on February 12 vs. Concordia.
NEXT — Pepperdine goes more than a week between matches, as they'll next head to the East Coast for three matches. They first visit Daemen (Jan. 14), then play Harvard on Daemen's court (Jan. 15) and finally travel to George Mason (Jan. 17).
ROSTER NUMBERS — Pepperdine returns three starters from a year ago. Setter
Rob Mullahey earned AVCA All-American honorable mention status, and
Noah Dyer and
Spencer Wickens were co-starters in a two-libero setup.
The Waves graduated five starters: two outside hitters, two middle blockers and the opposite, three of whom earned All-American acclaim. The Waves' seven returning letterwinners account for 3% of last year's kill total.
Pepperdine's roster consists of two seniors, three juniors, six sophomores, four redshirt freshmen and six true freshmen.
MULLAHEY — Senior setter
Rob Mullahey is eighth all-time in assists (2,014) at Pepperdine. Next on the list is John Mayer (2,885). The 2019 AVCA All-American honorable mention selection has led the MPSF in assists each of the last two seasons. He's been named to the 2020 Lloy Ball Award watch list (for the nation's top setter) by Off the Block.
AVCA POLL — Pepperdine opens the 2020 season at #9 in the AVCA rankings. Last season, they stayed between #6 (where they started) and #3 (where they finished) the entire year.
MPSF — The Waves were picked fourth in the MPSF preseason coaches poll. The order went as follows: BYU, UCLA, Stanford, Pepperdine, USC and Grand Canyon (tied), and Concordia.
COACHING NOTE — Associate head coach
Paul Carroll is serving as a coach with the Australian National Team for a couple of weeks, including at an Olympic qualifying tournament, so in the meantime,
Marv Dunphy has stepped in as an interim assistant coach.
2019 SEASON — The Waves enjoyed their best season in a decade and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2008, where they reached the semifinals. Pepperdine won both the MPSF regular-season title (its first since 2014, and its first outright since 2007) and the MPSF Tournament title (its first since 2008). Four Waves were named All-Americans, including
David Wieczorek, who made the first team and repeated as MPSF Player of the Year. Pepperdine finished 23-7 overall, 9-3 in the MPSF, and with a final ranking of #3 by the AVCA.
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 18 of the last 23 seasons, and in the top 10 in 22 of the last 23 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 #50 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
