MALIBU, California – Though the Pepperdine men's volleyball program's 50th season was cut short, the Waves have continued their celebration that was planned with today's release of the final All-Decade team and a list of Marv Dunphy's unsung heroes. Here are the selections for the fifth and most recent decade of Pepperdine volleyball, the 2010s.
 
Dunphy has been associated with the program from almost the beginning. He transferred into Pepperdine in 1971-72 and played with the Waves for two seasons – the second and third teams in Pepperdine history. He then became an assistant coach before taking over as head coach ahead of the 1977 season. He was the head coach for a total of 34 seasons before stepping down after the 2017 campaign.
 


All-2010s Team
 
Setter: Matt West (2012-15)
Seattle, Wash. ... Three-time All-American ... Four-time All-MPSF.
Marv says: "If a parent of a recruit was a coach, that youngster checked most of the recruitment boxes. When both parents were coaches, the recruit automatically went to the top of the list. Matt went to the top of the list. As a ninth grader he had all the skills and instincts in place and just needed his body to catch up, because he was on the thin side. He was an All-American setter for us, but he could have been an All-American at any position. He is ready to follow in his parents' footsteps."
 
Opposite: Maurice Torres (2010-13)
Riverside, Calif. ... Two-time All-American ... Two-time All-MPSF.
Marv says: "When I was coaching, I would remind the players that some things are more important than volleyball. Maurice did not need to be reminded. His incredible love for his family was obvious from day one. At the end of his official visit, I was in my office with Maurice and his family. Out of nowhere, his mother and his sister started crying, real hard, soon to be joined by Maurice. I asked him what was going on. He said, 'They now know where I am going to play and they are so happy for me.' He put up incredible numbers for us and he still plays at a high level internationally."
 
Outside Hitter: David Wieczorek (2015-19)
Chicago, Ill. ... Three-time All-American ... Two-time MPSF Player of the Year ... Four-time All-MPSF.
Marv says: "When Jonathan Winder and I were recruiting at the Junior Olympics, we saw a long, lanky player kill a ball that was a bump set about 25 feet from the net. We hung around the court and throughout the match, if a ball was above the height of the net, the kid was swinging at it. David was a hitting machine. He did not tip a ball until his junior year. David and his dad Al are as close as any father and son can be."
 
Outside Hitter: Josh Taylor (2012-15)
Honolulu, Hawai'i ... Two-time All-American ... Three-time All-MPSF.
Marv says: "Josh played opposite in high school, club and with the USA Junior National Team. When he came to Pepperdine, the plan was for him to play as an outside hitter. He always had a heavy arm and when he learned to pass at a high level, he became an All-American. Josh, Kevin Barnett and Kyle Gerrans could pass any serve with their hands. Josh is now trying to make his players at Missouri feel bulletproof."
 
Middle Blocker: Matt Tarantino (2012-16)
Van Nuys, Calif. ... 2016 All-American ... Three-time All-MPSF.
Marv says: "I will never forget the summer prior to Matt's freshman year. Matt was competing with the USA Youth National Team in Argentina, when someone from admissions informed us that Matt was not going to be admitted due to his essay. In that essay, 'Why Pepperdine?', he wrote "to play volleyball for Marv Dunphy." Needless to say, he wrote a real essay and was admitted. He played middle and opposite and had a great career. He was a great teammate and is a great alum and wonderful person."
 
Middle Blocker: Parker Kalmbach (2011-15)
Coto de Caza, Calif. ... 2015 All-American ... Three-time All-MPSF.
Marv says: "On senior night, we put up two photos on the big screen, one when the athlete is a freshman and one from their senior year. For Parker, no two photos could have been more different. He was a scrawny freshman and an absolute monster as a senior. It was difficult to keep him from lifting too much. He was a big part of several good teams and he is fun to be around."
 
Utility: J.D. Schleppenbach (2006-10)
Ventura, Calif. ... 2010 All-MPSF ... 2008 NCAA All-Tournament team.
Marv says: "J.D. was the true utility player. He did not play in the middle, but he did everything else and he did it well. If I were to make a video on what great passing looks like, the models would be Karch Kiraly, Bob Ctvrtlik and J.D. Schleppenbach. He developed into a solid outside hitter. David Hunt still marvels at the year when J.D. hit zero during the regular season and hit over .700 during our playoff run!"
 
Utility: Sean Grubbs (2008-10)
Newport Beach, Calif. ... 2009 All-MPSF.
Marv says: "Like John Mayer, Rod Wilde and Peter Balding, Sean was a volleyball rat and a gamer. He was a very good athlete and he loved to compete. It still eats at him that he can't touch higher than his old coach! His best skill was passing tough spike serves. No server at any level could overpower Sean. One time, while watching Sean pass prior to a match, an opposing coach asked me, 'How do you teach that?' I said we didn't, he's a natural and he came that way."
 


Marv Dunphy's Unsung Heroes of the 2010s
 
Kasey Crider (player, 2008-11)
Marv says: "Kasey was a good setter from day one. He had big, strong paws, which helped him have great touch. They say setters make good coaches. If that's true, Kasey will be a great coach. I miss crossing paths with him. He's doing well coaching at Miami, but we need to get him back to the West Coast!"
 
John & Celeste Plueger
Marv says: "They are heroes for a few reasons: their contributions to Pepperdine University and our volleyball program, they produced a great young man in Ryan Plueger and mostly because they are just neat people. Players from Ryan's era love being around John and Celeste and so do I. I have great respect for the Plueger family and what they stand for."
 
Ryan Plueger (player, 2011-14)
Marv says: "I will always remember my one recruiting call to Ryan. Since we recruited Ryan late, we did not have time to do an unofficial or official visit. I grilled him pretty good ... who are you, what is important to you, do you have to go to Disneyland to be happy, what do you stand for, et cetera. I was impressed with his honesty. Morning, noon or night, Ryan would help a teammate in any way. Most Waves know that he is one of my favorites."
 
Ted & Carolyn Porter
Marv says: "If I am not mistaken, no alums have given more to Pepperdine University. They have been extremely supportive of athletics and our program. I don't see them often, but I enjoy our time when we do cross paths. They are all-time great Waves, period!"
 
Max States (player, 2014-17)
Marv says: "He had great technique for each of the six skills: passing, setting, serving, blocking, defense and attacking. It would be tough to rank any one over the others. He could fall out of bed at 3 a.m. and hit a 70 mph spike serve and he would hit it in! For years I did long five-day camps. When Max worked the camps, he did demo for every skill, every day."
 
Andrew Strick
Marv says: "Just like his parents and grandparents, I am so proud of Andrew. Someday, I hope to help him as much as he helped us. He learned the Data Volley stat program in a matter of days. We were always asking him, 'What do the numbers say?' He is currently pursuing his doctorate in motor learning. We now ask him, 'What does the research suggest about blocked versus random practice, massed versus distributed practice, fatigued practice, whole versus part practice?' Our favorite time was watching replays of the match we had just played."
 
Michael Wexter (player, 2016-19)
Marv says: "I sure hope Michael has a great professional career as an opposite. He would have been a great setter in college, but we needed him in the middle for a while and then at opposite. He could fly and his standing jump was the best I ever saw in college. He did not talk much, but when he did, he was logical and people listened, especially me."