MALIBU, California — The #5 Pepperdine men's volleyball team is the reigning Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament champion, having won the last edition held in 2019. The third-seeded Waves head to Provo, Utah, this weekend looking to win the event for the sixth time.
Pepperdine will be back in action for the first time since March 28 after going on a pause that lasted three weeks. After seeing matches against Stanford get canceled the past two weekends, the Waves and Cardinal finally get to meet in Thursday's quarterfinals.
MATCH #17 — Thursday (April 22) at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah: #5-ranked and #3-seeded Pepperdine (11-5, 11-5) vs. #6-seeded Stanford (3-13, 3-13) at 8 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. PT in the MPSF quarterfinals.
MATCH #18 — If Pepperdine wins ... Friday (April 23) at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah: Pepperdine vs. #6-ranked and #2-seeded UCLA (14-5, 14-5) or #7-seeded Concordia (3-13, 3-13) at 4 p.m. MT / 3 p.m. PT in the MPSF semifinals.
MATCH #19 — If Pepperdine wins ... Saturday (April 24) at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah: MPSF championship match at 7 p.m. MT / 6 p.m. PT.
WATCH/ONLINE — All tournament matches will be streamed online via FloVolleyball, a subscription website. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
MPSF HISTORY — Pepperdine has a 27-20 record at 25 previous MPSF Tournaments, with victories in 1998, 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2019. The Waves are 0-2 in their previous MPSF Tournament matches played in Provo (2004 semifinals vs. BYU, 2014 semifinals vs. Stanford).
RANKINGS — The Waves are fifth in this week's AVCA poll. They began the year tied for seventh and have been as high as third.
AWARDS — Spencer Wickens was the only three-time MPSF Offensive Player of the Week this season. He also received the AVCA National Player of the Week award on March 30 after hitting .500 and averaging 3.82 kills in three wins over Grand Canyon. His other MPSF awards came on February 1 after averaging 4.12 kills while hitting .500 in two wins against Concordia. He received it again on March 1 after averaging 4.17 points while hitting .471 in two victories against USC.
Austin Wilmot received the AVCA National Player of the Week award and the MPSF Defensive Player of the Week award on March 15-16 after averaging 3.00 points and 1.56 blocks while hitting .500 in two matches against UCLA. It was his second MPSF weekly award, as he also got it on February 22 after averaging 2.00 blocks in two wins against Stanford. Wilmot was the only MPSF player to earn two Defensive awards this season.
Trey Cole took home the season's first MPSF Defensive Player of the Week award on February 1 after averaging 2.88 digs against Concordia ...
Bryce Dvorak was the MPSF Defensive Player of the Week on March 29 after averaging 2.18 digs and 0.64 blocks.
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 #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
