Photo by: Martin A. Folb
Men's Volleyball Earns Bid to NCAA Championships
4/25/2021 11:18:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
MALIBU, California – The Pepperdine men's volleyball team is headed back to the NCAA Championships for the 17th time after earning one of the two at-large bids to the upcoming event.
The fifth-ranked Waves (13-6) will face third-ranked UC Santa Barbara (15-4) in the opening round in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, May 4, at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. The winner moves on to face #1 Hawaii (15-1) in the semifinals on May 6. The championship is May 8.
Pepperdine is coming off a runner-up finish in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament after falling to #2 BYU in the final on Saturday, but a semifinal win over UCLA was likely the difference that got Pepperdine into the NCAAs. The Waves beat the Bruins in two of three meetings this season.
The five-time NCAA champion Waves are in the tournament for the second straight time. They reached the NCAA semifinals in 2019 (the 2020 tournament was canceled).
"Last night was awkward, we didn't know our fate and it could have been our last time suiting up," Pepperdine Coach David Hunt said. "Anytime you leave it to the committee, you don't know what factors they'll take into account. We had some anxious times watching the UCSB match last night. There was uncertainty this morning but now there's relief knowing that we get to play, and knowing who and when we're playing. It'll be good to start prepping for a fresh face.
"It's basically back-to-back tournament appearances but with six different guys, it's a different team. Our guys who were on the team in 2019 were really motivated to continue what that team had started. And our guys who are freshmen, they saw team in 2019 and saw the expectations. The entire goal is to get back to the final six or the final four every year. Sustained excellence has been the mindset of the program. Anyone can do it once, but you want to stay at this level year in and year out."
This is the fourth time that Pepperdine will have traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for the NCAA Championships. The Waves won their first-ever NCAA title there in 1978.
The other side of the bracket for the seven-team tournament has Penn State meeting Belmont Abbey in the first opening round match, with the winner to face Lewis in the next segment of the opening round, and the winner of that advancing to play BYU in the semifinals.
The fifth-ranked Waves (13-6) will face third-ranked UC Santa Barbara (15-4) in the opening round in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, May 4, at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. The winner moves on to face #1 Hawaii (15-1) in the semifinals on May 6. The championship is May 8.
Pepperdine is coming off a runner-up finish in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament after falling to #2 BYU in the final on Saturday, but a semifinal win over UCLA was likely the difference that got Pepperdine into the NCAAs. The Waves beat the Bruins in two of three meetings this season.
The five-time NCAA champion Waves are in the tournament for the second straight time. They reached the NCAA semifinals in 2019 (the 2020 tournament was canceled).
"Last night was awkward, we didn't know our fate and it could have been our last time suiting up," Pepperdine Coach David Hunt said. "Anytime you leave it to the committee, you don't know what factors they'll take into account. We had some anxious times watching the UCSB match last night. There was uncertainty this morning but now there's relief knowing that we get to play, and knowing who and when we're playing. It'll be good to start prepping for a fresh face.
"It's basically back-to-back tournament appearances but with six different guys, it's a different team. Our guys who were on the team in 2019 were really motivated to continue what that team had started. And our guys who are freshmen, they saw team in 2019 and saw the expectations. The entire goal is to get back to the final six or the final four every year. Sustained excellence has been the mindset of the program. Anyone can do it once, but you want to stay at this level year in and year out."
This is the fourth time that Pepperdine will have traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for the NCAA Championships. The Waves won their first-ever NCAA title there in 1978.
The other side of the bracket for the seven-team tournament has Penn State meeting Belmont Abbey in the first opening round match, with the winner to face Lewis in the next segment of the opening round, and the winner of that advancing to play BYU in the semifinals.
