MALIBU, California — After a delayed start to the 2022 season, the #3 Pepperdine men's volleyball team begins the campaign with a five-match homestand, starting with two contests against Erskine and one with Princeton.
MATCH #1 — Thursday (January 13) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California: #3 Pepperdine (0-0) vs. Erskine (0-1) at 11 a.m.
MATCH #2 — Friday (January 14) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California: #3 Pepperdine vs. Erskine at 7 p.m.
MATCH #3 — Monday (January 17) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California: #3 Pepperdine vs. Princeton (0-0, plays at USC on Wednesday and UCLA on Saturday) at 7 p.m.
WATCH/ONLINE — All home matches will be streamed via WaveCasts on the WCC Network. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com.
HOME MATCH TICKET POLICIES — Due to L.A. County health rules, proof of vaccination (including boosted if eligible) or proof of a negative COVID-19 test (a PCR test taken within the previous 48 hours or an antigen test taken within the previous 24 hours) is required to attend Pepperdine home men's volleyball matches. Tickets are available via e-ticket ONLY and must be purchased online before arriving onto campus. To purchase e-tickets and/or read the spectator guidelines and COVID-19 policies, visit: https://gowav.es/WavesTix. Due to campus construction, nearby parking may be limited and guests are advised to arrive early.
OPPONENTS — These will be the first-ever meetings between Pepperdine and Erskine ... Pepperdine is 7-0 all-time against Princeton. The schools last met in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Championships in Long Beach, which resulted in a five-set victory for the Waves.
RANKINGS — Pepperdine opens the 2022 season at #3 in the AVCA rankings. It's the best preseason ranking for the Waves since the 2015 season.
MPSF — The Waves were picked as the MPSF favorite in a preseason vote of the league's coaches. Pepperdine received five of the seven first-place votes. The Waves were followed by UCLA, BYU, Grand Canyon, USC, Stanford and Concordia.
PRESEASON HONORS — Off the Block recognized five of the Waves with preseason acclaim. Four were named preseason All-Americans (Pepperdine had more than any other school), with
Austin Wilmot on the first team, and
Trey Cole,
Bryce Dvorak and
Spencer Wickens on the second team. Additionally,
Jaylen Jasper was named the nation's top transfer.
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves return the bulk of their lineup and only lost one starter from last season's team. Ten of the 12 players who saw action last season are back. The 2022 roster consists of four graduate students, four seniors, two juniors, six sophomores, five redshirt freshmen and seven true freshmen. Pepperdine brings back 86.7% of last year's kill totals.
Alex Gettinger,
Spencer Wickens and
Austin Wilmot are utilizing a COVID-19 redshirt year to play a fifth season.
SCHEDULE UPDATES — COVID-19 issues cost the Waves their season-opening trip to North Carolina, where Pepperdine was to play four matches against Mount Olive (Jan. 5-6) and Barton (Jan. 7-8).
2021 SEASON — The Waves finished with a #5 national ranking after playing in the opening round of the NCAA Championships. The Waves went 13-7 overall, took third place in the MPSF's regular season at 11-5, and played in the MPSF Tournament final. Due to COVID-19 reasons, no regular-season non-conference matches were played.
Bryce Dvorak was named the AVCA's Newcomer of the Year and to the AVCA All-American honorable mention squad.
Spencer Wickens and
Austin Wilmot were both AVCA All-American second teamers.
Trey Cole joined Dvorak as an Off the Block Freshman All-American.
USA VOLLEYBALL — A number of Waves went to Anaheim during summer 2021 for a USA Volleyball Training camp.
David Hunt was the assistant coach of the Men's Collegiate National Training Team, which featured
Jaylen Jasper,
Spencer Wickens and
Austin Wilmot. The Men's U21 National Training Team included
Trey Cole,
Bryce Dvorak and
Joe Karlous. Wilmot would go on to earn a spot with the U.S. squad that compaeted at the Men's NORCECA Continental Championship in Mexico.
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 19 of the last 25 seasons, and in the top 10 in 24 of the last 25 years. Eleven different Waves have competed at the Olympics and were part of the U.S. gold-medal winning teams in 1984, 1988 and 2008.
COMPETING WITH PURPOSE — The Pepperdine University Department of Athletics is committed to Christian values, to the academic well-being of all our student-athletes and to competing for championships. The Competing With Purpose campaign highlights the commitment to our core values. Learn more about our exceptional student-athletes at www.PepperdineWaves.com.
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 10 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 26 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.
