MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men's volleyball team has been picked to finish second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, according to a preseason vote of the league's coaches, which was released on Thursday afternoon.

The Waves received one first place vote.  UCLA earned five first-place votes and was picked as the favorite, while Stanford also garnered one first-place vote.  Rounding out the poll are Grand Canyon and USC tied for fourth, followed by BYU and Concordia.

Pepperdine concluded the 2022 campaign ranked #5 in the country.  The Waves went 19-10 overall, finished third in the MPSF regular season, was the MPSF Tournament Champion and competed in the opening rounds of the NCAA Championships.  Pepperdine is seeking a fourth-straight appearance at the national tournament.  The Waves made the semifinals in 2019 and opening rounds in 2021 and 2022, while the 2020 postseason was canceled at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022 squad returns four starters plus the libero.  Two of the returners are AVCA All-Americans, as Bryce Dvorak earned AVCA All-American honors second team in 2022 and honorable mention acclaim, as well as an AVCA Newcomer of the Year honor, in 2021.  Jaylen Jasper also garnered an AVCA All-American honorable mention nod after his premier season with the Waves.

Pepperdine begins the 2023 season with four matches at home against Lincoln Memorial (Jan. 4), Edward Waters (Jan. 13), Emmanuel (Jan. 14) and Princeton (Jan. 16). 

Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter, @PeppVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram, @peppmvb.  Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on www.PepperdineWaves.com.