MALIBU, Calif. — The #9 Pepperdine men's volleyball team heads to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament hoping to win the event for the seventh time, and to claim the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. This year's MPSF tournament will be held at Stanford and the Waves will open up play against Grand Canyon.
MATCH #30 — Wednesday (April 19) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif.: #9 Pepperdine (16-13, 5-7 MPSF) vs. #7 Grand Canyon (21-6, 6-6 MPSF) at 8:05 p.m.
MATCH #31 — If Pepperdine wins ... Thursday (April 20) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif.: MPSF semifinals at 4:35 or 7:05 p.m.
MATCH #32 — If Pepperdine wins ... Saturday (April 22at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif.: MPSF final at 6:05 p.m.
COVERAGE — The MPSF Tournament will be streamed online via FloVolleyball. A paid subscription is required to watch. Links to broadcasts and live stats can be found at PepperdineWaves.com
TICKETS — There are all-session and round tickets available. Links can be found on PepperdineWaves.com.
FOLLOW — 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.
MPSF TOURNAMENT HISTORY — Pepperdine has won the MPSF Tournament six times, last in 2023, and has an all-time record of 32-21 (.604). The Waves have won at least one match in 17 of the 27 tournaments.
Last season, the Waves won through to the final as the #3-seed, besting #6-seeded BYU 3-2 and #2-seeded USC 3-1 to reach the final against #5-seeded Stanford. Pepperdine went on to defeat the Cardinal in a thrilling five-setter to clinch the MPSF crown and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA SELECTION SHOW — The NCAA selection show will air live on NCAA.com on April 23 at 10 a.m. PT.
LAST WEEK — The Waves fell in a tough pair of four-setters against #2 UCLA, winning first sets before falling in the remaining through for both matches. In Malibu,
Jaylen Jasper led with 17 kills, while
Joe Deluzio also hit for double-figures with 11.
Andersen Fuller produced seven blocks, while
Bryce Dvorak led with 43 assists, seven digs and had one ace alongside
Akin Akinwumi and
Brendan Read.
In the final match at Pauley Pavilion, Jasper once again led with 15 kills, while
Yadiel Diaz had a team-high six digs. Akinwumi was good for five blocks and Dvorak led with 32 assists.
WAVE REPORT — The Waves finished the regular season 16-13 overall and 5-7 in the MPSF, sporting an 11-3 record at home and going 2-1 on neutral courts and 3-9 on the road. The team produced 13.07 kills/set on a .331 clip, along with 12.29 assists, 1.48 aces, 7.55 digs and 1.70 blocks per set. Pepperdine allowed opponents 11.11 kills/set on a .303 output, along with 10.64 assists, 1.27 aces, 6.49 digs and 2.48 blocks.
Jaylen Jasper leads the Waves with 5.02 kills/set and has done so on a .371 hitting percentage, while
Bryce Dvorak leads in playmaking duties with 10.70 assists/set.
Akin Akinwumi led the squad with 0.85 blocks and 0.36 aces per set and
Trey Cole had a team-best 2.09 digs/set.
MPSF POSTSEASON ACCLAIM — Pepperdine had three players earn spots on All-MPSF postseason teams, but
Jaylen Jasper highlighted by becoming the ninth Wave in program history to garner MPSF Player of the Year acclaim. He also tabbed first team honors, while
Bryce Dvorak was named to the second team and
Akin Akinwumi earned an honorable mention nod.
NATIONAL STATS — As the regular season ended, the Waves rank second the nation with 13.07 kills/set, third with 12.29 assists/set and seventh with a .331 hitting percentage, while ranking 19th in service aces (1.48).
Bryce Dvorak also ranks second in the nation in assists/set (10.70).
Jaylen Jasper is second in kills/set (5.02) and points/set (5.51), 7th in attacks/set (9.08) and 14th in hitting percentage (.371) among others.
Trey Cole ranks 15th in digs/set (2.09) and
Akin Akinwumi ranks 9th in hitting percentage (.426) and 34th in aces/set (0.36).
OPPONENTS — Pepperdine holds a 9-4 record against the Antelopes all-time, dating back to 2010 when the teams first met at the Waves won in three. This season, each team took a match. This will be the first time Pepperdine and Grand Canyon will have met in the MPSF Tournament. Records vs. other opponents at the MPSF Tournament: Concordia 0-0, Stanford 4-4, UCLA 3-3, USC 3-3, BYU 5-3.
