MALIBU, Calif. — After starting conference play going 2-0 against then ranked No. 12 Grand Canyon last week, Pepperdine will pause conference play for a match against No. 4 UC Irvine.
MATCH #14 — Friday (March 7) at Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif.: #8 Pepperdine (10-3, 2-0 MPSF) vs. #4 UC Irvine (10-4, 0-2 Big West) at 7 p.m. | (No streaming)
COVERAGE – All home and MPSF matches will be streamed on B1G+ all season, links can be found at
https://pepperdinewaves.com.
UP NEXT — The Waves will travel to No. 10 Stanford to take on the Cardinal for an MPSF series on March 14 and March 15.
FOLLOW — Follow the Waves on Facebook and X, @PeppVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram and TikTok, @peppmvb. Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on
www.PepperdineWaves.com.
OPPONENTS — UC Irvine dropped to No. 4 in the polls this week after falling in two matches to No.3 Hawaii last weekend. Nationally, the Anteaters rank fourth in aces with a 2.04 average, are eighth in assists (11.82), and 12
th in kills (12.51) and hitting percentage (.314). UCI has won the last three meetings with the Waves, with the last being a series in 2023 where Pepperdine fell in five and four-set matches.
UCI redshirt freshman Aidan Rigg is the son of Matt Rigg, who was an All-American and National Champion at Pepperdine (1984-87), and his uncle Doug Rigg also played for the Waves (1985-88).
LAST TIME OUT — In the MPSF-opener, Pepperdine was able to take two matches against Grand Canyon in four sets. In their first meeting, the Waves posted 25-22, 23-25, 25-22, and 25-22 set scores.
Cole Hartke had a statement match, propelling the Waves to their first conference win by tabbing 18 kills on a .552 clip, also adding two service aces and three digs.
Ryan Barnett also captained the Waves' efficient offense with 10 kills, three service aces, two blocks, and a team-high eight digs.
James Eadie tied his career-high six blocks, with four being solo rejections, while also adding nine kills and an ace.
The next day, the Waves were able to win their second MPSF match, posting 30-28, 20-25, 25-20, and 25-17 set scores.
Ryan Barnett tabbed a new career-high 23 kills on a .409 success rate, adding five digs, two service aces, two assists, and one block.
Cole Hartke added another 18 kills on a .302 clip along with five digs, while
James Eadie had 10 kills with a .467 hitting percentage as well as a block and a service ace.
Gabe Dyer was on playmaking duties and tied his career-high with 51 assists, adding three kills and 12 digs.
Jacob Reilly was errorless on defense with 34 receptions and 11 digs, and
Ethan Hogan led the team in blocks with three.
ROSTER NUMBERS — The Waves are returning 11 players this season, including five starters, while also adding 15 new faces to the squad. MPSF Freshman of the Year,
Ethan Watson, returns for Pepperdine after coming in second on the team for total blocks, posting 74 throughout his 60 sets played. Outside hitter,
Ryan Barnett, ranked in the top five in three separate statistical categories for the team last season, including posting 200 kills, 82 digs, and 14 service aces throughout his 80 sets played. Sophomore setter,
Ryan Graves, is also returning for his second year after leading the team in assists as the key playmaker for Pepperdine last season.
Graves posted 596 assists 18 kills, and five service aces during the 2024 season.
MPSF PRESEASON POLL — In the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's preseason poll, the Waves came in fourth place after a 5-7 overall conference record last season.
FRESH FACES — Pepperdine has 15 newcomers this season, including 11 freshmen and four transfers. Outside hitter,
Cole Hartke joins the Waves as a three-time JVA All-American, Volleyball Magazine All-American, member of the U21 Men's National Team, and won gold this season at the Norceca Pan-Am Championship. Outside,
Jose Gomez also joins the squad after having international experience playing with Cuba's U19 and U21 National teams, playing in three Norceca Pan-Am Cups. Joining the Waves in January is freshman
Grant Lamoureux who served as the captain for the U19 National Indoor Team this summer at the Norceca Continental Championship, helping the team capture a gold medal. He is a two-time AAU All-American and a three-time JVA All-American, and in the sand placed ninth at the Beach 2024 U19 World Championships in China. The Waves' transfer crew includes graduate student brothers
George and
Gabe Dyer who came to Pepperdine after playing for UC San Diego and USC, respectively.
Jacob Reilly joins Pepperdine from Concordia University Irvine, after playing two seasons as a libero for the Golden Eagles.
2024 SEASON — Pepperdine concluded the 2024 campaign ranked #10 in the country. The Waves went 17-11 overall and finished fifth in the MPSF regular season after tallying a 5-7 league record. The Waves faced Stanford in the MPSF Tournament, falling in the first round.
WINDER AT THE HELM — Pepperdine all-time great
Jonathan Winder - an NCAA champion and former national player of the year - was hired to lead the Waves in 2023 and will begin his third season in 2025. He is the ninth head coach in the storied history of the Waves' men's volleyball program and debuted with a 16-14 record last season. He most recently served as the head coach of the Fresno State women's indoor volleyball program for the previous four seasons. He had also spent time as an assistant coach for the Washington women's volleyball team, helping lead the Huskies to a 105-21 record in three seasons, back-to-back Pac-12 championships, and consecutive Elite Eight appearances in 2015 and 2016. Winder spent the 2014 season in Malibu as an assistant for the Pepperdine after playing professionally in France, Germany, Greece and Romania and spending 2007-12 as a member of the U.S. National Team.
COACHES — Returning for his fifth season as an associate head coach,
Matthew Pollock will rejoin the sidelines for the Waves. With Pollock on the staff, the Waves advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished with a #5 ranking in both 2021 and 2022. Pollock played for the Waves from 2009-12 and was a starter middle blocker in his final two seasons, earning All-MPSF honors as a senior. He played professionally in Finland, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy and Germany.
Luke Reynolds joined the Waves' sideline this summer after serving as a head coach for the University of Charleston's program. He also was recently hired as Team USA's collegiate national men's team assistant coach in 2024. While with the Golden Eagles for three seasons, Reynolds led the team to 44 wins and a .543 winning percentage. He garnered EIVA Coach of the Year in 2023 after leading the program to a 22-7 record with a 14-match winning streak to open the season. That year, the team entered the AVCA national coaches polls for the first time in program history.
Will Craft also joined the staff as an assistant in July 2023, bringing a wealth of playing and coaching experience at both the professional and collegiate levels. He most recently served as the head men's coach at Dominican (DIII) and was named Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year. He was an All-American at Carthage before playing with SVG
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 #75 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
