Saturday, April 18
Malibu, Calif.
6:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
22-5,13-1MPSFMVB
3
vs
0
University of Southern California
17-6,9-5MPSFMVB
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California | 20 | 22 | 18 | 0 |
| Pepperdine | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Jeff Golden
No. 4 Men's Volleyball Clinches MPSF Regular Season Championship with 3-0 Victory Over No. 6 USC in Final Firestone Fieldhouse Match
4/18/2026 10:20:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. — No. 4 Pepperdine men's volleyball (22-5, 13-1 MPSF) clinched a share of the MPSF Regular Season title with a 3-0 victory over No. 6 USC (17-6, 9-5 MPSF) in the final men's volleyball contest in Firestone Fieldhouse.
The match saw multiple recognitions and flashbacks to each decade that Pepperdine men's volleyball has called Firestone Fieldhouse home (1972-2026). A modern volleyball era record crowd of 2,870 filled the storied Fieldhouse one final time with alumni and familiar faces from over the decades throughout the gym.
The Waves have now won their eighth regular season MPSF title and first since the 2019 campaign. Pepperdine will look to repeat as conference champions with the MPSF Tournament coming up next week (April 22-25) in Provo, Utah.
"The guys played tough tonight, in particular in the second set," noted head coach Jonathan Winder following the win. "Andrej did a great job running our offense tonight."
"It was an incredible atmosphere in Firestone one last time," continued Winder. "It was just a spectacular night with the guys and Pepperdine community. This is such a special group and place."
Cole Hartke & Ryan Barnett led the Pepperdine attack with 13 and 12 kills, respectively. James Eadie got in on five blocks while Hartke added three defensively.
After falling behind 4-1 in the opening set, Pepperdine settled in as the teams went back and forth in the early scoring, featuring five ties before either side reached double digits. The Waves got out to a three-point lead for the first time at 19-16 following an Eadie and Hartke block.
Hartke then notched two more kills with a Trojan service error in between, as the Waves led 22-18 which prompted a USC timeout. Following a USC error, Pepperdine clinched the set 25-20 with a kill from Hartke and block from Andrej Polomac and Noe Matthey.
Hartke paced all players with five points in the opening set while he and Eadie each posted two blocks. Pepperdine hit .333 compared to a .136 showing from the Trojans.
The second set saw the teams trade points early on before the Trojans got out on the front foot. USC used a 5-1 spurt to go ahead 16-12, their largest lead in any set on the night. Pepperdine began to chip away as three straight kills from Barnett brought the Waves back to within two at 20-18, with a Hartke kill eventually tying the set at 21-all.
Aidan Tune entered to serve at 22-22 which helped prompt three straight Pepperdine points to take the set in comeback fashion, 25-22. A USC error was followed by a Tune ace, with Hartke then putting the exclamation point on the set with his tenth kill of the night. Barnett paced the Waves with seven kills in the second, while Jacob Reilly had four digs in the set as Pepperdine hit over 50% at .560.
The Waves jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the third and never looked back on their way to the sweep. Hartke, Barnett and Jose Gomez each logged three kills in the final stanza, while Eadie capped his night with three blocks in the final set.
The Trojans got as close as three at 17-14, but a 6-2 run from the Waves put the match out of reach for the road side. Polomac assisted Matthey for the final kill of the night, capping a 25-18 third set. Polomac logged 37 set assists on the night.
The Waves have now posted back-to-back sweeps over the sixth-ranked Trojans to end the regular season, and have dropped just one set across their last four matches.
Pepperdine will head to Provo, Utah for the MPSF Tournament held from April 22-25. A full bracket and schedule will be announced by the conference at a later date.
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 12 4 24 .333
2 16 2 25 .560
3 12 2 21 .476
USC ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 9 6 22 .136
2 18 4 32 .438
3 9 6 20 .150
GAME NOTES
ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine men's volleyball boasts one of the richest histories in collegiate volleyball, with five NCAA National Championships. Four of those championships came under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Marv Dunphy who totaled 612 victories in 34 seasons at the helm. With 19 NCAA Appearances and 63 All-Americans, the program has consistently been a destination for top talent across the country. Under current head coach Jonathan Winder, the Waves reached the NCAA Final Four in his third season at the helm in 2025.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .
The match saw multiple recognitions and flashbacks to each decade that Pepperdine men's volleyball has called Firestone Fieldhouse home (1972-2026). A modern volleyball era record crowd of 2,870 filled the storied Fieldhouse one final time with alumni and familiar faces from over the decades throughout the gym.
The Waves have now won their eighth regular season MPSF title and first since the 2019 campaign. Pepperdine will look to repeat as conference champions with the MPSF Tournament coming up next week (April 22-25) in Provo, Utah.
"The guys played tough tonight, in particular in the second set," noted head coach Jonathan Winder following the win. "Andrej did a great job running our offense tonight."
"It was an incredible atmosphere in Firestone one last time," continued Winder. "It was just a spectacular night with the guys and Pepperdine community. This is such a special group and place."
Cole Hartke & Ryan Barnett led the Pepperdine attack with 13 and 12 kills, respectively. James Eadie got in on five blocks while Hartke added three defensively.
After falling behind 4-1 in the opening set, Pepperdine settled in as the teams went back and forth in the early scoring, featuring five ties before either side reached double digits. The Waves got out to a three-point lead for the first time at 19-16 following an Eadie and Hartke block.
Hartke then notched two more kills with a Trojan service error in between, as the Waves led 22-18 which prompted a USC timeout. Following a USC error, Pepperdine clinched the set 25-20 with a kill from Hartke and block from Andrej Polomac and Noe Matthey.
Hartke paced all players with five points in the opening set while he and Eadie each posted two blocks. Pepperdine hit .333 compared to a .136 showing from the Trojans.
The second set saw the teams trade points early on before the Trojans got out on the front foot. USC used a 5-1 spurt to go ahead 16-12, their largest lead in any set on the night. Pepperdine began to chip away as three straight kills from Barnett brought the Waves back to within two at 20-18, with a Hartke kill eventually tying the set at 21-all.
Aidan Tune entered to serve at 22-22 which helped prompt three straight Pepperdine points to take the set in comeback fashion, 25-22. A USC error was followed by a Tune ace, with Hartke then putting the exclamation point on the set with his tenth kill of the night. Barnett paced the Waves with seven kills in the second, while Jacob Reilly had four digs in the set as Pepperdine hit over 50% at .560.
The Waves jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the third and never looked back on their way to the sweep. Hartke, Barnett and Jose Gomez each logged three kills in the final stanza, while Eadie capped his night with three blocks in the final set.
The Trojans got as close as three at 17-14, but a 6-2 run from the Waves put the match out of reach for the road side. Polomac assisted Matthey for the final kill of the night, capping a 25-18 third set. Polomac logged 37 set assists on the night.
The Waves have now posted back-to-back sweeps over the sixth-ranked Trojans to end the regular season, and have dropped just one set across their last four matches.
Pepperdine will head to Provo, Utah for the MPSF Tournament held from April 22-25. A full bracket and schedule will be announced by the conference at a later date.
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 12 4 24 .333
2 16 2 25 .560
3 12 2 21 .476
USC ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 9 6 22 .136
2 18 4 32 .438
3 9 6 20 .150
GAME NOTES
- Pepperdine outhit the Trojans .457 to .270 in the match.
- The sweep marked Pepperdine's 13th of the season and eighth in MPSF play.
- The Waves did not allow a service ace defensively while having five on the Trojans.
- Cole Hartke logged a game-high 13 kills on the night.
- Ryan Barnett added 12 kills while hitting .611.
- Andrej Polomac accounted for three of Pepperdine's five service aces, to go along with 37 set assists.
- James Eadie recorded five blocks, four kills and three digs in the effort.
- Jose Gomez and Noe Matthey each added five kills.
- Jacob Reilly tallied a game-high five digs on the night.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine men's volleyball boasts one of the richest histories in collegiate volleyball, with five NCAA National Championships. Four of those championships came under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Marv Dunphy who totaled 612 victories in 34 seasons at the helm. With 19 NCAA Appearances and 63 All-Americans, the program has consistently been a destination for top talent across the country. Under current head coach Jonathan Winder, the Waves reached the NCAA Final Four in his third season at the helm in 2025.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .
Team Stats
USC
PEP
Kills
36
40
Errors
16
8
Attempts
74
70
Hitting %
.270
.457
Points
39.0
51.0
Assists
29
38
Aces
0
5
Blocks
3
6
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Men's VolleyballMB
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
