No. 4 Men’s Volleyball Sees Seven Waves Earn Nine All-Conference Awards
4/21/2026 1:00:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. – No. 4 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (22-5, 13-1 MPSF) took home the most all-conference honors of any team with nine, highlighted by the program's third-straight Freshman of the Year award.
Jose Gomez, a redshirt freshman from Cuba, is the only freshman in the top-10 for hitting percentage, landing at ninth at .337 for the season. Gomez ranks eighth in the conference in aces per set (.40) and has served one in the past six matches in a row. This is the third straight year for a Wave to win Freshman of the Year, with Cole Hartke earning the title in 2025 and Ethan Watson in 2024. Prior to 2024, the last Wave to win the prestigious award was current head coach Jonathan Winder in 2005. Gomez also earned a nod on the all-conference honorable mention squad and all-freshman team.
For the second year in a row, Cole Hartke and Ryan Barnett are the two Waves to earn All-MPSF First Team honors. The duo have combined for the majority of Pepperdine's offense this season, scoring 49.7 percent of total points for the program this season. Both were named to the inaugural AVCA Player of the Year Watchlist with Hartke making the semifinal list, consisting of eight players across collegiate volleyball. On the defensive side of the ball, Hartke has tallied the second-most blocks on the team.
Andrej Polomac is the sole Wave to make All-MPSF second team. As the only setter on the squad, the Purdue Fort-Wayne transfer has thrived into the starting role he has stepped into for Pepperdine, averaging 10.4 assists per set.
Three Waves notched honorable mention nods as Gomez, Jacob Reilly, and James Eadie made the squad. Reilly is one of two liberos to make any all-conference team while Gomez is just one two freshman outside of the all-freshman team. Reilly also joins Barnett and Hartke to be a two-time all-MPSF selection.
Joining Gomez on the all-freshman team is freshman Noe Matthey. The Switzerland native tallied the third-most blocks on the team with 50, averaging .91 per set. With nine total awards, it is the most all-conference selections of any team in the MPSF. It is also the most Waves across all three teams (first, second, honorable mention) since 2015.
All honorees can be found here.
Tomorrow's match in the quarterfinals of the MPSF tournament against Jessup has a first serve time of 10 a.m. pst. The match will be available on B1G+ and live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
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_ .
Jose Gomez, a redshirt freshman from Cuba, is the only freshman in the top-10 for hitting percentage, landing at ninth at .337 for the season. Gomez ranks eighth in the conference in aces per set (.40) and has served one in the past six matches in a row. This is the third straight year for a Wave to win Freshman of the Year, with Cole Hartke earning the title in 2025 and Ethan Watson in 2024. Prior to 2024, the last Wave to win the prestigious award was current head coach Jonathan Winder in 2005. Gomez also earned a nod on the all-conference honorable mention squad and all-freshman team.
For the second year in a row, Cole Hartke and Ryan Barnett are the two Waves to earn All-MPSF First Team honors. The duo have combined for the majority of Pepperdine's offense this season, scoring 49.7 percent of total points for the program this season. Both were named to the inaugural AVCA Player of the Year Watchlist with Hartke making the semifinal list, consisting of eight players across collegiate volleyball. On the defensive side of the ball, Hartke has tallied the second-most blocks on the team.
Andrej Polomac is the sole Wave to make All-MPSF second team. As the only setter on the squad, the Purdue Fort-Wayne transfer has thrived into the starting role he has stepped into for Pepperdine, averaging 10.4 assists per set.
Three Waves notched honorable mention nods as Gomez, Jacob Reilly, and James Eadie made the squad. Reilly is one of two liberos to make any all-conference team while Gomez is just one two freshman outside of the all-freshman team. Reilly also joins Barnett and Hartke to be a two-time all-MPSF selection.
Joining Gomez on the all-freshman team is freshman Noe Matthey. The Switzerland native tallied the third-most blocks on the team with 50, averaging .91 per set. With nine total awards, it is the most all-conference selections of any team in the MPSF. It is also the most Waves across all three teams (first, second, honorable mention) since 2015.
All honorees can be found here.
Tomorrow's match in the quarterfinals of the MPSF tournament against Jessup has a first serve time of 10 a.m. pst. The match will be available on B1G+ and live stats available at www.pepperdinewaves.com
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_ .
Players Mentioned
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