Friday, May 1
Noblesville, Ind.
4:00 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
vs
Fort Valley State University
Photo by: Kelly Nugent
No. 4 Men’s Volleyball Faces Fort Valley State in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament
4/30/2026 5:07:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – The No. 4 Pepperdine men's volleyball team (23-6, 13-1 MPSF) opens the NCAA tournament tomorrow night against the Wildcats of Fort Valley State (14-12,, 8-0 SIAC).
LAST TIME OUT
•Pepperdine fell to No. 6 USC in the third matchup in a week at the MPSF Tournament semifinals.
•Finishing 13-1 in conference play, the Waves secured a share of the 2026 MPSF regular season championship.
• Remaining the 4th ranked-team in the country, the Waves are one of three MPSF teams to make the expanded 12-team NCAA field, joining No. 1 UCLA and No. 5 USC.
GAME NOTES
• For the first time since 2019, Pepperdine took home at least a share of the MPSF regular season title.
•The Waves share the title with No. 1 UCLA, who they split two matches with earlier this season as Pepperdine is the only team to beat the Bruins thus far.
• Deferring to a coaches vote for conference tournament seeding, the Waves earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
• Owning 5 NCAA titles and 19 MPSF titles, with the most recent conference title being earned last year, the Waves are no stranger to what it takes to put together a championship-level team.
• With one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA, Pepperdine is setting the season up for success with the team's sights set on a trip back to the NCAA tournament, which expanded to 12 teams this year.
•All six losses this season have come to ranked opponents as the Waves remain at the top of the MPSF table.
• Ryan Barnett, James Eadie, Cole Hartke, and Jacob Reilly all return as All-Americans for the Waves.
• Barnett, Hartke, and Reilly all played on some level of the national team this summer.
• Ryan Barnett earned a silver medal with the U23 team at the Pan American Cup while also playing on the senior USA team with Jacob Reilly in the Pan American Cup.
• Cole Hartke earned a bronze in the FIVB World Championship with the U21 team, the farthest the USA has ever gotten in the tournament.
• In the first year of a pre-season watchlist for AVCA National Player of the Year, two Waves were selected in Cole Hartke and Ryan Barnett.
• The duo is at the top of Pepperdine's stat sheets for kills, hitting percentage, and service aces.
• Hartke was selected as one of eight to make the list for the semifinalists for National Player of the Year.
•Hartke leads all semifinalists in kills per set and points per set as the only opposite to make the shortlist.
• Pepperdine is second in the MPSF in blocks per set with an average of 2.32.
• Individually, James Eadie is the most efficient defensive player for the Waves, averaging 1.02 blocks per set, good for third in the conference.
• Leading the team in kills, Cole Hartke has a hitting clip of .352, leading the nation in kills per set at 4.29.
• Winning his third and fourth collegiate conference honors this season, Cole Hartke swept the MPSF awards with an offensive and defensive Player of the Week nod after a sweep of Loyola Chicago and reverse-sweep of Lewis.
• Nationally, Hartke earned the AVCA National Player of the Week that same week.
• Only a sophomore, the Barrington, Ill. native is the reigning MPSF Freshman of the year as well as a second-team All American.
• Most recently, Hartke was named to the All-MPSF team for his performance in the conference tournament last week.
• A redshirt senior out of New York, Barnett is hitting his stride in the most important stretch of the season.
• Notching a career-high 20 kills at No. 9 BYU, Barnett returns to Provo for the conference tournament leading the team in attacking percentage at .387.
• An integral part of the Waves' Final Four run last season, Barnett is playing his best volleyball with postseason beginning this week as he looks to help his team to the promise land.
• Each match, coaches are given two unsuccessful challenges per set. If a challenge is used and deemed successful, the coach gets to keep it to use at a later time.
•Losing just one at UCLA and winning three of five total challenges at USC, Winder has a stellar rate of knowing when to take a second look.
• Redshirting last season, Grant Lamoureux is a player to keep an eye out for on this star-studded roster.
• Named the Junior Male Indoor Athlete of the Year this past year, the redshirt freshman brings plenty of experience regardless of never logging collegiate minutes.
• This summer, Lamoureux was a captain of the U19 World Championship squad with team USA where he led the team in kills nearly every time out.
• Redshirt Ford Harman transferred into Pepperdine from national-champion Long Beach State.
• This summer, Harman earned a Silver medal at the 2025 Men's Beach Collegiate Challenge for team USA.
• Harman is originally from Santa Barbara, playing at Santa Barbara HS before college.
• Pepperdine was projected to finish second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, coming in behind UCLA.
• The Waves tied for second with USC, receiving four first place votes with the Trojans receiving just two.
• This season marks the 56th and final season with Firestone Fieldhouse as the home for Pepperdine Men's Volleyball
• Pepperdine will move into the Mountain at Mullin Park for the 2026-27 season.
• The Mountain is a new 3,600-seat arena that will give Pepperdine a state-of-the-art competition venue, complete with a 360-degree high-definition scoreboard, VIP and hospitality spaces, and custom team locker rooms.
• Outside of the United States, the Waves represent three other countries in Cuba, Serbia, and Switzerland.
• Andrej Polomac, a transfer from Purdue Fort-Wayne, is the sole Serbian on the squad, brings elite experience as a setter with an average of just under 9 assists per set last season.
• The Waves add even more international experience next year with two of the three commits coming from overseas, bringing another Serbian to Malibu as well as a middle blocker from the Czech Republic.
• In his fourth year at the helm, Winder is coming off his most successful season last year with a run to the final four in the NCAA tournament.
• Last season, Winder led the Waves to an MPSF title, the program's first since 2019.
• As the ninth coach at the helm, Winder is an alum of the program himself, earning a National Title with Pepperdine in 2005.
SERIES HISTORY WITH FORT VALLEY STATE
• Pepperdine has only played the Wildcats once in program history.
• The Waves beat FVSU in the sole matchup last season 3-0 in Malibu.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
• Sitting at 14-12, FVSU went a perfect 8-0 in conference play en route to a SIAC championship.
• The Wildcats won the SIAC for the third year in a row, earning an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
• FVSU earned the 12th overall seed in the tournament.
• Offensively, Isaiah Fedd leads the squad with an average of 4.2 points per set, with 3.6 kills.
•On the defensive side of the ball, Taviian Martin leads the team in blocks while Logan Rogers averages a team-leading 1.41 digs/set.
First serve Friday night is set for 4 pm PT in the Riverview Health Arena. If Pepperdine wins, they will play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Ball State Saturday night in the same venue. Tomorrow night's match will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available on 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.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .
LAST TIME OUT
•Pepperdine fell to No. 6 USC in the third matchup in a week at the MPSF Tournament semifinals.
•Finishing 13-1 in conference play, the Waves secured a share of the 2026 MPSF regular season championship.
• Remaining the 4th ranked-team in the country, the Waves are one of three MPSF teams to make the expanded 12-team NCAA field, joining No. 1 UCLA and No. 5 USC.
GAME NOTES
• For the first time since 2019, Pepperdine took home at least a share of the MPSF regular season title.
•The Waves share the title with No. 1 UCLA, who they split two matches with earlier this season as Pepperdine is the only team to beat the Bruins thus far.
• Deferring to a coaches vote for conference tournament seeding, the Waves earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
• Owning 5 NCAA titles and 19 MPSF titles, with the most recent conference title being earned last year, the Waves are no stranger to what it takes to put together a championship-level team.
• With one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA, Pepperdine is setting the season up for success with the team's sights set on a trip back to the NCAA tournament, which expanded to 12 teams this year.
•All six losses this season have come to ranked opponents as the Waves remain at the top of the MPSF table.
• Ryan Barnett, James Eadie, Cole Hartke, and Jacob Reilly all return as All-Americans for the Waves.
• Barnett, Hartke, and Reilly all played on some level of the national team this summer.
• Ryan Barnett earned a silver medal with the U23 team at the Pan American Cup while also playing on the senior USA team with Jacob Reilly in the Pan American Cup.
• Cole Hartke earned a bronze in the FIVB World Championship with the U21 team, the farthest the USA has ever gotten in the tournament.
• In the first year of a pre-season watchlist for AVCA National Player of the Year, two Waves were selected in Cole Hartke and Ryan Barnett.
• The duo is at the top of Pepperdine's stat sheets for kills, hitting percentage, and service aces.
• Hartke was selected as one of eight to make the list for the semifinalists for National Player of the Year.
•Hartke leads all semifinalists in kills per set and points per set as the only opposite to make the shortlist.
• Pepperdine is second in the MPSF in blocks per set with an average of 2.32.
• Individually, James Eadie is the most efficient defensive player for the Waves, averaging 1.02 blocks per set, good for third in the conference.
• Leading the team in kills, Cole Hartke has a hitting clip of .352, leading the nation in kills per set at 4.29.
• Winning his third and fourth collegiate conference honors this season, Cole Hartke swept the MPSF awards with an offensive and defensive Player of the Week nod after a sweep of Loyola Chicago and reverse-sweep of Lewis.
• Nationally, Hartke earned the AVCA National Player of the Week that same week.
• Only a sophomore, the Barrington, Ill. native is the reigning MPSF Freshman of the year as well as a second-team All American.
• Most recently, Hartke was named to the All-MPSF team for his performance in the conference tournament last week.
• A redshirt senior out of New York, Barnett is hitting his stride in the most important stretch of the season.
• Notching a career-high 20 kills at No. 9 BYU, Barnett returns to Provo for the conference tournament leading the team in attacking percentage at .387.
• An integral part of the Waves' Final Four run last season, Barnett is playing his best volleyball with postseason beginning this week as he looks to help his team to the promise land.
• Each match, coaches are given two unsuccessful challenges per set. If a challenge is used and deemed successful, the coach gets to keep it to use at a later time.
•Losing just one at UCLA and winning three of five total challenges at USC, Winder has a stellar rate of knowing when to take a second look.
• Redshirting last season, Grant Lamoureux is a player to keep an eye out for on this star-studded roster.
• Named the Junior Male Indoor Athlete of the Year this past year, the redshirt freshman brings plenty of experience regardless of never logging collegiate minutes.
• This summer, Lamoureux was a captain of the U19 World Championship squad with team USA where he led the team in kills nearly every time out.
• Redshirt Ford Harman transferred into Pepperdine from national-champion Long Beach State.
• This summer, Harman earned a Silver medal at the 2025 Men's Beach Collegiate Challenge for team USA.
• Harman is originally from Santa Barbara, playing at Santa Barbara HS before college.
• Pepperdine was projected to finish second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, coming in behind UCLA.
• The Waves tied for second with USC, receiving four first place votes with the Trojans receiving just two.
• This season marks the 56th and final season with Firestone Fieldhouse as the home for Pepperdine Men's Volleyball
• Pepperdine will move into the Mountain at Mullin Park for the 2026-27 season.
• The Mountain is a new 3,600-seat arena that will give Pepperdine a state-of-the-art competition venue, complete with a 360-degree high-definition scoreboard, VIP and hospitality spaces, and custom team locker rooms.
• Outside of the United States, the Waves represent three other countries in Cuba, Serbia, and Switzerland.
• Andrej Polomac, a transfer from Purdue Fort-Wayne, is the sole Serbian on the squad, brings elite experience as a setter with an average of just under 9 assists per set last season.
• The Waves add even more international experience next year with two of the three commits coming from overseas, bringing another Serbian to Malibu as well as a middle blocker from the Czech Republic.
• In his fourth year at the helm, Winder is coming off his most successful season last year with a run to the final four in the NCAA tournament.
• Last season, Winder led the Waves to an MPSF title, the program's first since 2019.
• As the ninth coach at the helm, Winder is an alum of the program himself, earning a National Title with Pepperdine in 2005.
SERIES HISTORY WITH FORT VALLEY STATE
• Pepperdine has only played the Wildcats once in program history.
• The Waves beat FVSU in the sole matchup last season 3-0 in Malibu.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
• Sitting at 14-12, FVSU went a perfect 8-0 in conference play en route to a SIAC championship.
• The Wildcats won the SIAC for the third year in a row, earning an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
• FVSU earned the 12th overall seed in the tournament.
• Offensively, Isaiah Fedd leads the squad with an average of 4.2 points per set, with 3.6 kills.
•On the defensive side of the ball, Taviian Martin leads the team in blocks while Logan Rogers averages a team-leading 1.41 digs/set.
First serve Friday night is set for 4 pm PT in the Riverview Health Arena. If Pepperdine wins, they will play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Ball State Saturday night in the same venue. Tomorrow night's match will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats available on 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.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
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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/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
OH/L
/ Men's Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's Volleyball
