MPSF Coaches Favor Pepperdine in 2015
Dec. 11, 2014 2015 MPSF Men's Volleyball Coaches' Poll
In the most decisive preseason men's volleyball coaches' poll in MPSF history, Pepperdine collected 121 points and 11 first-place votes in placing at the top of the 2015 version. The 23-point cushion over second-place UC Santa Barbara (98) surpasses UC Irvine's 12-point differential at the top of 2007. The Waves finished strong at the end of the 2014 regular season to earn a first-place tie in the final standings. They will have one of the most experienced lineups in the country in 2015, with five returning senior starters, plus the libero. All-Americans Matt West (Sr., 6-5, S) and Josh Taylor (Sr., 6-7, OH) headline that group. All-American junior setter Jonah Seif, along with middle Jake Staahl and outside hitter Weston Nielsen return for MPSF Semifinalist UCSB, picked for second. USC is expected to make the largest leap from the final 2014 standings, placing third in the poll with 92 points following an eighth-place season. All-American senior setter Micah Christianson, national freshman of the Year Lucas Yoder and freshman All-American Andy Benesh return for the Trojans. UCLA was fourth with 86 points, the only other team besides Pepperdine to earn a first-place vote. Setter Steve O'Dell, libero Jackson Bantle (MPSF All-Freshman), and middles Trent Kersten and Mitch Stahl (MPSF All-Freshman) are the top returnees for the Bruins. UC Irvine totaled 83 points for fifth, with the return of two-time All-American libero Michael Brinkley and opposite Zack La Cavera. Back-to-back defending MPSF Champion BYU (77) rounds out the top-half of the MPSF, with all-conference honorees Michael Hatch and Josue Rivera back. Hawaii (63) and Cal State Northridge (50) are projected to return to the MPSF Championship Tournament after missing the field in 2014, placing seventh and eighth, respectively. Stanford (46), Long Beach State (44), Cal Baptist (19), and UC San Diego (13) complete the poll.
First serve to the official 2015 season is on January 2, before conference action gets underway on January 14. The 2015 MPSF Championship Tournament begins with quarterfinal action on April 25, hosted by the top-four seeds. The conference semifinals are on April 30, on the home floor of the top-seeded team to win in the quarters. That evening's winners will battle on May 1 for the MPSF title, contested at the semifinal site, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line (May 5-9 at Stanford).