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Jonathan Bates and Brandon Johnson
Some of the top Pepperdine players from the decade are receiving a college men’s volleyball honor.
Off the Block announced on Friday the seven players selected to the Pepperdine All-Decade Starting Lineup presented by Off the Block.
The All-Decade Starting Lineup recognizes the best players to compete with a team since 2010. Similar to the starting lineup for a match, the All-Decade honor is comprised of a setter, opposite and libero along with two outside attackers and middle attackers.
The Off the Block staff determined the All-Decade Starting Lineup using a variety of factors including career statistical performance and the team’s overall success when a player was a member of the program.
This is also part of a series from Off the Block to celebrate the end of the decade in college men’s volleyball. Off the Block throughout the rest of 2019 will release an All-Decade Starting Lineup for every NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball team.
The five-time national champion Pepperdine Waves won both the MPSF regular-season crown as well as the MPSF tournament title in 2019. The Waves defeated Princeton in the Opening Round of the NCAA tournament before losing to Long Beach State in the
Off the Block is a national award winning website that was established in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball.
Pepperdine All-Decade Starting Lineup presented by Off the Block
Setter: Matt West
Outside Attacker: Josh Taylor
Outside Attacker: David Wieczorek
Opposite: Maurice Torres
Middle Attacker: Matthew Pollock
Middle Attacker: Matt Tarantino
Libero: Brennan Anderson
Matt West (2012-15)
Awards and honors: 2012 All-MPSF Honorable Mention, 2012 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2013 All-American First Team, 2013 All-MPSF First Team, 2014 All-American Second Team, 2014 All-MPSF First Team, 2015 All-American First Team. 2015 All-MPSF First Team
Matt West led the Waves in assists in all four seasons in Malibu, something only one other player has done for Pepperdine during the rally scoring period (Jonathan Winder). His 4,766 career assists ranks second to Winder. Two of West’s single season assists marks fall in the top ten in program history, while his 39 aces in 2015 ranks tenth best. West’s 684 digs ranks fifth best in program history.
Josh Taylor (2012-15)
Awards and honors: 2012 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2013 All-MPSF Second Team, 2014 All-MPSF First Team, 2014 All-American Second Team, 2015 All-American First Team, 2015 All-MPSF First Team
The interim head coach of Missouri women’s volleyball ranks ninth in program history with 1,433 kills. In 2014, Taylor led the Waves with 353 kills and 24 aces, while leading the team with a .369 attack percentage in 2015. His 400 sets played ranks seventh in Waves history.
David Wieczorek (2016-19)
Awards and honors: 2016 All-MPSF Second Team, 2016 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2016 Off the Block/Springbak Freshman All-American Team, 2017 All-American Honorable Mention, 2017 All-MPSF First Team, 2018 All-American Second Team, 2018 MPSF Player of the Year, 2018 All-MPSF First Team, 2019 All-American First Team, 2019 All-MPSF Player of the Year, 2019 All-MPSF First Team, 2016-2019 Off the Block Fan Choice National Player of Year
As if being named the back-to-back-to-back-to back Off the Block Fan Choice National Player of Year was not enough validation, Wieczorek led the Waves in kills in the separate seasons, aces in three seasons, and attack efficiency in two seasons. His 355 career kills ranks 12th best in program history, while his 133 aces ranks sixth best. He had 42 aces in both 2018 and 2019 – good for sixth best in a single season for a Waves player.
Maurice Torres (2010-13)
Awards and honors: 2010 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2012 All-MPSF First Team, 2012 All-American Second Team, 2013 All-American Second Team, 2013 All-MPSF First Team
Torres led the Waves in kills all four seasons he was in Malibu. He also led the Waves in both aces and digs in 2012 and 2013. Torres’ 1,634 career kills ranks sixth best in program history, while his 4.02 kills per game ranks tenth best. Torres’ led the NCAA with a 5.02 kills per game average during his senior year.
Matthew Pollock (2009-2012)
Awards and honors: 2012 All-MPSF Honorable Mention
The current Pepperdine men’s volleyball assistant led the Waves in 2011 and 2012 in both attack percentage and blocks. Pollock’s .443 attack percentage in 2012 ranks
Matt Tarantino (2012-16)
Awards and honors: 2012 All-MPSF Freshman Team, 2014 All-American Honorable Mention, 2014 All-MPSF Second Team, 2015 All-MPSF Second Team, 2016 All-American Second Team, 2016 All-MPSF First Team
Tarantino totaled 796 kills and only 240 errors on 1,533 attempts for a .385 attack percentage for his career. He also amassed 333 total blocks, 89 aces, and 249 digs. Tarantino led the Waves with a .406 attack percentage in
Brennan Anderson (2014-15)
Awards and honors: 2015 All-American Honorable Mention, 2015 All-MPSF Second Team
While only playing two seasons for Pepperdine after transferring from Ohio State, Anderson left his mark in Malibu. His career 2.25 digs per game average