A quartet of Pepperdine Waves men’s volleyball players received league honors just days after the squad’s regular season ended.
Waves senior outside hitter David Wieczorek was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s (MPSF) Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year for the second straight season. The 6-foot-8 All-American was also named to the All-MPSF first team along with his teammate, senior opposite Michael Wexter. Pepperdine’s Kaleb Denmark, also a senior outside hitter, was named to the conference’s second team, and sophomore setter Robert Mullahey was honorable mention.
The four players helped propel Pepperdine to a 18-6 record and the MPSF regular season championship. The Waves played host to BYU on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the semifinals of the MPSF tournament.
Wieczorek is the fourth player in MPSF history to win the Player of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons. The other players were BYU’s Taylor Sander in 2012-13, UCLA’s Jeff Nygaard in 1994-95 and Pepperdine’s George Roumain in 1998-99.
Wieczorek has been named to the first team for three straight seasons and was named to the second team in 2016. He leads all outside hitters in the conferences in hitting percentage at .372, which is tied for fifth in the MPSF overall. The player ranks second in the MPSF in kills per set, with 3.84; points per set, with 4.58; and aces per set, with .043.
Wexter was an honorable mention last season. This year, the 6-foot-6 volleyballer ranks second in the MPSF with digs, with 2.04 a game; fifth in kills, with 3.57; aces, at 0.32; and points, with 4.22. Wexter is tied for fifth in the conference in hitting percentage with Wieczorek.
Denmark, a first-time starter, ranks ninth in the MPSF in service aces, with 0.26; and 15th in digs; at 1.49; and kills, with 2.88. At the beginning of the month, the 6-foot-4 player won the American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Week Award.
After Pepperdine’s final regular season game, Wieczorek said Denmark has been playing amazing volleyball.
“He has been doing a great job,” Wieczorek said. “He has really stepped up for us.”
Mullahey collected honorable mention status for the second straight year. He leads the MPSF in assists, 10.28, and is 13th in digs, with 1.54. The 6-foot-4 Mullahey has also led the Waves to an MPSF-best .343 team hitting percentage.
