Riding New Wave

It was a silly little dance, really, a quirky bit of improv as emotion superseded rational thinking in Kurt Nelson’s head.

But there he was, sprinting circles around the Pepperdine side of the court, a one-man celebration completely oblivious to everything else, including the mob created by his teammates.

The Waves won a big volleyball match against USC last Thursday, which essentially clinched their berth to this week’s NCAA Final Four. And Nelson, a senior setter, appeared to let go of all that had been eating at him throughout his career.

His unexpected transfer from UCLA? History.

A venture into volleyball oblivion last season? Erased.

Nelson, from Laguna Beach High, and second-seeded Pepperdine (22-5) open Thursday’s Final Four in Fort Wayne, Ind., against Ohio State (24-3) at 6 p.m. Top-seeded UCLA (27-5) will play Penn State (20-13) at 3:30 p.m. and the winners advance to Saturday’s 11 a.m. championship match.

UCLA defeated Pepperdine in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament final last weekend, so the Waves are eager for a rematch. It would also be a fitting conclusion for Nelson’s collegiate career.

Nelson started at UCLA, where his father Byron played football. And the Bruins are led by his childhood friend and four-time All-American setter Brandon Taliaferro, who played at San Clemente High.

“I played club volleyball with Brandon back in seventh or eighth grade,” Nelson said. “We’ve been playing against each other for who knows how long.

“Before [the MPSF final], we were joking with each other, ‘Man, I’ve seen your ugly face across the net way too many times.’ ”

Nelson went to UCLA as a recruited walk-on and had a redshirt season in 1996. But when Taliaferro arrived, Nelson knew his days as a Bruin were numbered.

“I looked at my career at UCLA and saw Brandon there and figured I wouldn’t get much playing time,” Nelson said. “He’s awesome.”

Nelson explored playing for other schools. Stanford was set at setter. So was Long Beach State. And USC.

But Pepperdine was severely lacking. Starter J.J. Riley suffered a knee injury during a preseason tournament in Canada and would be out for the season.

Nelson’s other option was UC Irvine, which recruited him heavily out of high school, but he chose Pepperdine and requested a release from his letter of intent.

UCLA Coach Al Scates was hesitant, realizing he would lose a back-up setter, but he agreed to cut Nelson loose.

Nelson left UCLA at mid-semester, arrived at Pepperdine in January, 1997, and was plugged into the starting rotation.

He ranked fourth in the nation with 18.17 assists per game on a team loaded with firepower, including two future U.S. National team players, George Roumain and Kevin Barnett.

But the Waves lost in the first round of the MPSF tournament to eventual NCAA champion Stanford.

Riley returned the following season, triggering Nelson’s gradual retreat to the end of the bench.

After Riley won the starting job, Nelson became a reserve defensive specialist. He started at setter for a few matches when Riley sat out with a sprained ankle.

Last year, Riley’s senior season, Nelson did not play a match for the Waves. Not even a rotation. Zero. No appearances in the back row, either.

He kept his cool. He knew his time would come.

“I didn’t feel like I was getting [passed] over,” Nelson said. “I was practicing every day and having fun with the guys. I couldn’t complain. The tough times were when I was thinking about this year and knowing I would play. All that time, I just had to wait.”

Pepperdine should be thankful for his patience.

You won’t find Nelson on the All-American or All-MPSF teams, but he’s a fuel injector for the Waves’ volleyball engine. Without him, it just wouldn’t happen for the Waves.

He is averaging 18.95 assists per game, is second on the team with 210 digs and fifth with 62 blocks.

“I think he gives the team a certain amount of stability,” said Jeff Stork, interim coach at Pepperdine and a former setter for the U.S. National team. “He doesn’t have real high highs and he doesn’t have real low lows. He has a pretty good eye for the team. He makes everybody comfortable. People want to play with him and for him.”

Now Nelson and his teammates are within two victories of a storybook finish.

“We have to take care of business first with Ohio State,” Nelson said. “But it would be a perfect way to end it; getting another shot at UCLA.”

But it’s not like Nelson has a vendetta against the Bruins. Any bitter feelings on the UCLA side have also departed.

Scates joked with Nelson at a recent match, asking him how it felt to be an old-timer, Nelson said.

Said Scates, who has had only a handful of players transfer in 38 years at UCLA: “I was perfectly happy with Nelson and thought he would start, and then Brandon Taliaferro came here. [Nelson] puts up a real hittable ball and that’s the main thing you want a setter to do.”

Said Nelson: “People say, ‘How could you want to transfer from UCLA?’ But Pepperdine’s been great. This is all I could hope for. . . . to be in a position to win Pepperdine’s fourth national championship.”