Pepperdine Will Play for NCAA Title

Pepperdine hasn’t won an NCAA men’s volleyball championship since 1992 despite having repeated chances. It will have another chance next week.

Playing with precision and staying unflappable, the Waves defeated Long Beach State, 31-29, 30-21, 30-27, to win the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title Saturday night in front of 2,107 at Firestone Fieldhouse.

Pepperdine (23-2) advanced to the NCAA national semifinals for the fourth time in six years. The semifinals are Thursday at UCLA, with the championship match scheduled for Saturday.

“We’ve just got to keep on our game and keep doing what we’re doing,” outside hitter John Parfitt said.

Parfitt, who had 13 kills, was helped by 10 kills each from Andy Hein and John Mayer, who supported star senior outside hitter Sean Rooney. Rooney had 16 kills and one hitting error, and the Waves’ .460 attack percentage was too much for Long Beach State (22-10).

“They’ve set the standard all year for what it takes to win it,” Long Beach State Coach Alan Knipe said. “You’re going to have to score some real points late in games.”

Pepperdine scored the final two points to win the first game and built an insurmountable eight-point lead in the second, highlighted by Rooney’s stuff block of Yassir Sliti after John Parfitt and John Mayer dug out two 49er blasts.

“Everybody was dancing after that,” Pepperdine Coach Marv Dunphy said.

Long Beach State must wait to find out if it or UCLA, the other team most likely under consideration, will receive the at-large bid after a conference call this morning among the three members of the NCAA tournament selection committee.

Penn State and Ohio State earned the other two automatic bids Saturday night.

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-- Eric Stephens