Pepp Talk

Ellie Monobe joined the Pepperdine Athletics staff this summer as the new head coach of the women’s swimming and diving program. The former national champion swimmer at Cal spent the last four years at UC Santa Barbara. It wasn’t your usual interview process, as she interviewed over Zoom and took the job without visiting campus due to the pandemic. Now she’s building rapport with the team and getting the Waves ready to compete in 2021.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesSwimDive @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Merrill Moses, associate head coach of the Pepperdine men’s water polo team, returns to the podcast for the third time to talk about the events of the last year. That includes the 2019 Golden Coast Conference Tournament title, which sent the Waves to the NCAA Championships for the first time since he was a player leading Pepperdine to the 1997 national title. Then, the pandemic interrupted their expected spring and summer plans, and postponed the fall 2020 season to early 2021. We talk about what this team and the upcoming season might look like.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   Episode 2 with Merrill Moses Episode 54 with Merrill Moses   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @MerrillMoses @PeppWaterPolo @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Scott Wong, now in his sixth season as the Pepperdine women’s volleyball head coach, is heading into a season unlike any other. His fall 2020 season has been pushed to early 2021 so we discuss what the past year has been like for his team, and what this year’s team looks like.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   Episode 7 with Scott Wong   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesVolleyball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Skye Barnett had a great run as a Pepperdine student-athlete about a decade ago: a standout on the women’s basketball team who was honored for her academics and who received the first-ever Maurice Hilliard Award because of her faith. She returned to Malibu last year to become the Director of Basketball Operations for the women’s program. Enjoy her life story and tales of her time with the Waves.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @DOBOSkyeB @WavesHoops @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Gerald Brown was a three-time All-WCC first team pick in the 1990s and one of the top scorers in Pepperdine men’s basketball history. After a professional career that included a season in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, stops all over the world and a brief run with the Harlem Globetrotters, he transitioned into coaching, and now he’s back at Pepperdine as an assistant coach.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @MrGeraldBrown @PeppBasketball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Kevin Wright, Pepperdine’s Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, had the lead role in putting together the Waves’ return-to-play plan to safely bring student-athletes back to campus and to start competing during the pandemic. That’s a significant part of this podcast, plus we touch on his days as a student-athlete playing men’s volleyball at Pepperdine before transitioning into the world of athletic training.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @Pepkneeguy @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

One of the all-time greats in Pepperdine men’s volleyball history, Paul Carroll joins the podcast this week. The Australian was a National Player of the Year just over a decade ago, and after a successful professional career, he returned to Pepperdine in the past year to begin his coaching career. We talk about playing for the Waves and overseas, and what it’s now like to be a coach.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @paul_carroll12 @PeppVolleyball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Pepperdine assistant baseball coach Danny Worth tells us his story – three great seasons playing for the Waves, becoming a high MLB Draft pick, playing in the Majors for parts of six seasons, and returning to Malibu to start his coaching career.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @DannyWorthWaves @PeppBaseball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

On our season four opener and milestone episode number 100, Pepperdine Athletic Director Dr. Steve Potts returns to the podcast for the second time to talk about the last six months and being the AD during a pandemic, when sports have been postponed, everyone’s working from home and life is one Zoom meeting after another.   This episode is sponsored by University Credit Union.   Episode 50 with Dr. Steve Potts   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @StevePottsAD @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Pepperdine women’s golf coach Laurie Gibbs joins the podcast to talk about the last few months at home since the cancelation of the spring championships. Her All-American senior Momoka Kobori has graduated and won’t be back next year, but three very talented recruits will be joining the program, giving the Waves another opportunity to add to their long list of postseason success.   Episode 42 with Laurie Gibbs   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesGolf @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Pepperdine men’s basketball head coach Lorenzo Romar joins the podcast to talk about the last couple of months and how his team has handled the pandemic and their time at home. We also look ahead to next season, which should feature an extremely veteran-heavy squad. And we talk about his life, from his time in the NBA (including going up against the likes of Michael Jordan and Pepperdine legend Dennis Johnson) through a couple of decades of a brilliant coaching career.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppBasketball @CoachRomar @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Pepperdine women’s soccer head coach Tim Ward and his veteran group of Waves are looking forward to a great fall 2020 season – whatever that ends up looking like. We discuss the 2018 and 2019 seasons, how his spring exhibition season was cut short due to the pandemic and students being sent home, what life’s been like at home (with a lot of talk about music) and his hopes for this fall. Plus, you’ll get to hear his rendition of “Sweet Pepperdine” that was played at the Pepp Espys.   Episode 11 with Tim Ward   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesSoccer @HeadCoachWard @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

The Pepperdine baseball team was off to a great start in the 2020 season under head coach Rick Hirtensteiner – 12-3 and ranked 16th in the country – when everything was called off in mid-March. We talk with the Waves’ skipper about what led to their success, what he and the rest of the Waves are doing now and how they’ll maintain their great form next year.   Episode 29 with Rick Hirtensteiner   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppBaseball @Coachhirty @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Pepperdine women’s tennis coach Per Nilsson had his Waves rolling in the middle of March, ranking in the top 15 and boasting the nation’s top singles player. But that’s when the season unfortunately came to an end with the cancelation of the spring season. We talk about how his team reacted to it, what they’ve been doing and what comes next – which includes the return of his two seniors in 2020-21, which should put the Waves among the very elite next season.   Episode 25 with Per Nilsson   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesTennis @PeppTennisCoach @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Pepperdine women’s basketball coach Kristen Dowling makes her first appearance on the podcast. She returned to Malibu for the third time last summer to take over as head coach and she had a very good first season with the Waves. On this week’s episode of #PeppTalkatHome, we talk about her path to the job, this season’s successes, how things have changed since her student-athletes went home due to the pandemic and the bright future for the program.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesHoops @CoachKristenD @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

#PeppTalkatHome continues with a remote conversation with Pepperdine men’s volleyball head coach David Hunt. His young Waves were growing every day in the gym but unfortunately the season was cut in half and their development came to a halt. Still, the future is bright for the program. This week’s interview covers last year’s MPSF title, the growth that the 2020 team saw, the reaction to having the season end and a look ahead.   Episode 46 with David Hunt   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppVolleyball @PeppVB @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Every previous episode of Pepp Talk was conducted in person but with the global pandemic, we’ve shifted to #PeppTalkatHome and we’re doing our first remote interviews via computer. Our first guest in this new setup is men’s tennis coach Adam Schaechterle. He’s had a remarkable first two seasons in charge of the program and got the Waves back into the nation’s top 20. We talk about the team’s quick rise, but also about what’s happened in the last month since their terrific season ended prematurely.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppTennis @aschaechterle @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

The Pepperdine women’s golf team hopes to make another successful postseason run and if the Waves do so, it’ll be senior Momoka Kobori leading the way. She had a very good first three seasons but has taken things to another level as a senior, including her first career victory. The New Zealand native is by far the Waves’ most experienced player.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesGolf @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

The 2020 season starts this week for Wil Jensen and the Pepperdine baseball team. Jensen is expected to be the Waves’ ace again this year. He was one of the nation’s top pitchers in the country as a 2018 sophomore when he unfortunately was injured and underwent Tommy John surgery. But he’s fully healthy after a long rehab process and hopes to lead Pepperdine to a great season.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppBaseball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Sahith Theegala is one of the top golfers in Pepperdine men’s golf history, as he’s a two-time All-American who ranks #1 all-time in scoring average in the program’s record book. He heads into the final semester of his college career fully healthy after having to sit out last year with a wrist injury. He leads an incredibly talented Waves team that expects to be a contender for the NCAA championship.   Sahith’s first appearance on the Pepp Talk podcast (episode 34, March 2017)   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @SRTheegala @PeppGolf @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Paige Fecske is one of the top three-point shooters in Pepperdine women’s basketball history and she’s on the verge of scoring her milestone 1,000th career point. She came back for a fifth season after missing almost all of last year with a shoulder injury.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @WavesHoops @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Rob Mullahey has come a long way since being cut from his high school volleyball team. He was a Freshman All-American in 2018 and helped lead the Pepperdine men’s volleyball team to the MPSF title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament last season. Now one of two seniors on a very young team, he’s hoping for a successful end to his time with the Waves.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PeppVolleyball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Colbey Ross, junior point guard for the Pepperdine men’s basketball team, has had an extraordinary 2 1/2 seasons so far with the Waves. He’s already set numerous school records, with the most notable one happening recently when he became the school’s all-time assist leader. He’ll break the career points record either this season or next. His competitive fire sets him apart and makes him one of the nation’s top players.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @cdot_ross @PeppBasketball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Barbara Sitanggan, a senior point guard for the Pepperdine women’s basketball team, helped the Waves to their best season in a decade last year, and now she’s back and ready to break the program’s all-time assist record in her final year. She earned the West Coast Conference’s annual Sportsmanship Award last summer.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @barb_sitanggan @WavesHoops @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Kameron Edwards, a redshirt senior on the Pepperdine men’s basketball team, is looking forward to a hugely successful final season with the Waves amidst some pretty high expectations for this year’s team. Staying healthy is paramount for Edwards, who’s had a rough go at times the last three seasons. He gets one more year to play with his brother Kessler and leave his mark on the program.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @_Kam20 @PeppBasketball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger

Hana Lishman, a senior on the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, is one of the top liberos in the program’s history. This past summer, the Hawai'i native earned a spot on the USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @hana_lishman @WavesVolleyball @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Laura Ishikawa is a redshirt sophomore defender on the Pepperdine women’s soccer team. She’s gone from redshirt to part-time starter to full-time starter over her three seasons and is an important part of a young Waves’ defense that has played very well in the 2019 season.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @IshikawaLou @WavesSoccer @PepperdineWaves @PepperdineRoger  

Marko Asic, a redshirt senior on the men’s water polo team, makes his second Pepp Talk appearance. But since his first episode, he’s been through a lot, including shoulder surgery and a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. He’s had a lot of ups and downs in the last year and he’s very open about his experience about living and playing with diabetes.   Episode 23 with Marko Asic   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppWaterPolo @PepperdineRoger  

Sofia Shah is a senior on the Pepperdine women’s swimming and diving team, as well as a 2020 Olympic hopeful for her native Nepal. In addition to swimming for the Waves, she’ll be competing at a number of international meets over the coming months attempting to become Nepal’s representative at next year’s games in Tokyo.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @WavesSwimDive @PepperdineRoger

Cori Persinger, a senior on the Pepperdine cross country and track teams, has developed from a “runner” to a “racer” and is one of the Waves’ top competitors. She’s an outstanding student who also serves on the Waves Leadership Council and works with the Pepperdine Volunteer Center.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppXCTrack @PepperdineRoger  

Tarah Wylie, a senior middle blocker for the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, is a former West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year who’s in the midst of her final season with the Waves. We talk about her terrific playing career and other fun things like her love of dogs.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @WavesVolleyball @tarahwylie @PepperdineRoger  

Hailey Stenberg is a senior midfielder/forward with the Pepperdine women’s soccer team who’s been a big part of two West Coast Conference championship teams, and is looking for a third title in her final season.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @WavesSoccer @hsten_ @PepperdineRoger

Joshua McCarthy has played in three NCAA Men’s Golf Championships in his first three years at Pepperdine and the senior left-hander hopes to not only make a fourth appearance, but to win a national championship next spring. We talk about the Waves’ unprecedented collection of talent and depth and all about his golfing career.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppGolf @PepperdineRoger

Chris Dilworth is a fifth-year senior and one of the top players for Pepperdine’s men’s water polo team. As the Waves start the 2019 season this week, he’s got high hopes for his final year, which includes winning the Golden Coast Conference Championship in Pepperdine’s own pool in November and advancing to the NCAA Championships. Here is Chris’ story.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppWaterPolo @Chris__Dilworth @PepperdineRoger  

Jalen Frantal, a senior runner on Pepperdine’s cross country and track teams, is also president of the Waves Leadership Council. He’s fully engaged throughout campus as a member of several other groups. As the Waves get ready to race for the first time this fall, here is Jalen’s story.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppXCTrack @jalenfrantal @PepperdineRoger

Hannah Frohling, a senior outside hitter on the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team, has many accomplishments to her name, including All-WCC honors on the court and multiple all-academic awards off it, while she also serves as vice president of the Waves Leadership Council in 2019-20. This is her story.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @WavesVolleyball @hannahfrohling @PepperdineRoger  

Brooke Zenner is a senior defender on the Pepperdine women’s soccer team. This summer, she wrote a story that appeared on a website called Speak about the adversity she faced during her first three seasons. We discuss that and more on the return of the Pepp Talk podcast.   Brooke’s story in Speak   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @WavesSoccer @BrookeZenner5 @PepperdineRoger

On April 29, an interview with new Pepperdine men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar aired on SB Nation Radio and Sports Byline USA on the "College Sports Insiders" show. Pat Olson, voice of the San Francisco Dons, was the interviewer. Thanks to all of them for sharing the interview with us and allowing us to post it here.

Pedro Iamachkine is a four-year member of the Pepperdine men’s tennis team. The Peruvian standout had a great junior career and has continued to play well in his time with the Waves, and he’d like to continue on with that professionally in the future. This week’s podcast tells his story.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppTennis @PepperdineRoger  

As a freshman last year, Ashley Lahey earned All-American honors and helped the Pepperdine women’s tennis to the quarterfinals of the 2017 NCAA Championships. She and the rest of the Waves have even loftier goals this season. Here is Ashley’s story.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @WavesTennis @PepperdineRoger  

The Pepperdine women’s beach volleyball team finished as the national runner-up last season and has its sights on an NCAA championship in 2018. With the season getting started this weekend, junior standout Skylar Caputo is this episode’s guest.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @skylarcaputo @WavesBeachVB @PepperdineRoger

College baseball season starts this week. Senior righthanded pitcher Kiko Garcia comes on the podcast to talk about the 2018 Pepperdine baseball team, his four seasons wearing a Waves uniform, succeeding academically and more, including his experience as a Little League Baseball world champion.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @imkiko19 @PeppBaseball @PepperdineRoger

With the season-ending Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships coming up next week, this week’s Pepp Talk podcast guest is one of the top swimmers for Pepperdine, junior Julia Sneden.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @WavesSwimDive @PepperdineRoger

Amadi Udenyi has had many ups and downs during his time with the Pepperdine men’s basketball team, and as a fifth-year senior heading into the homestretch of his college career, he’s hoping to remain healthy and finish strong. We talk about why he’s kept coming back despite the adversities that he’s faced, and how he became one of the all-time assist leaders in the program’s history.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppBasketball @AUdenyi_5 @PepperdineRoger

Pepperdine men’s volleyball season is well underway and this week’s podcast guest is senior middle blocker Clay Carr. We talk his development during his time as a Wave, from not playing as a freshman to earning a starting job as a junior and senior. He tells us about the 2018 team, plus the only thing he’s more passionate about than volleyball.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppVolleyball @PepperdineRoger

Yasmine Robinson-Bacote is an outstanding junior forward with the Pepperdine women’s basketball team, a returning All-West Coast Conference first team selection and a double-double machine who ranks among the conference’s top scorers and rebounders. She shares her story on the first Pepp Talk podcast of 2018.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @YRB25_ @WavesHoops @PepperdineRoger

The 2018 Pepperdine men’s volleyball season gets underway soon and to help preview the season, we’ve got first-year head coach David Hunt (1:12) back on the podcast, as well as senior libero Weston Barnes (17:53).   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppVolleyball @PeppVB @WBarnez @PepperdineRoger

The Pepperdine women’s soccer team won its second straight WCC title and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, so we’re recapping another wonderful season for the Waves by talking to WCC Coach of the Year Tim Ward (1:30) and All-American and WCC Player of the Year Bri Visalli (28:52) about their highly successful 2017 campaign.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @WavesSoccer @HeadCoachWard @brivisalli @PepperdineRoger

Lynn Williams is the most prominent and successful player in Pepperdine women’s soccer history, and she recently sat down for an interview for the podcast. The only first team All-American in program history, she’s gone on to be an MVP and Golden Boot winner in the NWSL and a regular with the U.S. National Team over the past year. Hopefully, she’ll have a chance to achieve her dream of representing the U.S. in the World Cup and the Olympics in the coming years. She tells us about leaving Fresno for Malibu, her time with the Waves, overcoming injuries and the highlights of her young professional career.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @lynnraenie @WavesSoccer @PepperdineRoger

Two Pepperdine student-athletes with truly rare stories are on the podcast this week, Kevin Hempy of men’s basketball (1:01) and Lauren Stigers of women’s swimming and diving (18:24). Hempy is both a basketball player and a first-year law student. Stigers both swims and dives for the Waves. In both cases, there are very few known instances of Division I student-athletes trying to do these two things at once.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @PeppBasketball @WavesSwimDive @PepperdineRoger

With the women’s volleyball and men’s water polo seasons nearing their conclusions, we brought on two of their senior student-athletes -- Ashley Harris (1:03) and Kenneth Keller (22:10) -- to reflect upon their time at Pepperdine as they close out their college careers.   www.PepperdineWaves.com   Related Twitter accounts for this episode: @PepperdineWaves @WavesVolleyball @PeppWaterPolo @PepperdineRoger