Pepperdine Men's Volleyball Sweeps USC, Secures No. 2 Seed in MPSF Tournament as Firestone Fieldhouse Era Ends

Key facts

• Pepperdine men's volleyball swept USC in the final match at Firestone Fieldhouse.
• The Waves enter the 2026 MPSF tournament as the No. 2 seed.
• Pepperdine dropped four spots to No. 84 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
• The six-year graduation rate fell from 85% to 84%; Pell Grant recipient graduation rate dropped from 85% to 83%.
• Fraser Bohm, 24, faces four murder counts for a crash that killed four Pepperdine seniors on Oct. 17, 2023.
• Judge Thomas Rubinson rejected Bohm's motion to dismiss murder charges; his defense plans to appeal.
• The victims—Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams—were Alpha Phi sorority members.
• Pepperdine's financial resources rank fell from 60 to 103 in the U.S. News rankings.

A Sweep to Remember

Pepperdine University's men's volleyball team delivered a historic sweep of the University of Southern California on Saturday, closing out the Firestone Fieldhouse era with a dominant performance. The victory cemented the Waves' place among the nation's top teams and secured them the No. 2 seed in the 2026 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament. The match marked the final competitive event in the aging arena, which has hosted decades of Pepperdine athletics. Players and fans alike acknowledged the emotional weight of the moment, as the team now looks toward a postseason run with momentum on their side.

Rankings Slide Continues Amidst Unchanged Methodology

Just days before the volleyball triumph, Pepperdine learned it had dropped four spots to No. 84 in the 2026 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best National Universities rankings, released Sept. 23. The decline follows a 21-spot plunge in the 2024 edition after a rankings overhaul; this year's methodology remained essentially unchanged, with the same factors and weights. Seaver College Dean Lee Kats attributed the drop primarily to a decline in graduation rates, a metric that carries roughly 21% weight. Pepperdine's average six-year graduation rate fell from 85% to 84%, while the graduation rate for Pell Grant recipients—which accounts for 5.5% of the ranking—dropped from 85% to 83%.

Financial Resources and Peer Reputation Under Pressure

Pepperdine's financial resources rank, which measures the proportion of total expenditures toward functional academic costs relative to student enrollment, tumbled from 60 to 103. Kats noted that class size, once a factor in the rankings, has been absent since 2023, leaving first-year retention, graduation rates, and peer reputation as the key levers for improvement. The university also slipped in other categories: Best Colleges for Veterans (48 to 53), Best Value Schools (74 to 103), and Top Performers on Social Mobility (75 to 77). Kats emphasized that teaching undergraduates remains Pepperdine's highest priority, and that the scholarship at Seaver College is directly beneficial to students, unlike at R1 research institutions.

Murder Charges Stand in Fatal PCH Crash

In a separate and somber development, a California judge rejected a motion to dismiss murder charges against Fraser Bohm, 24, who is accused of causing a crash that killed four Pepperdine University seniors on Oct. 17, 2023. The victims—Niamh Rolston, 20, Peyton Stewart, 21, Asha Weir, 21, and Deslyn Williams, 21—were members of the Alpha Phi sorority and were walking on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu when Bohm's BMW lost control. According to court documents, Bohm sped around a turn, struck a parked red Mazda, kicked up debris, then hit another parked car, a planter, garbage cans, and either a third parked vehicle or a stone wall. He had no drugs or alcohol in his system and had not sent any text messages before the crash. He was initially arrested on manslaughter charges, which were later upgraded to murder.

Defense Vows Appeal, Citing California Precedent

Bohm's defense attorney, Alan Jackson, argued that speed alone does not constitute murder under California law, pointing to the absence of alcohol, drugs, texting, or street racing. "A case like this is why vehicular manslaughter laws were created," Jackson said. "It was over-filed as murder, and we will be asking an appellate court to reverse Judge Rubinson's decision and dismiss the murder charges." Jackson also expressed grief for the victims and their families, but maintained that the charges exceed what the law allows. The prosecution, however, has not commented on the appeal. The case now moves to the appellate court, where Bohm's defense will seek to overturn the ruling.

A University in Transition

Pepperdine finds itself at a crossroads: celebrating athletic achievement while grappling with academic rankings pressure and a high-profile legal case that has drawn national attention. The volleyball team's postseason berth offers a moment of pride, but the university's broader trajectory—marked by declining graduation rates and financial metrics—raises questions about its long-term competitiveness. As the Waves prepare for the MPSF tournament, the campus community also remembers the four students lost. The juxtaposition of triumph and tragedy underscores the complexity of a university striving to honor its past while navigating an uncertain future.

The bottom line

• Pepperdine men's volleyball swept USC in the final match at Firestone Fieldhouse and earned the No. 2 seed in the MPSF tournament.
• The university dropped to No. 84 in U.S. News rankings, with graduation rates and financial resources cited as key factors.
• Fraser Bohm's murder charges for the 2023 crash that killed four students were upheld; his defense plans to appeal.
• The victims were all seniors and Alpha Phi sorority members; no drugs, alcohol, or texting were involved in the crash.
• Pepperdine's rankings have declined consistently since the 2024 methodology overhaul, with no change expected soon.
• The university community balances athletic success with academic challenges and the ongoing legal case.