A trend had to give when Pepperdine and UCLA entered the fifth and deciding game of the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship May 7.

Pepperdine was 6-0 in the regular season in matches decided in the final game, and the homestanding Bruins already owned an NCAA-record 18 volleyball titles and had never lost a tournament game in their arena.

Pepperdine was able to keep its unbeaten string in five-game matches by rallying for a 30-23, 23-30, 24-30, 30-25, 15-10 victory and handing UCLA its first tournament defeat in front of 6,853 fans at Pauley Pavilion.

Sean Rooney, the American Volleyball Coaches Association national player of the year, led the Waves to their first national title since 1992 with 26 kills and six block assists.

Pepperdine (25-2) trailed two games to one before forcing the deciding game. The Waves jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the final game and were able to hold off the Bruins for their fifth championship in program history.

"It's unbelievable," Rooney told the Los Angeles Times. "On top of that (to win) at Pauley Pavilion, it's perfect."

Rooney, the most outstanding player of the tournament, sent an early message to UCLA by registering a .639 hitting percentage in the opening game.

UCLA, which finished the season 26-6, rallied to take the next two games behind the stellar play of Jonathon Acosta and Kris Kraushaar.

Acosta had 10 kills in the third game and finished with a career-high 29. Kraushaar ended with a season-high 16 kills and a career-high 13 digs.

"Kris hasn't been able to practice on a daily basis, and he just had an amazing performance," said Bruins coach Al Scates. "Jonathon Acosta played the best I've ever seen him play."

Scates also was proud of the showing his team gave in the tournament. His team received the lone at-large bid into the four-team field.

"We weren't good enough to be here, according to some people," Scates said. "So I'm very happy with the way we played. ... A few breaks here and there, and who knows?"

The Waves, whose previous titles came in 1977, 1985, 1986 and 1992, received solid contributions from John Parfitt (18 kills, seven digs) and Tom Hulse (12 block assists).

Holding up the championship trophy was a welcomed feeling since Pepperdine had been to four of the last six tournaments without a crown.

"I felt pretty good about the couple of years when we played Hawaii (2002) and Lewis (2003)," said Pepperdine coach Marv Dunphy. "I felt really bad for the guys that at some point in time we couldn't say, 'Hey, we're the best at what we do.' It's good for the Pepperdine community and for these guys."

In the semifinals, Pepperdine swept Ohio State, 30-16, 31-29, 30-26, and UCLA downed Penn State, 30-20, 30-24, 30-27.

Rooney was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Parfitt and Jonathan Winder. UCLA's Acosta and Paul Johnson, along with Penn State's Alex Gutor and Ohio State's Mark Greaves, also were honored.

Championship match