J.D. Schleppenbach (Ventura) didn't expect it to come easy.

The Pepperdine sophomore knew earning playing time at outside hitter would require some work.

Four times a week, hours a day last summer, Schleppenbach put his body through a steady diet of weight training.

Squats, cleans, presses, rows — anything to increase his size and his chances.

"I am a skinny kid," Schleppenbach said. "I had to get bigger and stronger if I wanted to get my shot."

After teammate John Parfitt was sidelined with an injury eight games into the season, Schleppenbach didn't let his opportunity go to waste.

He stepped into the starting outside hitter spot and never left. The 6-foot-3, 178-pounder is averaging 2.69 kills and 3.24 points per game for top-ranked Pepperdine.

"I couldn't ask for much more right now," Schleppenbach said. "It is kind of surreal."

The Waves (25-1, 21-1) clinched the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular-season title two weeks ago, and received a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

They host a semifinal match on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Firestone Fieldhouse.

"You can sit back and say this is awesome we have gone so far, but we are not done yet," Schleppenbach said. "Guys are still going just as hard in practice as they did the first day."

Schleppenbach was recruited to play outside hitter at Pepperdine, but started at libero last season while recovering from a knee injury suffered in high school.

"I didn't have time to prepare last year, and I would not have been ready anyway," Schleppenbach said. "Even if you are a pretty good player in high school, the jump to college is huge. It's a much higher level."

Schleppenbach had a chance to rekindle some prep memories a few weeks ago when he faced Eric Vance (Camarillo) and Cal State Northridge.

Schleppenbach finished with 17 kills and nine digs to lead the Pepperdine sweep while Vance had eight kills.

"We have a little history, which is cool," Schleppenbach said. "He is also one of the guys I played beach with at San Pedro during the summer.

"After the match, he came up to me and said, ‘Man. You showed up to play today.' "

Although Pepperdine is the first team to win more than 20 conference games in a single season, Schleppenbach realizes it's not enough.

At Pepperdine, success is measured by a different standard — NCAA titles.

"That is what Pepperdine volleyball is all about," Schleppenbach said.

"We want to win it, and make it certain we deserve to be there and be on top."

News and notes: Fresno State's Todd Sandell (Camarillo) finished 5 for 13 in a series against Hawaii. Sandell scored the winning run in the ninth inning of the second game, and hit a walk-off RBI with two outs in the ninth inning in the third game. ... Cal Poly San Luis Obispo senior outfielder Lisa Modglin (Simi Valley) was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week for the fourth time this season. Modglin reached base in all 14 plate appearances against Cal State Northridge. She had three hits, including her conference-leading 10th home run of the season, 10 walks and was hit by a pitch. ... UC Santa Barbara junior Tisha Duran (Buena, Ventura College) hit an RBI double in the 10th inning to lead the Gauchos to a 1-0 victory over UC Davis. Duran is batting .328 with 20 RBIs. ... Lehigh freshman pitcher Tiffany Curtis (Newbury Park) was named to the Patriot League honor roll team after striking out 13 in two victories. ... Chico State's Sarah Montez (Royal) finished second in the 1,500-meter race in an NCAA-provisional and personal-record time of 4 minutes, 39.65 seconds at the Woody Wilson Invitational. Teammate Mary Torres (Ventura, Ventura College) was fourth in 4:46.12. ... UC San Diego junior Todd Bettisworth (Oak Park) placed fourth in the men's 400 meters with a time of 49.60 at the 2007 Divisional Challenge Meet.