FULLERTON, Calif. ­Â— The 2008 women’s volleyball season got off to an outstanding start for Pepperdine as the Waves routed UNC Greensboro, 25-15, 25-21, 25-15, on Friday night at the Radisson Suites Buena Park Volleyball Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton.
A balanced attack saw three Waves share a team-high eight kills, and Pepperdine had a big .278 to .044 edge in hitting percentage. Serving (10 aces) and defense (39 digs) played a big role in the victory.
Pepperdine’s heralded freshman class, ranked #8 in the country by Volleyball Magazine, had an extremely impressive debut. Middle blocker Kim Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS) and outside hitter Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS) each had eight kills, while Hill hit .500 (8-2-12) and Frederick added seven digs. The third freshman, Stevi Robinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS), started at libero and collected a match-high 14 digs.
Junior outside hitter Rachel Lumsden (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS) also had eight kills while senior outside hitter Julie Rubenstein (Camarillo, Calif./Oaks Christian HS) added seven kills and seven digs.
“This is a really good start,” Pepperdine assistant coach Tim Jensen said. “We served and passed extremely well, and we knew at the beginning of the year that was going to be the most important thing for us. In the first set we served and passed so well and hit over .400, and if we do that, we'll be tough to beat. I’m really proud of our seniors’ leadership and the output we got from the freshmen.”
Junior setter Kiah Fiers (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Peninsula HS), returning from a knee injury, started and had 19 assists. Sophomore Kealohilani Kea (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kamehameha HS) played the third set and had three assists.
UNC Greensboro (0-1), a preseason favorite in the Southern Conference, was led by nine kills by Kayren Finney.
The Waves play their final two matches of the tournament on Saturday (Aug. 30) against Delaware at 11 a.m. and host Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m.
