MALIBU, Calif. ­Â— The Pepperdine women’s volleyball program will get its first taste of sand volleyball when the Waves take part in the 2009 USA Volleyball Collegiate Challenge, a one-day event this Saturday (April 4) in Long Beach, Calif.
The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics recommended last year that sand volleyball be added to the list of official emerging sports for women. A vote will be taken on that proposal later this year. This event is part of USA Volleyball’s efforts to promote the sport at the collegiate level.
Pepperdine will enter three two-player teams. Other schools that are participating are California Baptist, Cal State Los Angeles, Chico State, Concordia-Irvine, Fresno State, Montana, UNLV, Vanguard and Westmont.
The Waves’ teams will be made up of junior Rachel Lumsden (Brea, Calif./Brea Olinda HS) and sophomore Krista Friedman (La Verne, Calif./St. Lucy’s Priory), junior Kiah Fiers (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Peninsula HS) and freshman Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS), and freshmen Stevi Robinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) and Kim Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS).
“I thought that using one of our spring dates of competition to do this would be a fun thing,” Pepperdine Coach Nina Matthies said. “We’re excited about the opportunity, and we want to jump in and help out and see how it goes. Our kids will get a good day of experience. It’s not easy to go out to the beach and play, because it’s a lot different going from indoor to outdoor. They are two completely different games. But this will broaden their athletic experience.”
Matthies, who will be in her 27th year as head coach at Pepperdine this fall, speaks from experience, as she was one of the world’s top beach volleyball players spanning from the 1970s to the early 1990s. In 139 career starts on the beach, she won 43 titles and earned 93 podium finishes. She is a member of the Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame.
The competition will be held at Marina Green Park in Long Beach (700 E. Shoreline Drive). Play will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the finals are scheduled to begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.
