Pepperdine University
University of Portland
Waves Hold Off Pilots in Five-Set Thriller
11/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 11, 2010
Box Score: Pepperdine 3, Portland 2 
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Pepperdine women's volleyball held off Portland 3-2 (25-13, 23-25, 25-21, 10-25, 15-11) in a tightly contested match tonight inside the Chiles Center. The Waves improve to 18-7, and 9-2 in the West Coast Conference, while the Pilots drop to 10-18 and 3-9 in the in league action.
Although Kate Bostwick and Ariel Usher were able to tag down 30 kills collectively for Portland, it was not enough to overcome Pepperdine's offensive assault. As a team, the Waves hit a .258 attack percentage with four individuals reaching double figures in the kills category.
Kim Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS) had a stellar night for Pepperdine, logging her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and a career-high 15 digs. On 40 attempts, the junior committed just one error to finish the night with a .300 success rate.
Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS) nailed down a team-high 15 kills and has now reached the double-digit plateau in six of the last eight contest. Emily Cook (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS) added 12 kills, while Brittney Clark (San Jose, Calif./Presentation HS) extended her career-best to 11 kills.
Once again, Stevi Robinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) was the main defensive threat, ending the evening with 25 digs. In addition to managing the offense with 48 assists, Kellie Woolever (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) tallied 10 digs.
The Waves came out hot in the first frame, jumping to a 5-1 advantage to force the home squad to spend a timeout. The pause did little to slow Pepperdine down, however, as they cruised to a 25-13 win. The Pilots managed just five kills in the set, compared to Waves' 13.
Portland fired back in second stanza, taking an early 9-5 lead. Pepperdine fought back and kept the match close, but an untimely attack error set up set point for the Pilots. The Waves were able to erase two set points, but an Usher kill put the 25th point on the board to the tie the match at one-all.
Pepperdine got themselves back on track in the third set with five blocks and on-target hitting, but Portland once again rebounded and was able to claim the win in the fourth frame.
In the fifth and final set, neither team allowed more than two points in a row during the opening half. Knotted at seven, the Waves went on a 3-0 run to take the biggest lead, by any team, of the frame. Following a Pilot timeout, the squads continued to trade points back-and-forth, but the lead Pepperdine had built was able to hold up. Clark scored the final two points, recording a kill and a block - her fourth of the evening -- to clinch the victory for the Waves.
The Waves continue this week's road trip with match at Gonzaga on Sat. Nov. 13. First serve is scheduled for noon.
Noting the Waves: This was the 1,111 match in Pepperdine women's volleyball history ... With the win the Waves are 695-414-2 all time and 286-71 in WCC play ... Nina Matthies has tallied 528 wins as the head coach of the Waves ... This was the 47th meeting between Pepperdine and Portland … The Waves lead the series 46-2 and have won the last 32-straight contests … Kellie Woolever is 39 assists away from reaching the 1,000 milestone … Victoria Adelhelm eclipsed the 400 career-kills plateau this evening … This was the 80th match in the careers of both Lilla Frederick and Kim Hill.
