Pepperdine University
Saint Mary's
Waves Struggle Versus Saint Mary's in Regular Season Finale
11/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 20, 2010
Box Score: Saint Mary's 3, Pepperdine, 0 
MALIBU, Calif. - After a thrilling 3-2 win over #14 San Diego on Thursday, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team fell behind early against a competitive Saint Mary's College squad today inside Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves put forth a gritty effort to get themselves back into the match, but eventually fell to the Gaels in straight sets (25-13, 25-21, 25-23), and concluded the season ranked third in the West Coast Conference standings.
As a team, Pepperdine (20-8, 11-3 WCC) struggled to find its offensive rhythm, hitting .122 on the day. Leading the team was junior opposite hitter Kim Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS) and sophomore middle blocker Brittney Clark (San Jose, Calif./Presentation HS), who both recorded eight kills. Kelley Larsen (Jamul, Calif./Christian HS) came off the bench to add six kills on 11 swings.
On defense, Stevi Robinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) paced Pepperdine with 12 digs, while Kellie Woolever (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) chipped in 10. Coupled with her 26 assists, Woolever clinched her fifth consecutive double double.
The Gaels' (20-7, 12-2) offensive assault was led by Gabby Jolly, who tagged down a match-best 11 kills to lead SMC to a .255 (41-14-106) success rate on the attack.
In the first frame, Saint Mary's set the offensive tone with 11 kills and just three errors. Although the Waves held the Gaels to a meager .190 attack percentage, Pepperdine hindered themselves with 10 attack errors, and bowed out 25-13.
The second stanza began much the same as the first. Down 13-18 following back-to-back Gael service aces, Larsen entered the match and sparked a 5-0 run, highlighted by three kills from the freshman outside hitter to tie the set. An SMC timeout successfully put a halt to the momentum shift, however, as they went on a 7-3 run to close out the frame, 25-21.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair that featured 11 ties and four lead changes. Pepperdine sprinted out to a 7-4 lead fueled by two consecutive service aces courtesy of Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS), but untimely attack errors allowed the Gaels back into the game. The squads continued to trade points the remainder of the set, as neither team was able to claim a lead of more than two points. Down 22-24 and faced with match point, Larsen dished her third kill of the frame, but the Gaels' Megan York responded with a kill to clinch the match.
With West Coast Conference action wrapping up today, the University of San Diego clinched the league title following a 3-0 win over Loyola Marymount. Saint Mary's secured second place, while the Waves finished in third.
Today's match was the final contest of the regular season. The Waves now await the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field, which will be aired live on ESPNEWS on Sun., Nov. 28 at noon.
Noting the Waves: This was the 1,114 match in Pepperdine women's volleyball history ... With the loss the Waves are 697-415-2 all time and 288-72 in WCC play ... Nina Matthies has tallied 530 wins as the head coach of the Waves ... This was the 48th meeting between Pepperdine and SMC … The Waves lead the series 38-10 … Saint Mary's has won the last five contests … Kellie Woolever has captured the assists-digs doubles-double in the last five consecutive matches.
