Pepperdine University
Tulane
Pepperdine Shuts Out Tulane, 3-0
8/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2010
Box Score: Pepperdine 3, Tulane 0 (.html)
Box Score: Pepperdine 3, Tulane 0 (.pdf) 
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Pepperdine women's volleyball team picked up its first victory of the 2010 season by blanking Tulane 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-17) in its third and final match of the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic. Kim Hill led the offensive front with 15 kills, while rookie Kelley Larsen added 10.
Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS), who was named to the all-tournament team, has reached double-digit kill totals in every match of the young 2010 campaign, and ended the weekend with a team-best total of 39. She averaged 3.90 kills per set (kps) on a dominant .366 attack percentage.
Freshman outside hitter Larsen (Jamul, Calif./Christian HS) had a breakout match against the Green Wave, nailing down a season-best 10 put aways with a .364 (10-2-22) success rate.
Stevi Robinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) led Pepperdine defensively for the first time this season, posting a match-high 15 digs. At the net, Brittney Clark (San Jose, Calif./Presentation HS) denied the attack a staggering seven times, while Kellie Woolever (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) dished 36 assists to bring her weekend total to 109.
"Brittney was unreal at the net," boasted head coach Nina Matthies following the match. "Not only did she contribute immensely on defense, but she added a solid five kills as well."
"Everyone did great," continued Matthies. "Kim was solid for us all weekend, and Stevi did a fantastic job against Tulane tonight. And of course, all of our freshman stepped up to the challenge and really held their own the last two days. It's going to be an exciting season for us."
As a unit the Waves, who improved to 1-2 overall, were a force to be reckoned with at the net, hitting a sizzling .384 hitting percentage with just seven errors. On defense Pepperdine was just a dominant, holding Tulane to a meager .146 attack percentage and forcing 22 hitting errors.
"We learned a lot this weekend," commented Matthies. "The first tournament is always a learning experience. We figure out what works and what doesn't, and learned what we need to spend time on in practice. Overall, I'm happy with how this weekend went. I really think we have a good team this year."
Larsen paved the way in the first frame, tallying team-best five kills. With the stellar performance from the freshman, the Waves jumped out to a 14-7 lead and never looked back. A kill at the hand of Hill set up game point, and she and Clark teamed up for a block assist to put the 25th point up on the board.
The second stanza looked much like the first, except this time it was Hill's turn to shine with seven kills. Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS) tallied four total blocks in the 25-16 win.
Following the break, the Waves used a balanced attack at the net to close the match. Every student-athlete on the floor, with the exception of libero/defensive specialists Robinson and Kelli Branning (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo-Atherton HS) registered at least one kill en route to a blistering .444 (13-1-27) attack percentage.
Branning recorded the final point of the match with her second ace of the evening.
The Waves return to action next weekend when they welcome Eastern Washington, Missouri, and Rice to the Firestone Fieldhouse for the Pepperdine Asics Classic on Sept. 3-4.
Notes: Pepperdine now 2-0 all-time versus Tulane ... Kim Hill has now reached double-digit kill totals in the last 16 matches dating back to last season and brings her career total to 26 ... Stevi Robinson now has 949 career digs and needs just 37 more to move into the top-10 all-time at Pepperdine ... Hill touts a career attack percentage of .390 (550-111-1126) to rank No. 1 in the Wave record books ... With 4.65 digs per set, Robinson has the highest career average in Pepperdine history ... Kellie Woolever had a tournament average of 10.90 assists per game and totaled 109 ... Hill led the Waves with 39 kills this weekend followed by, Victoria Adelhelm, 26, and Lilla Frederick, 21 ... Brittney Clark leads the Waves with 13 total blocks.
