Sept. 14, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine women's volleyball team gears up for its final tournament of the 2010 season, traveling to Tucson, Ariz. for the Arizona Invitational by Lodge on the Desert. The Waves open the weekend on Fri., Sept. 17 at 10:30 a.m. (PT) with a morning match against New Mexico State before facing the hosting Wildcats at 7 p.m. A 10:30 a.m. tangle with Texas State on Saturday morning wraps the tournament for Pepperdine.
LOOKING AHEAD - The Waves take a week-long hiatus before kicking off the West Coast Conference portion of the schedule at San Francisco on Sept. 30, followed by an Oct. 2 match at Santa Clara. Pepperdine hosts UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 6 for a final non conference competition.
ON THE WEB — Wave Casts offers FREE live video of all home matches and audio broadcasts of selected road matches which can be accessed at www.PepperdineSports.com. Also, GameTracker will provide live statistics over the internet for all home matches, and links are provided to the home team's live stats platform when the Waves are on the road. This weekend, live stats will be available for all matches. With a subscription, fans can watch the Pepperdine vs. Arizona match on Friday evening.
THE SERIES...
New Mexico State
- The Match: 2nd meeting
- Record: 6-3
- Series: New Mexico State leads, 1-0
- Neutral Record: Tied, 0-0
- Last Meeting: Sept. 23, 1983 - L, 3-0
- Streak: New Mexico State - W1
Arizona
- The Match: 14th meeting
- Record: 7-2
- Series: Pepperdine leads, 7-6
- Away Record: Pepperdine leads, 2-1
- Last Meeting: Sept. 1, 2007 - W, 3-0
- Streak: Pepperdine - W1
Texas State
- The Match: Second Meeting
- Record: 6-5
- Series: Pepperdine leads, 1-0
- Neutral Record: Tied, 0-0
- Last Meeting: Sept. 21, 2008 - W, 3-0
- Streak: Pepperdine - W1
NEW MEXICO STATE - New Mexico State is 6-3 this season, including two losses to ranked opponents ... The only time the Waves and the Aggies met was on Sept. 23, 1983 when New Mexico State stole a 3-0 win from inside Firestone Fieldhouse ... New Mexico defeated Rice this season, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-23) ... The Waves also defeated Rice at the Asics Classic, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-15) ... The Aggies are led by Kayleigh Giddens, who averages 4.52 kills per set (kps) to rank #15 in the NCAA.
ARIZONA - Arizona touts a 7-2 record and has received votes on the latest installment of the AVCA Coaches' Poll ... Notable wins include a 3-0 shutout of Notre Dame and a 3-2 win over Louisville ... The Waves a 7-6 all-time versus the Wildcats ... The last time the two teams faced off was on Sept. 1, 2007, when Pepperdine blanked Arizona, 3-0 ... The Wildcats rely on Whitney Dosty and Tiffany Owens for their offensive firepower. The duo average 4.21 and 3.18 kps, respectively.
TEXAS STATE - The is just the second time the Waves have faced the Bobcats ... The only meeting occurred during the 2008 Asics Classic, when Pepperdine defeated Texas State, 3-0 inside Firestone Fieldhouse ... The Bobcats rely on the balanced attack of Preslie Alexander, AJ Watlington, Amari Deardorff and Amber Calhoun, who all average over two kills per set ... Texas State utilizes a two-setter rotation. Setting duties are shared by Caleigh McCorquodale and Shelbi Irvin.
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS... The Waves were the big winners at the UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. Pepperdine took a five-set win over Cal State Fullerton, before breezing by UNLV and Eastern Kentucky, 3-0. Lilla Frederick led the Waves with 33 kills and a .298 attack percentage, while Brittney Clark led the assault at the net with 11 blocks. Frederick, as well as Kim Hill and Victoria Adelhelm were named to the all-tournament team.
WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Victoria Adelhelm was named WCC Co-Player of the Week on Sept. 6 after hitting a team-best .520 (30-4-50) attack percentage, while denying attackers on defense on 12 occasions. This is the first weekly award for the sophomore, and the first for the Waves during the 2010 season.
IT COULD HAPPEN - Lilla Frederick needs just five kills to reach the century mark this season ... With 23 digs, Stevi Robinson will move into seventh places in the Pepperdine record books for career dig totals. Twenty-five digs would put her in the six spot.
RACE TO 1,000 - Juniors Kim Hill and Lilla Frederick are both on pace to reach 1,000 kills by next season. They both hit the 600 kill milestone at the Arizona Invitational. Hill's career total sits at 629, while Frederick is just behind her with 600.
1K CLUB - Stevi Robinson tallied 52 digs during the Asics Classic including a season-best 27 versus Missouri. Her 26th dig of the match gave the junior her 1,000 career dig. She currently ranks first in the Pepperdine history books with a career average of 4.67 dps.
13 for 200 - Kim Hill tallied a block solo against UCLA to bring her total blocks career total to 200. She is on pace to appear on the top-20 Pepperdine all-time list by season's end.
RANKINGS — Pepperdine did not receive a ranking on the latest installment.
8/17 8/30 9/6 9/13 9/20 9/27 10/4 10/11 10/18 10/25 11/1 11/8 11/15 11/22 11/29
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FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING - Known for her offensive prowess, Kim Hill showed her versatility on Friday night against Rice, recording a career-high 10 digs. Coupled with her 12 kills, the junior registered her first-ever double double.
ASICS CLASSIC - They Waves took second at the Asics Classic after narrowly falling to a strong Missouri team. Victoria Adelhelm led the team with a .520 hitting percentage and 12 blocks, while Lilla Frederick added 32 kills and 29 digs. Both were voted to the all-tournament team.
DENIED - Brittney Clark kept attackers at bay during the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic, recording 13 blocks (2-11). She followed that up with 11 at the Asics Classic. She leads the team and the WCC with 1.09 bps.
THE DISH ON WOOLEVER - Freshman setter Kellie Woolever has played well beyond her years thus far during the 2010 campaign. She leads the WCC and ranked 19th in the NCAA with 11.29 assists per set and has totaled 384 assists on the season.
STREAKING - Kim Hill has reached the double-digit kill plateau the last 22 or the last 23 matches dating back to last season. Her career attack percentage of .367 ranks second on the Pepperdine all-time list.
WCC RANKS - Pepperdine currently touts the best hitting percentage in the WCC with a .268 (460-154-1143) clip ... The Waves also lead the WCC with 2.41 blocks per set and holds opponents to a league-best .178 attack percentage ... Kellie Woolever leads the league with 11.29 aps ... Brittney Clark ranks second with 1.09 bps ... Victoria Adelhelm has the best hitting percentage in the league with a .410 clip while Hill's mark of .279 ranks 10th... Stevi Robinson's 4.09 dps is the fourth-best average in the conference.
MCM ELEGANTE LOBO CLASSIC - The Waves faced three top-notch teams in the season-opening tournament, and walked away with a 1-2 record. Pepperdine was able to take a game from then-No. 4 ranked Stanford, but eventually bowed out 3-1. The Waves rebounded with a 3-0 shutout versus Tulane.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM - Junior middle blocker turned right side hitter Kim Hill led the way for the Waves at the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic, knocking down a team-best 39 kills off of a blistering .366 (39-9-82) attack percentage. For her efforts, she was named to the all-tournament team.
UNITED FRONT - Hill wasn't the only force to be reckoned with up at the net. Sophomore middle blocker Victoria Adelhelm averaged 2.60 kills per set, for a three-match total of 26. She led the squad with a .400 (26-6-50) success rate.
AVCA TOP-25 - Pepperdine routinely faces some of the top opponents in the county. The Waves, who have received votes in the last two AVCA Coaches Polls, will have faced #4 Stanford and #13 UCLA already this season. Since the ranking system was established in 1982, Pepperdine has amassed 84 victories over top-25 squads.
PRESEASON WCC COACHES' POLL - The Waves were voted to finished third in the West Coast Conference in the coaches' preseason poll. San Diego was picked as the favorite with six first-place votes, while 2009 WCC Champion Saint Mary's was predicted to finish in second. In fourth, behind Pepperdine, is Santa Clara, followed by San Francisco, Gonzaga, Portland and Loyola Marymount. The Waves finished third in the league last season with a 9-5 record.
PRESEASON ALL-WCC - Kim Hill was voted to the Preseason All-WCC Team. Last season Hill led the conference with .425 hitting percentage and was awarded All-WCC first team honors. In addition, she was named an honorable mention All-American by the AVCA.
WHO'S BACK — The Waves have five starters back from a year ago, including the junior triple threat of Kim Hill, Lilla Frederick and Stevi Robinson. Hill, a 2009 AVCA All-American honorable mention and All-WCC first team selection led the WCC with a .425 attack percentage last season and is expected to have another stellar season at the middle blocker position. Frederick, an outside hitter, returns as another solid two-way player, ranking third on the team in both kills and digs in 2009. Robinson, who was the 2008 WCC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2009 All-WCC honorable mention, is predicted by Matthies to be "one of the best liberos in the country." WCC All-Freshmen team honoree Victoria Adelhelm is also back to compliment Hill in the middle, as is outside hitter Caitlin Racich and defensive specialist and senior Krista Friedman.
WHO'S NEW — The Waves could potentially see all three freshmen on the floor, with promising newcomers Kellie Woolever, Kelley Larsen and Emily Cook. Woolever is touted as potentially being one of the best setters in the country, while Larsen and Cook have been hard at work in practice lobbying for the starting spot on the outside.
Nina Matthies — Now in her 28th season as head coach of the Waves, Nina Matthies enters the 2010 season with a career record of 516-309 (.625), which includes 10 conference championships and 18 NCAA Tournament appearances. She is by far the WCC's all-time winningest coach and is a nine-time WCC Coach of the Year. Matthies was among the world's top players and is a member of the Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame. In 2009, Dig Magazine rated her and former partner Linda Hanley as the second-best women's beach team of all time. She won two AIAW national championships as a player at UCLA.
ROSTER — The Waves return four starters plus the libero and lost only two starters from the 2009 squad. Twelve returners (11 letterwinners and one redshirt) are joined by three newcomers (all true freshmen) to bring the squad total to 15. What was once considered a young team has given way to experienced veteran status as the squad breakdown includes two seniors, four juniors, five sophomores, and four freshmen in terms of eligibility.
2009 RECAP — It was another solid year for the Pepperdine women's volleyball team. Kim Hill earned AVCA All-American honorable mention honors. She led the conference with a .425 attack percentage and ranked fifth in the NCAA. The Waves finished the league in third place after posting a 9-5 record and finished with an overall record of 16-11. Kiah Fiers, Rachel Grochmal and Hill claimed All-WCC first team honors, while Victoria Adelhelm and Stevi Robinson were named to the All-WCC honorable mention squad.
TICKETS — Single-match tickets to all home women's volleyball games are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and free to all Pepperdine students and faculty with a university ID.
PEPPERDINE TWEETS — To receive all the latest up-to-date information on the Waves, follow the Pepperdine Athletics Twitter at www.twitter.com/peppsports
VOLLEYBALL HISTORY — The Pepperdine women's volleyball program is synonymous with the word excellence, as the Waves are a perennial national power. The Waves have advanced to postseason play 25 times in 35 seasons, including 11 trips to the NCAA Championships in the last 13 seasons. Pepperdine's best finishes in recent years came when the team made the regional final of the 2002 NCAAs, and then in 2003 when the Waves posted 27 victories (most in the Nina Matthies era).
ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won a total of nine NCAA championships in five different men's sports — one of just 14 schools to have accomplished this feat. Of the 14, Pepperdine is the only non-BCS school and has by far the smallest enrollment. The majority of Pepperdine's teams are ranked nationally year after year and compete for conference and national titles.
