Pepperdine University
BYU
Waves Halt Late Surge, Defeat BYU 3-1
10/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 8, 2011
MALIBU, Calif. - The #20-ranked Pepperdine women's volleyball team was nearly forced to a fifth set by BYU, but a valiant effort in the fourth frame clinched the win for the Waves. Kellie Woolever dished 54 assists and picked up 21 digs in the victory.
Pepperdine (11-5, 5-0 West Coast Conference) won the first two sets with ease, 25-16, 25-17, before the Cougars (14-5, 3-2 WCC) answered with a 25-22 win in the third to avoid the sweep.
It appeared as though a fifth set would be needed to determine a winner after the Cougars found their rhythm and maintained the lead throughout the majority of the fourth frame.
With the home team down 21-24, BYU gave a point back to the Waves thanks to service error. With the side out, Michaela Christiaansen (Tucson, Ariz./Ironwood Ridge HS) rotated into the serving position.
Everyone was on the edge of their seat, as two Cougar attacks were hit off the Pepperdine block back onto BYU's side of the floor. On the third attack of the point, Jessica Jardine was denied by a tandem block, courtesy of Woolever and Samantha Cash (San Diego, Calif./Canyon Crest Academy).
History repeated itself, as Jardine was again roofed by Woolever and Cash to tie the set at 25.
The Cougars were able to side out on the next point, but Kim Hill (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian HS) answered with her match-high 17th kill of the afternoon.
The hard-hitting Stevi Robinson (Hermosa Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) came through in the clutch with a service ace to give Pepperdine its first lead of the set. Robinson would help out defensively with 15 digs and pace the floor with three aces.
Up 26-25, it was Woolever again, this time assisted by Victoria Adelhelm (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS) and Lilla Frederick (Huntington Beach, Calif./Cornelia Connelly HS) who denied the back row attack of Jennifer Hamson with a block.
Hamson, who towers at 6-foot-6, leads the league with 4.17 kills/set. She was reigned in offensively by the Waves, who limited her to 12 kills on 44 attempts.
BYU, who leads the league with a 3.20 blocks/set average, was limited to 1.75 blocks/set for a total of seven. The Waves finished with 11.5 rejections. Cash and Hill paced Pepperdine with five each, while Adelhelm and Woolever added four.
The Waves hit .248, with 62 kills on 153 attempts, compared to the Cougars'' 45 kills on 152 swings for a .138 clip.
Cash had the highest success rate at the net with .467, followed by Adelhelm's .353.
Hill captured her seventh double-double of the season, after collecting 14 digs to go along with her 17 put aways. Frederick also reached double figures in both categories with 15 kills and 10 digs.
Katie Messing (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) boosted the Waves' offense with 10 kills.
Pepperdine gears up for a two match road swing, beginning on Thursday, Oct. 13 at Santa Clara. They concluded the week at San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 15.
