Oct. 23, 2014 Final Stats
Box Score 
SAN DIEGO - The Pepperdine women's volleyball team could not overcome a suffocating San Diego defense and fell in straight sets, 25-16, 25-19, 25-22 on Thursday evening. The Waves were led by senior Samantha Cash, who charted eight kills, three aces and five blocks.
The Toreros, hot off a 3-2 upset over then-#9 BYU on Saturday, hit .204 (45 kills-22 errors-113 attempts) on the night as they improved to 14-7 overall and 7-2 in West Coast Conference action.
San Diego out-dug the Waves (7-14, 2-7 WCC) 62-36, driving down Pepperdine's hitting percentage to just .072 (26-18-113).
Despite the setback, Cash (San Diego, Calif./Canyon Crest Academy) still had a solid outing in front of her hometown crowd. The middle blocker earned her eight kills off of a .263 (8-3-19) clip. She was a force at the net with five block assists. Katie Messing (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) paced the Pepperdine offense with 10 kills to go along with her season-high five blocks.
Becca Strehlow (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) finished the night with 21 assists and 11 digs.
The Toreros commanded the offensive tempo to take the early lead in set one. Although Cash and Gaby Palmeri (Davis, Calif./St. Francis HS) put up a strong block, USD would not be slowed down enough and cruised to the 25-16 victory.
The home squad's defense continued to be frustrating for the Waves in set two, making it difficult for the Pepperdine attackers to put the ball to the floor.
Cash delivered back-to-back aces as the senior served her team to a 6-2 lead in the third frame. San Diego erased the deficit, however, and the two sides went back-and-forth until the Toreros scored three-unanswered points to take a late 18-15 lead.
USD went ahead match point, 24-20, but Cash put down back-to-back kills to keep her team alive. Unfortunately, San Diego got the side out it needed to clinch the final frame 25-22.
Pepperdine concludes the week in Provo, Utah to face #12 BYU on Saturday, Oct. 25. First serve is set for 12 p.m. (PT) and can be watched live on BYUtv.
