Box Score: Pepperdine 3, Saint Mary's 1 | Final Stats | Photo Gallery

Senior Day Videos: Chanel Brown | Samantha Cash | Katie Messing

MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine women's volleyball team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday vs. Saint Mary's, honoring Chanel Brown, Samantha Cash and Katie Messing as their indoor collegiate careers near an end. The trio combined for 22 kills, 19 digs, eight blocks and four aces to lead the Waves to the 3-1 victory.

After Pepperdine took a 2-0 lead, the Gaels battled back to win the third and they maintained the advantage late in set four. The Waves relied on the stellar serving of freshman Allie Loitz (Bonita, Calif./Bonita Vista HS), whose two aces near the end of the frame sparked a 4-0 run to get her team back on track. With momentum on its side, Pepperdine squashed SMC's campaign for a fifth set and won by set scores of 25-22, 25-14, 20-25, 25-22.

Jillian Bergeson (Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood HS) led the match with 16 kills, while picking up 13 digs for her 13^th double-double of the season.

Messing (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) followed with 14 kills and Olivia Okoro (Carrollton, Texas/Hebron HS/Tennessee) tied a career-high with 11.

Cash (San Diego, Calif./Canyon Crest Academy) was virtually impenetrable at the net, and finished the afternoon with six blocks. Her career tally of 445 ranks third in Pepperdine program history.

Becca Strehlow (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) scattered 35 assists while picking up a match-best 18 digs. Loitz helped out with the distribution of the ball, tallying a career-high nine assists. The libero also earned 13 digs.

Although the Waves were forced to play catch up for most of set one, Cash was effective at the service line late. The senior challenged the Gaels' serve receive, leading to a 4-0 run that gave Pepperdine its first lead since the opening points, 19-18. Tied at 22, SMC committed a service error to give the Waves the sideout. Cash and Bergeson then teamed up for the roof and Gaby Palmeri (Davis, Calif./St. Francis HS) ended things with a kill.

Pepperdine's offense was sizzling in the second, leading the home squad to a dominant 25-14 victory. The Waves out-killed Saint Mary's 16-8 in the set, led by Bergeson with five put aways and Okoro with four.

The Gaels made a libero switch and a few other tweaks to their lineup, which proved to be effective in set three. Although Pepperdine claimed the early lead, it was now the visitors' turn to rally back from behind. Saint Mary's overtook the lead at 18-17 and never allowed the Waves back in it, avoiding the sweep with the 25-20 triumph.

SMC erased a four-point deficit in the fourth and eventually took a four-point lead of its own late, 21-17. It seemed to be a case of déjà vu for the Waves, who were forced into playing five at Saint Mary's back in September after taking a 2-0 lead (Pepperdine won 3-2).

Not wanting history to repeat itself, Pepperdine clawed its way back this time around. After Bergeson sided out with a kill, Loitz stepped to the service line. The freshman dished four challenging serves - two of which went down for the ace - and just like that the Waves were back in it, 21-21. After an SMC sideout, Bergeson terminated kills on back-to-back points, forcing the Gaels to call timeout but the damage had already been done. With the momentum firmly in its grasp, Pepperdine took advantage of a pair of attack errors to clinch the victory, 25-22.

Brown (Tempe, Ariz./Valley Christian HS/Arizona) finished the afternoon with nine digs and an ace. Palmeri was credited with five kills and three blocks.

Pepperdine concludes the season at home on Tuesday, Nov. 25 with a 5 p.m. match against San Diego.