Defending National Champions Unveil 2015 Schedule
12/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball
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MALIBU, Calif. - A familiar lineup of tournaments and opponents, as well as few new ones, highlight the 2015 Pepperdine sand volleyball schedule, as announced today by head coach Nina Matthies.
The Waves, who have won the AVCA National Championship twice in the emerging sport's three years of existence, open the year in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 6-7 with a tournament hosted by the Rainbow Wahine.
Pepperdine will host four events on the home sand of Zuma Beach, opening with a tri-dual event with Florida State and TCU on Wednesday, March 11. The Waves last faced the Seminoles in the finals of the 2014 AVCA National Championship, emerging with a 3-2 win to claim the title. Pepperdine is 4-0 all-time vs. FSU, but the teams have never played each other in Malibu.
This is the inaugural season for the Horned Frogs, who announced they would add sand volleyball last January.
From there, the Waves return to the USAV Beach Collegiate Challenge, held at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. Pepperdine swept both the team and pairs competitions last season, going 3-0 in dual play before Kelley Larsen (Jamul, Calif./Christian HS) and Kellie Woolever (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) won the pairs championship. The 2015 field will include Arizona, Grand Canyon, Saint Mary's, and few additional teams that have yet to be announced.
Pepperdine will travel to a familiar foe in Long Beach State on March 19, before the 49ers head to Malibu on April 8. The Waves also will play USC in dual action on March 24 in Los Angeles and on April 4 at home. Long Beach State and USC are the only two teams to get the better of Pepperdine in three seasons, but the Waves still hold a combined record of 17-2 versus two of the top teams in the college sand game.
The Waves will contend with host South Carolina and FIU in Columbia, S.C. on March 28-29.
Another familiar event, the USAV Beach Collegiate Challenge in Hermosa Beach, will be contested on April 11-12. Teams currently committed to the event include Long Beach State and West Coast Conference indoor volleyball rivals Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara. Pepperdine has competed at the USAV Collegiate Challenge in Hermosa Beach long before sand volleyball became an NCAA emerging sport, dating back to 2009.
Pepperdine will culminate the 2015 regular season at Zuma Beach on April 18. Opponent(s) and match times will be announced at a later date.
The AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Championships return to Gulf Shores, Ala. for the fourth-consecutive year and will be held May 1-3. The Waves have reached the national championship finals ever season in the sport's three-year history, bringing home titles in 2012 and 2014.
Pepperdine returns 11 student-athletes from last season, including all four of its 2014 AVCA All-American class: Lara Dykstra (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union HS/Nebraska), Larsen, Becca Strehlow (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS/UCLA) and Woolever. Matthies will once again work with assistant and volunteer coaches Marcio Sicoli and Jon Dazé
