Final Stats

MALIBU, Calif. — It was a tough ending for the Pepperdine women's volleyball team (12-8, 3-4 WCC) this Thursday night in Firestone Fieldhouse, as powerhouse West Coast Conference-opponents Santa Clara (15-4, 6-1) downed the team in three sets: 25-15, 25-18, 25-22.

As a team, the Waves produced 33 kills throughout the match, and with 19 errors in 114 attempts finished with a .123 hitting percentage. Pepperdine also amassed four service aces, 61 successful serve receptions and eight total block assists on the night

Junior outside hitter Gaby Palmeri (Davis, Calif./St. Francis HS) led the team with 10 kills (5 errors-33 attempts). Freshman outside hitter Nikki Lyons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) was next for the Waves with eight kills, and with only two errors in 17 attempts, finished with a .353 success rate on the attack.

Senior setter Becca Strehlow (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS/UCLA) led the team with three block assists, and 27 assists, and also tallied eight digs. Senior liber Lara Dykstra (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union HS/Nebraska) led the Waves with 14 digs, while posting four assists and one ace on the night.

In the first set, both the Waves and Broncos came out with strong intentions. Pepperdine worked for a 4-1 lead, but the opposition came back quickly, tying things up 6-6 and then breaking away towards a 15-10 advantage. The Broncos worked for a 10-5 run over the home team to finish the first set with a 25-15 victory.

The second set started almost identically, with the Waves amassing a 4-1 lead to start. Pepperdine kept a small lead early on, but Santa Clara eventually tied the set, 7-7. The Waves stayed in the match, gathering a 14-16 deficit before the Broncos started to break away again. Despite a valiant effort by Pepperdine, a SCU 9-4 run ended the set with a 25-18 decision.

In an effort to keep the match going, the Waves came out playing hard in the third set. This time, Santa Clara quickly took the lead, gathering a 10-6 lead over the home team. Pepperdine worked back, closing the gap but never quite tying the set or gaining the lead. Late in the set, the Waves challenged the Broncos with a 21-22 score, but SCU buckled down and worked towards a 25-22 set decision and 3-0 match victory.

Pepperdine will be back in action this Saturday at 1 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves will continue WCC play, by taking on San Francisco. Follow the Waves on Twitter and Facebook, @WavesVolleyball. Catch the match live on Saturday by checking out PepperdineSports.com/WavesVolleyball.