Final Stats

MALIBU, Calif. — One thing the Pepperdine women's volleyball team excels at, is providing fans with nail-biting five-set WCC matches. Despite dropping the first set 20-25, the Waves battled back to go up 2-1 with 25-20 and 25-23 set wins. The Tigers evened the match with an 18-25 set win to send the match to five sets. The fifth set was all Pepperdine, however, as the Waves triumphed with a 15-11 win for the five-set victory.

The Waves are now 2-2 in West Coast Conference play and 11-6 overall for the season thus far.

Freshman outside hitter Nikki Lyons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) led the team with a commanding 17 kills, her career highest-kill game since joining the Pepperdine ranks. She also posted two service aces, three block solos and 18 serve receptions and seven digs.

Junior outside hitter Gaby Palmeri (Davis, Calif./St. Francis HS) and freshman outside hitter Heidi Dyer (San Clemente, Calif./Saddleback Valley Christian HS) also hit double-figure kills with 13 and 12 respectively. Palmeri also posted two block assists and Dyer was good for another double-double this season with 26 serve receptions and 12 digs.

Senior setter Becca Strehlow (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS/UCLA) was more than stellar as play-maker for the Waves, tallying 45 assists, 20 digs, seven kills, six block assists and the service ace that ended the match. Senior libero Lara Dykstra (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union HS/Nebraska) was clutch in the back court with 16 digs, 26 service receptions and five assists on the day.

Dykstra and sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Morgan (Anaheim Hills, Calif./Canyon HS) started the Waves off at the service line, helping Pepperdine to a 5-1 early lead. The Tigers evened things up 5-5, and both teams traded leads back-and-forth for a few volleys. Pacific began to pull away to a 21-17 lead later in the set, but the home team would continue to fight. The Tigers eventually reached set point at the 24-19 mark, and Pepperdine battled to close the gap, but Pacific buckled down and came away with the set one 25-20 win.

It was a similar start to the second set with the Waves working towards a short 3-1 lead. The opposition tied the score, but the Waves would not let the Tigers stay too close as the team edged away to an 8-4 lead. Pacific made continuous attempts to close the gap and the Waves made continuous efforts to keep the Tigers at the disadvantage. Pepperdine close out the set 25-20 to even the match 1-1.

Pacific started off strong in the third set, amassing a 6-1 lead over Pepperdine to start. The opposition continued to gain an advantage, eventually reaching a 10-6 lead before the Waves started the comeback. The home team worked to even the set score 14-14 and both teams continued to play equally hard. With the score tied at 23-23, the Waves buckled down and with the help of a Lyons' kill and Morgan serving, the Waves finished the set 25-23 to go up 2-1 on the day.

Pepperdine came out with heavy momentum in the fourth set, collecting a 4-1 lead to start the set. The Tigers continued to battle back and tie the score 5-5. From that point on, it was close as ever, with the score changing leads frequently. Pacific snagged the lead after a 14-14 decision and went away with it, earning a 23-17 lead late in the set. Despite valiant effort by the Waves, the opposition was successful in closing out the set 25-18 to put the match score at 2-2.

Lyons started the Waves off to an auspicious start, accumulating a 5-0 lead early on. The Waves continued the strong attack, leading the Tigers 9-3. Pacific would not let go easily, however, bringing the score back to a close 13-11 mark. A kill by Dyer and an ace by Strehlow closed things up in Pepperdine's favor with a 15-11 decision.

Next, Pepperdine will hit the road and play Portland at 7 p.m. on October 8. The match will be live streamed and have live statistics available here: http://gowav.es/WVB2013.