Final Stats

MALIBU, Calif. - It was a good start to week two for Pepperdine women's volleyball as the Waves took down Florida Atlantic 3-1 in the first match of the Lipscomb Invitational. After losing the first set 23-25, Pepperdine worked back steadily, commanding the following three sets 25-18, 25-21 and 25-20 for the first win of the tournament.

The team collected 53 kills in 157 total attempts and with only 15 attack errors, earned a .242 hitting percentage. Pepperdine also produces nine service aces, 74 digs and 20 total blocks. Remaining undefeated, the win advanced the Waves record to 5-0 overall this season thus far.

Senior libero Lara Dykstra (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union HS/Nebraska) posted an impressive six service aces to help the Waves' effort, while also tabbing 22 digs and six points.

"We were pretty good all the way around but Lara played and served really well," said head coach Scott Wong. "She was also steady in her serve receive."

Freshman middle blocker Tarah Wylie (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral HS) commanded the net in more ways than one. She led the team with 18.5 points in the match after garnering 14 kills, five block assists and one block solo. She tallied a .444 attack output after posting only two errors in 27 total attempts.

Fellow freshmen Nikki Lyons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) and Heidi Dyer (San Clemente, Calif./Saddleback Valley Christian HS) collected 10 kills apiece. Lyons posted her first double-double of the season with 11 digs along with her double-figure kills. Dyer was second on the team with 11.5 points after also adding three block assists and six digs.

Senior setter Becca Strehlow (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS/UCLA) was also good for her second double-double of the season after tabbing 41 assists and 11 digs for 7.0 points. She had a .500 hitting percentage after going 5-for-10 on the attack with no errors. Senior Olivia Okoro (Carrollton, Texas/Hebron HS/Tennessee) tallied a commanding .636 attack output after smashing seven kills down on the Owls in 11 attempts with no errors.

"It has been a team effort as we have at least 10 players contributing a match to our on-court success," said Wong. "It is good to have confidence in our bench."

Early in the first set, both teams performed competitively, but Pepperdine eventually took a substantial lead, 18-12, over Florida Atlantic. FAU was not quick to give up however, as they went on a 9-3 run to even up the score 21-21. The Waves stayed in it, but the Owls had the momentum and the edge, working towards the 25-23 set win to go up 1-0 in the series.

Running off the team's energy from the first set, the Owls continued the second by going ahead early. Pepperdine quickly brought the set back to a 7-7 even score, before going on run with the help of Dykstra's serving efforts. She tabbed two aces and continued to serve consistently to put Florida Atlantic on their heels and Pepperdine up 11-7. The Waves continued to perform, and with Wylie at the service line later in the set, advanced to a sizable 18-12 lead. FAU attempted to work back from the deficit, but the Waves kept rolling, eventually finishing with a 25-18 set two triumph.

Set three began in similar fashion, with Florida Atlantic running away with the start of the set and working for a 10-5 lead. Pepperdine refused to lay over and with another ace by Dykstra and a pair of kills from junior Brooke Honeycutt (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS), the Waves were up 15-13. After a few back-and-forth volleys, the Waves pulled away to earn the 25-21 set three victory and go up for the first time in the match, 2-1.

Pepperdine started the fourth set with quite the energy, working for a 6-1 lead before the Owls could muster a come-back attempt. The Owls did just that however as they eventually gained an 11-9 lead over the Waves. Both teams battled it out, and once the score stood at 18-18, it was all Waves after that. With Dykstra at the service line once more and the score now 20-18, the team saw the finish line. Dykstra's sixth service ace, followed by some costly errors by the Owls, finished out the match with a 25-20 Pepperdine win.

The Waves play again tonight against tournament hosts Lipscomb University at 5:30 p.m. (PT). The match will have both live statistics and live stream available.

Vs. Lipscomb

LIVE STATS

LIVE STREAM