Women's Volleyball to Play #16 Byu, #5 San Diego
10/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
GAME NOTES
MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team remains on the road this week with two matches against ranked opponents on the docket. The Waves continue West Coast Conference competition by challenging No. 16 BYU on Thursday before trekking to No. 5 San Diego on Saturday.
MATCH #21 — Thursday (October 20) at the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah: Pepperdine (8-12, 2-6 WCC) vs. #16 BYU (17-3, 6-2 WCC) at 6 p.m. (PT).
MATCH #22 — Saturday (October 22) at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. #5 San Diego (17-2, 8-0 WCC) at 12 p.m. (PT).
LIVE — All matches will be streamed live on TheW.tv. Direct links for all matches, including live statistics can be found on PepperdineWaves.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA — Follow @WavesVolleyball on Twitter for updates and check out PepperdineWaves.com and Facebook (/WavesVolleyball) for releases and more information.
BY THE NUMBERS — The Waves have gone 8-12 overall this season, while posting a 2-6 record in West Coast Conference play, including a 2-6 record at home and on the road and a perfect 4-0 record on neutral ground. Pepperdine averages 11.71 kills/set on a .182 hitting percentage, while amassing 10.79 assists/set, 1.10 aces/set, 15.79 digs/set and 2.26 blocks/set. This past week, the Waves split two matches, first dominating with a three-set victory at San Francisco before falling in four sets at Santa Clara.
SOPHOMORE RETURNERS — Tarah Wylie, Heidi Dyer and Nikki Lyons are also key components to the Pepperdine efforts this season. Wylie averages 0.96 blocks/set, 1.87 kills/set on a .225 success rate and 0.30 aces/set this season for the Waves. She has tabbed 23 aces and put in 142 kills on 355 swings. Dyer is the primary playmaker for the team with 5.17 assists/set. She is also third for the Waves with 2.03 kills/set and averages 2.24 digs/set and 0.50 blocks/set. Lyons is second on the team with 2.13 kills/set after smacking down 151. She also adds 0.20 aces/set with 14 reported, 2.37 digs/set and 0.35 blocks/set.
NEW SEASON, NEWCOMERS — Freshmen play an integral role in the Waves' offensive and defensive efforts this season. Hannah Frohling leads the team with 2.14 kills/set, while posting a .159 attack percentage and amassing 1.12 digs/set and 0.40 blocks/set. Jasmine Gross is huge on the net and leads Pepperdine with 1.20 blocks/set after posting 90 total rejections including 12 solo efforts this season. She also leads the team with a .294 hitting percentage after averaging 1.75 kills/set after 75 matches played. Hana Lishman is the only Wave to have played in every single set this season as libero. She leads the team with 3.63 digs/set, while adding 0.64 assists/set and 0.14 aces/set.
#16 BYU COUGARS — BYU holds a 21-7 overall record against the Waves, including a 6-2 record in Malibu and a 12-2 record on the road. The two teams first faced in 1976 when the Waves won 2-0, before the Cougars went on a four-match winning streak from 1977-82. The longest Pepperdine winning streak was four straight matches from 2000-11 in which the Waves won in four sets each time. In recent years, BYU has won the last nine consecutive matches, including this season in Firestone when the Cougars took down the Waves in four sets. Brigham Young is currently tied-16th in the AVCA Coaches Poll and ranked 2nd in the WCC after posting a 17-3 overall record and a 6-2 record in conference play. The Cougars split last weekend, dropping 3-2 to Portland before downing Gonzaga with a sweep. BYU averages a .294 success rate on the attack with 13.96 kills/set, while adding 12.81 assists/set, 1.58 aces/set, 13.20 digs/set and 2.64 blocks/set against opponents.
#5 SAN DIEGO TOREROS — Pepperdine leads San Diego with a 39-27 overall record all-time, including a 24-11 record in Malibu and a 15-16 record down south. The two teams faced for the first time in 1979 when the Waves won 3-0. Pepperdine then went on a 20-match winning streak, including 18 straight set victories from 1979-92. USD collected the team's first victory in 1993 when the Toreros won in five sets on two occasions. In recent years, San Diego has had the edge and has won the last eight straight, including last season two wins, a five-setter at San Diego and a three-setter in Malibu. This season, the Toreros rank 5th in the AVCA Coaches Poll and 1st in the WCC with a 17-2 overall record and a perfect 8-0 record. The Waves have not faced the team yet this season. USD averages a .272 hitting percentage after posting 15.00 kills/set, while adding 14.09 assists/set, 1.21 aces/set, 13.81 digs/set and 1.88 blocks/set this season. The team is currently on a 16-match winning streak including the last three matches which have been straight-set victories.
LAST WEEK: USF & SCU — Pepperdine had two road matches last week. The Waves first downed San Francisco in straight sets on Thursday, before falling in a four-setter to Santa Clara on Saturday. Against the Dons, the Waves hit for an impressive .300 success rate on the attack with 43 kills and only 13 errors in 100 swings. The Waves also posted 5.0 team blocks, five aces and 52 digs throughout the match, while the opposition collected a .075 hitting percentage on 27 kills with 6.0 team blocks and five aces. Hannah Frohling led the team with 13 kills on a .400 attack percentage. Heidi Dyer served as playmaker with 19 assists and nine digs and Tarah Wylie led the squad with three block solos while also tabbing nine kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Jasmine Gross had a .667 attack output with six kills and no errors on nine swings and Hana Lishman led the defensive back row effort with 14 digs.
Then against Santa Clara, the team won the first set 30-28 before dropping the next three consecutive sets. Pepperdine totaled a .132 hitting percentage with 32 kills and added 7.0 team blocks, five aces and 55 digs. Santa Clara possessed a .326 success rate with 57 kills on 135 swings, while adding 14.0 team blocks and 12 aces throughout four sets. Frohling and Wylie led the Waves with 10 kills apiece, Wylie on a team-high .409 hitting percentage. Gross led the team with five blocks including two solo rejections and Dyer and Jenna Tunnell put up 14 assists apiece. Lishman again led the back row with 11 digs.
Scott Wong — Pepperdine alum Scott Wong was named head coach in December 2014, becoming the fifth head coach in program history. In his first outing on the sidelines with the Waves, he led the team to their first 4-0 undefeated start since the 2009 season, as well as an Asics Classic victory. In his first complete year, Wong led the Waves to a 17-14 overall record and 8-10 record among West Coast Conference competitors. He was an assistant with the Waves' men's program from 2005-09 (and was part of the 2005 NCAA championship-winning team) before moving back to his home state of Hawaii and serving as associate coach with the Rainbows' women's squad for five seasons. He was also Hawaii's sand volleyball head coach. Wong was a three-time All-American with the Waves between 1998-01.
INDOOR VOLLEYBALL HISTORY — The Pepperdine women's volleyball program is synonymous with the word excellence, as the Waves are a perennial national power. The Waves have advanced to postseason play 27 times in 41 seasons, including 13 trips to the NCAA Championships in the last 19 seasons. Pepperdine's best finishes in recent years came when the team made the regional final of the NCAA Tournament in 2002 and again in 2011. Ten players have earned AVCA or Volleyball Magazine All-American honors a combined 19 times, while six players have been dubbed the WCC Player of the Year nine total times. Nina Matthies, who stepped down after the 2013 season, was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in December, 2015.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I Championships in five different men's sports — one of just 17 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 25 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, Calif., the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks No. 50 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
