Oct. 22, 2016 Final Stats
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team was felled 3-1 by West Coast Conference opponents and 5th-ranked San Diego Toreros, 3-1, at the Jenny Craig Pavilion after 25-14, 25-22, 28-30 and 25-16 final set scores.
Throughout the match, the Waves (8-14, 2-8 WCC) produced 12.5 blocks/set, three aces, and a .149 attack percentage after posting 50 kills on 141 attempts. San Diego (18-2, 10-0 WCC) out-attacked the Waves with a .243 hitting percentage with 56 kills, while adding five aces and 13.0 blocks. The win gave the Toreros' the school's all-time winning-streak record at 18.
Freshman Jasmine Gross (Portland, Ore./Jesuit HS) led the team with 11 kills on a .222 attack output, while adding five blocks. Junior Ashley Harris (Petaluma, Calif./Casa Grand HS/Arizona) and sophomore Tarah Wylie (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral HS) also posted five blocks, with Harris tabbing one solo effort along with 10 kills on a .192 offensive success rate. Wylie finished the day with nine kills on a team-high .304 hitting percentage, and posted one ace.
Freshman Hannah Frohling (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North HS) and junior Ashley Morgan (Anaheim Hills, Calif./Canyon HS) each also tallied one ace throughout four sets. Frohling added eight kills and a block and Morgan was good for eight digs as well.
Sophomores Jenna Tunnell (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) and Heidi Dyer (San Clemente, Calif./Saddleback Valley Christian HS) served as playmakers. Tunnell led the Waves with 22 assists, while amassing four blocks including one solo, six digs and four kills. Dyer picked up a double-double after leading the Waves with 12 digs and totaling 19 assists and four kills.
The Toreros busted out of the starting gate early in the first set, posting a 6-1 advantage after four consecutive attack errors by the Waves and a USD ace. Pepperdine then brought the gap to just a one-point 8-7 deficit before the home team pulled away to a 20-9 lead. The Waves collected a few points throughout the rest of the set, but the damage was done and San Diego went up 1-0 on a 25-14 set win.
The Waves started playing tough in the second set, producing a .286 hitting percentage with 13 kills and only five errors on 28 swings. The set was even to start, reaching the 7-5 mark in the home team's favor early. Pepperdine once again closed the gap to a 18-17 disadvantage, but the momentum was in the opposition's court and USD went up 2-0 with a second set 25-22 victory.
The strong third set offensive continued as well, as Pepperdine put up a .327 success rate with 22 kills and only six errors in 49 total attempts. The teams were neck-and-neck en route to 5-5 and 10-10 ties before the Waves broke free to a 15-12 advantage. The Waves and Toreros continued to battle, seeing 18-18 and 21-21 ties before the Waves took a 24-22 lead. San Diego tied the set at 24 and the Waves battled through four match-point opportunities to the 28-28 mark. At that point, blocks from Wylie and sophomore Nikki Lyons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) and a solo rejection from Tunnell closed the set in the Waves' favor 30-28.
USD was none-to-happy about the third set going to the Waves, and as a result, came out stronger in the fourth. The Toreros quickly amassed a 15-8 lead that eventually continued on to a 25-16 final set win for the home team to end the match.
The Waves now return home to Malibu to host Saint Mary's on October 27 and Pacific on October 29 for the next two WCC installments. Find live stats and stream here: http://gowav.es/2bT5hVh. Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter @WavesVolleyball for immediate updates, recaps and more.
