HIGHLIGHTS

MALIBU, Calif. — Fueled by a strong offensive presence and 14 team blocks, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team, swept Saint Mary's with 25-17, 25-22 and 25-15 set scores this Thursday night to start the week in Firestone Fieldhouse with a West Coast Conference victory.

Four career highs, two double-doubles and three Waves with double-figure digs led the home teams towards victory. As a team, Pepperdine (9-14, 3-8 WCC) posted a .261 hitting percentage, including a .486 attack output in the first set alone, with 46 kills and only 15 errors on 119 swings. The team also produced 14 team blocks, four aces, 52 digs and 38 assists for the three-set win over Saint Mary's (10-12, 5-6 WCC).

The Waves held the Gaels to a .073 attack output throughout the match, allowing only 30 kills on 110 swings, while forcing 22 attack errors. The opposition also tabbed three aces, 50 digs and seven team blocks.

Sophomores Heidi Dyer (San Clemente, Calif./Saddleback Valley Christian HS) and Jenna Tunnell (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) posted double-doubles for the Waves. Dyer led the team with 22 assists and added 11 digs. She also amassed nine kills with no errors on 18 swings for a career-best .500 hitting percentage and tabbed a career-high seven blocks. Tunnell picked up a season-high 10 kills, while adding 11 assists, four digs and three blocks.

Freshman Jasmine Gross (Portland, Ore./Jesuit HS) was a defensive wall at the net for Pepperdine, rejecting the Gaels with a career-best nine block assists, while adding eight kills on a .500 attack percentage and one ace.

Junior Ashley Morgan (Anaheim Hills, Calif./Canyon HS) led the home team with 13 digs and a career-high two aces and freshman Hana Lishman (Kailua, Hawai'i/Punahou School) added 12 digs and four assists as well.

The match started equally in the first set, with both team exchanging points to the 5-5 mark. Then, Tunnell hit the service line, producing six successful service attempts through one timeout attempt by the Gaels, and with the help of back-to-back kills from Dyer and sophomore Nikki Lyons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) to put the Waves up 10-5.

Saint Mary's gained the side out, but Pepperdine quickly took that right back with two consecutive blocks from Dyer and sophomore Tarah Wylie (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral HS). With the Waves leading 19-11, the opposition went on a 5-3 run to close the gap to a four-point Waves lead, but two kills from Wylie finished off the set with a 25-17 Waves' win.

With the momentum in Pepperdine's court, the Waves came out strong in the second set, amassing a quick 12-4 lead with nine successful services from Morgan. Throughout the juniors serving prowess, the Waves posted three blocks by Gross, two kills and an ace to gain the eight-point margin. After that, the Gaels battled back to close the gap with a 9-3 run to put the Waves up by two, 15-13.

Shortly after, the opposition went on another small run to close the gap to a one-point deficit at the 20-19 mark, but a timeout by head coach Scott Wong on the Pepperdine sidelines put the Waves back on track and the home team closed out the set with a 25-22 victory to go up 2-0 heading into intermission. Tunnell led the Waves in the set with seven kills on 11 swings.

The third set was equally exciting for Waves' fans as Pepperdine smashed into a 9-3 advantage. The opposition scattered points throughout the set, but the Waves had the finish line in site. Another strong service output from Morgan featuring blocks from Gross, senior Gaby Palmeri (Davis, Calif./St. Francis HS) and Tunnell and kills from Gross and Tunnell gave the home team a 23-12 lead. The Waves then posted kills from Palmeri and Wylie to finish the match in three on a 25-15 final set victory.

Wylie added seven kills on a .312 success rate and four blocks throughout the match. Freshman Hannah Frohling (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North HS) put up six kills and Lyons was good for eight digs and five kills.

The Waves now remain at home, hosting Pacific on October 29 at 1 p.m. Find live stats and stream here: http://gowav.es/2bT5hVh. Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter @WavesVolleyball for immediate updates, recaps and more.