Pepperdine University
UCLA
No. 1 Pepperdine Falls at No. 5 UCLA
3/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The top-ranked Pepperdine beach volleyball dropped the first match of the 2016 season this Wednesday afternoon as the Waves fell 2-3 to fifth-ranked UCLA at the Sunset Canyon Beach Volleyball Courts.
The Waves (11-1) started the match extremely well, amassing two solid victories over the Bruins from the four and five pairs. Then, the Bruins (10-5) fought back at two's and three's to tie the dual and put the deciding match in the number one pairs' hands. The two pairs went up, but UCLA had the edge after winning the first set. The Waves battled back, but the Bruins worked for third set win to hand Pepperdine the team's first loss of the 2016 season.
Senior Taylor Racich (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS) and freshman Heidi Dyer (San Clemente, Calif./Saddleback Valley Christian HS) fell in the first set with a 15-21 decision. The pair then fell 15-12 in the middle of the second set, but battled back late to tie the set at 18's and gain the advantage. After sending the match into extra points with a 21-21 set tie, Pepperdine gained the lead and finished the set with a 23-21 win on an ace by Racich.
In the third and final set with UCLA's Nicole and Megan McNamara, the Waves fell 8-15 to close out the day with the loss.
First to play and finish on the day were Pepperdine's two unranked teams who maintained the untarnished 12-0 records with wins this afternoon. Senior Samantha Cash (San Diego, Calif./Canyon Crest Academy) and junior Sarah Seiber (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Cathedral Catholic HS/Arizona) were the first to finish for the Waves after dropping Julie Consani and Laurel Weaver of the Bruins with a pair of 21-17 sets.
Freshmen pair Madalyn Roh (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral HS) and Anika Wilson (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos HS) then bested Reily Buechler and Zana Muno with 21-18, 18-21 and 20-18 set decisions to bring the Waves lead to 2-0 on the afternoon.
UCLA would not be quick to give up, however, as the Bruins followed the Waves' 2-0 lead with two wins of the team's own from the number two and three pairs. Ivey Schmitt and Kamily Tan first downed junior Delaney Knudsen (Valencia, Calif./Valencia HS) and freshman Kaity Bailey (Ojai, Calif./Villanova Preparatory School) in two sets.
Then, Izzy Carey and Elise Zappia picked up hard-fought three set win with 17-21, 21-19 and 15-13 set decisions over sophomore Corinne Quiggle (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) and freshman Skylar Caputo (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) to even the score at 2's on the afternoon. With the score tied, the match was in the one's pairs' hands.
Next, the Waves will return to Zuma Beach to host the Zuma Classic on April 2 and 3. In attendance along with Pepperdine will be CSU Bakersfield, Loyola Marymount and Arizona. Follow @WavesBeachVB for updates and check on PepperdineSports.com for full results, recaps and more!
DUAL 12 | #1 PEPPERDINE 2, UCLA 3
SUNSET CANYON BEACH VOLLEYBALL COURTS, CALIF. | MARCH 30, 2016
No. 1: Nicole McNamara/Megan McNamara (UCLA) def. Heidi Dyer/Taylor Racich (PEP) - 21-15, 23-21, 8-15
No. 2: Kamila Tan/Ivey Schmitt (UCLA) def. Kaity Bailey/Delaney Knudsen (PEP) - 22-24, 14-21
No. 3: Izzy Carey/Elise Zappia (UCLA) def. Skylar Caputo/Corinne Quiggle (PEP) - 21-17, 19-21, 13-15
No. 4: Madalyn Roh/Anika Wilson (PEP) def. Reily Buechler/Zana Muno (UCLA) - 21-18, 18-21, 20-18
No. 5: Samantha Cash/Sarah Seiber (PEP) def. Julie Consani/Laurel Weaver (UCLA) - 21-17, 21-17
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 3, 1
