Sept. 16, 2016 Final Stats
HONOLULU, Hawai'i — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team fell in straight sets to the 15th-ranked Rainbow Wahine of Hawai'i at the Stan Sheriff Center this Friday night.
The Waves (6-5) started with an early advantage in the first set of the late match which started at 10 p.m., but the home team eventually won 29-27. Then, Hawai'i (6-4) picked up 25-6 and 25-18 second and third set wins to earn the non-conference victory.
Pepperdine started the night hitting .429 after the fourth set with 20 kills and only two errors on 42 swings. The Waves finished the night with a .225 hitting percentage and 36 kills, while adding 4.0 team blocks, 36 digs and an ace. The home team excelled on the offensive, posting 11 aces on the night, along with a .350 attack output and 45 kills.
Sophomore Nikki Lyons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) led the team with a 10-1-22 output for a .409 success rate.
Freshman Hannah Frohling (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North HS) and sophomore Heidi Dyer (San Clemente, Calif./Saddleback Valley Christian HS) also performed for the Waves with eight and seven kills respectively. Frohling tabbed an 8-1-21 attack outing for a .333 hitting percentage, while adding the Waves' lone ace, three blocks and six digs. Dyer added seven kills on a .227 clip, 18 assists and seven digs.
Junior Ashley Harris (Petaluma, Calif./Casa Grande HS/Arizona) also posted six kills on a .357 hitting percentage and freshman Jasmine Gross (Portland, Ore./Jesuit HS) led the team with four blocks. Freshman Hana Lishman (Kailua, Hawai'i/Punahou School) also posted six digs.
The first set was exciting for both sides, beginning with a small 6-3 run by the Rainbow Wahine to gain an early edge. Shortly after, the Waves went on a 7-4 run of the team's own to tie the match at the 10-10 mark. Pepperdine then pulled ahead to a 143-10 lead after a very successful outing at the service line by Frohling, including an ace, three kills from Harris and two from Lyons. The advantages weren't over for the Waves, as the team advanced to a 24-19 lead, looking down the home stretch.
Hawai'i would give no letup, however, and after eight-consecutive failed set-point win opportunities by the Waves, the Rainbow Wahine took over the edge and won the first set on an ace, 29-27.
The second set did not prove as exciting for the visiting Waves as it began with five-straight service aces from Hawai'i's Nikki Taylor, interrupted only by a Waves' attack error, putting UH up 8-0 to start. Pepperdine picked up a few points throughout the set, but the home team was determined and advanced to a 2-0 advantage on the night after a 25-6 set victory.
After the tough second set, the Waves had a difficult pulling back into the match. The Rainbow Wahine began the set with a 5-0 advantage and stretched the lead late into the set at the 15-12 mark. Late, Dyer with a pair of kills, attempted to close the gap for Pepperdine, but the home team won the set 25-18 for the straight-set victory.
Next, Pepperdine continues the Hawai'i road trip in Honolulu, facing the #15 Rainbow Wahine again Saturday, September 17. Find live stats and stream here: http://gowav.es/2bT5hVh. Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter @WavesVolleyball for immediate updates, recaps and more.
