Pepperdine University
Hawai'i
Waves Face USC for National Championship
5/7/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball
SEASON STATS| NCAA BRACKET
GULF SHORES, Ala. - In a contender's bracket match for the right to play in the NCAA Championship final, the 3rd-ranked Pepperdine beach volleyball team dominated 5th-ranked Hawai'i 3-0 to advance on Sunday afternoon. The Waves won on courts one, two and four to earn a spot in the title match alongside top-ranked USC at 1 p.m. CT Sunday.
This is the first time Pepperdine will compete in the NCAA Championship finals, although the Waves collected two national championship titles when playing in the AVCA Championships during the sports emerging sport years.
The Waves came out strong, collecting first set wins on four-of-five courts to pick up momentum early.
Late in the match, the Waves were in positions to clinch on all courts, but sophomore Anika Wilson (Santa Barbara, Calif./San Marcos HS) and freshman Deahna Kraft (Seattle, Wash./Garfield HS) would be the Waves to deliver the final blow. The pair came back from a 21-9 first set loss to win the second 21-15 and force a third set. The duo then worked off the energy to plaster a 15-9 win over Ari Homayun and Carly Kan in the No. 4 position to clinch the match and send the Waves into the championship bout.
No. 2-pair graduate student Brittany Howard (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View HS/Stanford) and junior Corinne Quiggle (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS) opened the winning ways with a 21-17, 21-15 victory over Nikki Taylor and Ka'iwi Schucht.
No. 1-pair, senior Delaney Knudsen (Valencia, Calif./Valencia HS) and sophomore Madalyn Roh (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral HS) then put the Waves in a position to clinch as the duo bested Morgan Martin and Mikayla Tucker with a 21-18, 21-15 final mark.
Sophomore duo Skylar Caputo (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) and Heidi Dyer (San Clemente, Calif./Saddleback Valley Christian HS) and No. 5-pair senior Sarah Seiber (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Cathedral Catholic HS/Arizona) and sophomore Nikki Lyons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) were each starting a third set. Caputo and Dyer won the first set 21-18 and dropped the second with a close 19-21 mark. Seiber and Lyons had won the first 21-12, but fell after a battle 21-23 in the second. They were tied 4-4 in the third when the dual was clinched on court four.
Follow @WavesBeachVB for updates and check on PepperdineWaves.com for full results, recaps and more!
RESULTS
Dual 31: No. 3 Pepperdine 3, No. 5 Hawai'i 0
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ROUND 3 | MAY 7, 2017 | GULF SHORES PUBLIC BEACH | GULF SHORES, ALA.
No. 1: Delaney Knudsen/Maddy Roh (PEPP) def. Morgan Martin/Mikayla Tucker (UH) - 21-18, 21-15
No. 2: Corinne Quiggle/Brittany Howard (PEPP) def. Ka'iwi Schucht/Nikki Taylor (UH) - 21-17, 21-15
No. 3: Skylar Caputo/Heidi Dyer (PEPP) vs. Emily Maglio/Laurel Weaver (UH) - 21-18, 19-21, unfinished
No. 4: Anika Wilson/Deahna Kraft (PEPP) def. Ari Homayun/Carly Kan (UH) - 9-21, 21-15, 15-9
No. 5: Sarah Seiber/Nikki Lyons (PEPP) vs. Amy Ozee/Hannah Zalopany (UH) - 21-12, 21-23, 4-4
Order of finish: 2, 1, 4*
