MALIBU, Calif. — Head Coach Scott Wong and the Pepperdine women's volleyball team's coaching staff announced the addition of five to the upcoming 2018 roster on Thursday afternoon.

Rachel Ahrens, Julia DiBona, Lily Dyer, Shannon Scully and Madison Shields have all committed to play for the Waves.

"The newest additions to the Waves volleyball family are comprised of five young ladies that all see the game really well and they will improve our team ball control," said Wong. "It doesn't stop there as these young women are hungry to add to the culture of success that is ahead for Pepperdine volleyball."

Rachel Ahrens, native to Trabuco Canyon, Calif., joins the team after graduating from Tesoro High School. She has earned All-League honorable mention and Most Improved Player awards throughout her experience, while also earning the Torch of Excellence for English award in 2015 and spots on the honor roll all four years. She also garnered AAU Academic All-American acclaim in 2017.

"Rachel is playing volleyball at a high level and will contribute to this team right away," said Wong. "She has a unique skill set that allows her to help in many different ways including the ability to terminate from all areas of the court."

Ahrens was also a standout in club and juniors, playing for Tstreet Volleyball Club and A4Volley. In 2017, she was named to PrepVolleyball's Top-100 Senior Aces list and was John Tawa's pick for All-American honorable mention honors in the 18 Division. She also was named to the JVA All-National Team and was an All-Tournament Team selection at Junior Nationals Open Division. She earned All-Tournament Juniors National Division in 2015 and Open Division in 2014.

In 2018, she propelled her team to a #1 place finish at the SCVQ Southern California Qualifier, #5 finish at the Triple Crown in SLC and a #11 finish at the Junior Nationals Open Division. In 2017, she led her team to a #1 place finish at the Long Beach JVA regional and SCVA Southern and Northern California Qualifiers. She helped her team to a #2 finish at Triple Crown in SLC and a #5 finish at the Open Division of Junior Nationals. Ahrens was also a selection for the USA High Performance events from 2010-15.

Her grandmother attended Pepperdine. Her grandfather Chuck played baseball and basketball at UNR, her other grandfather Wayne played football at ASU and her mother played basketball at Scottsdale Community College.

"Pepperdine was the first college I visited and wanted to attend," Ahrens said. "I knew I wanted to stay in Southern California and when the opportunity came around to attend Pepperdine, it was where I was meant to be."

Julia DiBona, originally from Seal Beach, Calif., will transfer from Southern Methodist University this season. While with the Mustangs, she played in113 sets and 31 matches as a true freshman. She was in the top-five on the SMU leaderboard in 2017 in aces, digs and assists and ranked 5^th in the American Athletic Conference in aces/set. She helped her team to a 15-5 record and second place finish in the AAC as well.

"Julia prepped at Los Alamitos High School which constantly is turning out some of the finest young volleyball players in the country," said Wong. "Julia excels in her ability to serve receive and she has great confidence in her abilities and her approach to competition."

She played for Los Alamitos High School varsity squad. She earned SoCal Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team Libero first team honors in 2017, was a LAHS varsity team captain and earned the Varsity Top Scholar Award in 2016-17. She also marked Sunset League All-Academic honors in 2015-17, is a member of the National Honor Society, an AP Scholar and was on the Principal's Honor Roll from 2013 to 2017.

For club and USA juniors, DiBona was named to the 2017 USAV GJNC 18's All-Tournament Team, was a six-time qualifier for USAV Nationals from 2011-17 and a three-time national champion with a first place finish at AAU Nationals at both the 13 and 14 levels and a first place finish at the USAV GJNC 13 Open. She was named to AVCA Phenom List in 2014 and 2015 and was a member of the USAV Girls Youth National A2 Invitational Team in 2013. She was also named to USAV Team Florida High Performance All-Start Team in 2014 and helped Bishop Moor High School to a district championship title in 2015.

Her sister Hannah ran track for Pepperdine. Her father played football and rugby at University of Central Florida as well. She enjoys reading, singing and playing the guitar.

"I chose Pepperdine because it has everything I am looking for in a university," said DiBona. "Along with the beautiful campus, it has great academics and an amazing team that I cannot wait to be a part of!"

Lily Dyer is from San Clemente, Calif. and will graduate from Saddleback Valley Christian High School this year. Throughout her high school career, she helped her team to CIF titles in her freshman and sophomore seasons and was named All-CIF as sophomore and junior. She was named San Juaquin League Player of the Year both her junior and senior campaigns.

"Lily has been playing volleyball her whole life," Wong said. "She is a versatile player that sees the game well and will compete relentlessly for the Waves!"

On the Team USA stage, Dyer earned bronze medals with Tstreet's 18's team twice and 16's once. She also garnered All-Tournament honors on each of those occasions. Her highest finish was silver with SVVC's 14's in the Patriot Division. She also played for club volleyball with Tstreet most recently from 15's through 18's and has also played for Dig It VBC, SCVBC and SVVC as a junior.

Her brother Noah plays for the Pepperdine men's volleyball team and her sister Heidi plays for both the indoor women's and beach programs. In addition to Noah and Heidi, her father Ian played volleyball for Harvard and her brother Travis played volleyball for UC Santa Cruz.

An interesting fact about Lily is that she hit a bottom of the sixth inning, over the fence homerun in the championship game in Little League baseball when she was 10. She also maintained a 4.0 grade point average in high school.

"Pepperdine has always been my dream school since I was in middle school," said Dyer. "The NCAA Division I volleyball program is very competitive and I love that. I love everything about Pepperdine, especially the close proximity to the beach!"

Shannon Scully will transfer from University of Utah this season. She started in 33-of-34 matches and led the team with the highest serve receive percentage and most service aces. She played in 128 sets and tabbed 32 kills, 28 assists, 25 aces and 295 digs as a freshman, while helping her team to an NCAA Tournament appearance in the Sweet Sixteen.

"Shannon had a stellar prep career at Mater Dei and Tstreet Volleyball Club and I am excited to have her on board as a Wave," said Wong. "She is a nice six rotation outside hitter but what impresses me the most is her calm confidence while in the middle of the fiercest competition."

Originally from Huntington Beach, Calif., she graduated from Mater Dei High School. She was a mainstay on her high school floor the past years. At Mater Dei, she was captain of the squad in 2015, leading the team to a CIF Southern Section 1AA Championship title. She also helped her team to a CIF 1AA runner-up finish in 2016, 2014 and 2013 and helped them earn a Trinity League Co-Champion honor in 2014. She was All-Trinity League first team in 2016, 2015 and 2014.

Scully also garnered All-CIF, PrepVolleyball.com All-American first team, MaxPreps All-American Volleyball third team, MaxPreps California All-State first team, MaxPreps All-American second team, UnderArmour All-American third team, VolleyballMag.com All-American second team and CalHiSports.com All-State first team in 2016. She was nominated for Gatorade Player of the Year in 2016 and earned both Orange County Register All-County first team honors in 2015 and 2016. She was on numerous All-Tournament teams and garnered Dave Moh's Tournament Most Valuable Player and Mater Dei Andi Collins awards in 2016.

As a junior, she placed 3^rd at the 16 Open Division of USA Junior Nationals in 2015 and was named to the USA Junior Nationals 16 Open Division All-Tournament Team in 2015. The team also finished third in the 18 Open Division in 2017 where Scully also garnered Division All-Tournament Team honors in 2017.

"I chose Pepperdine because it has the perfect combination of strong academics, a great volleyball program and a picturesque campus," said Scully.

Madison Shields, from El Dorado Hills, Calif., will graduate from Oak Ridge High School. She lettered four years throughout high school in volleyball, with three years of experience on the varsity squad. She propelled her team to League Champion status in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and earned a CIF Sac-Joaquin Championship Division I title as well. She is a three-time SFL All-League Player, was team captain for three seasons and earned MVP in the Sierra Foothill League in 2017. She also was nominated for and played for the Optimus All-Star Team in 2017 and the Northern California League in 2016-17, finishing third in the state of California.

"Madison is one of the hardest working and most determined young ladies that I have had the opportunity to be around," Wong said. "Her effort combined with her ability to serve receive and play defense will create opportunities for her success on the court."

Shields played six years of club volleyball with Northern California Volleyball Club, leading her team to a second place finish at the 18's Open Division tournament at the Salt Lake Triple Crown, while earning All-Star honors for several tournaments throughout her club tenure.
Her mother played volleyball at Chico State. An interesting fact is that her nickname is 'Maddog.'

"I chose Pepperdine because of its competitive academic and athletic programs," said Shields. "Pepperdine has been my dream school since I was in middle school and I can't wait to live out my dream the next four years as a WAVE!"

Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter, @WavesVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram, @peppvolley. Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on www.PepperdineWaves.com.