MALIBU, Calif. — A more than powerful offense led by senior playmaker Blossom Sato pushed the Pepperdine women's volleyball team to a four-set win over CSUN on Sunday afternoon in Firestone Fieldhouse, to close the Asics Classic with a perfect 3-0 record. 
 
The Waves (4-2) pushed for 58 kills, led by four players with double-figure kills, three of which hit above a .464 clip throughout the match.  Sato spread the offense to keep CSUN (2-4) at bay in the 3-1 match that saw 25-14, 25-17, 19-25, 25-10 final set scores.
 
BIG WAVES
Rachel Ahrens (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Tesoro HS): 14 kills, .480 hitting %, 4 digs, 5 blocks
Shannon Scully (Huntington Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS/Utah): 15 kills, .464 hitting%, 1 ace, 10 digs, 1 block, 23 successful service receptions w/no errors
Hannah Frohling (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North HS): 10 kills, .348 hitting %, 1 ace, 2 digs, 3 blocks
Alli O'Harra (Boise, Idaho/Centennial HS): 11 kills, .529 hitting %, 1 ace, 3 digs, 5 blocks
Blossom Sato (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica HS): 48 assists, 2 aces, 6 digs, 1 kill, 1 block
Hana Lishman (Kailua, Hawai'i/Punahou School): 12 digs, 1 ace, 2 assists
Tarah Wylie (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral HS): 7 kills, .333 hitting %, 4 blocks (1 solo)
Madison Shields (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge HS): 4 digs
 
WAVES VS. MATADORS
Pepperdine was unstoppable on the attack front, posting 58 kills on a .429 success rate, while allowing only 42 kills on a .196 clip to the opposition.  The Waves out-blocked the Matadors 11.0 to 3.0 and put down seven aces to the visiting team's one.  The home team put up 43 digs which was led by Hana Lishman with 12, compared to CSUN's 37, and tallied 53 assists which was led by Blossom Sato's 48, compared to the Matadors 41.
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set          K             E             TA           Pct
1              16           2              31           .452
2              19           3              32           .500
3              11           4              28           .250
4              12           1              21           .524
TTL         58           10           112         .429
 
CSUN ATTACK BY SET
Set          K             E             TA           Pct
1              10           7              34           .088
2              10           3              22           .318
3              16           4              27           .444
4              6              7              24           -.042
TTL         42           21           107         .196
 
ASICS CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT
Rachel Ahrens – Pepperdine – MVP*
Hannah Frohling – Pepperdine
Kaela Straw – Idaho
Devonne Ryter – Idaho
Aeryn Owens – CSUN
Morgan Salone - CSUN

 

NOTABLES

• Pepperdine holds a 15-4 all-time record over CSUN, dating back to 1976.
• The Waves had four players with double-figure kills, including Shannon Scully who marked her fourth double-double of the season and fifth match with double-figure kills.
• Alli O'Harra's 11-kills was a career-high and her fourth career double-figure kill match.  Rachel Ahrens and Hannah Frohling also hit for double-figure kills with Frohling achieving the feat 42 times in her career and Ahrens doing so on three occasions.
• Hana Lishman has put up five double-figure dig matches, with one above 20-digs this season, and 52 in her career.
• Blossom Sato has led the Waves in assists in all matches this season including a career-high 59 in the home opener against Idaho.  She ranks in the top-three nationally in assists/set currently. 

 

PLAY-BY-PLAY
After going point-for-point to open the first set, a pair of kills from Rachel Ahrens and Alli O'Harra pushed the Waves over the edge to an 8-6 advantage.  After a good ole fashioned Malibu Roofing Company collaboration from O'Harra and Shannon Scully, followed closely by another from Tarah Wylie and Hannah Frohling put Pepperdine ahead 16-11.  A big service effort from Hana Lishman including an ace at the 21-14 mark helped the cause and consecutive blocks from O'Harra paired with Frohling and Blossom Sato respectively closed the set with a 25-14 Waves' win.
 
In the second set, Pepperdine refused to let up from the get-go, posting a 9-4 lead to open including a Wylie, Ahrens block effort and smashes from Wylie and Frohling.  The opposition stayed close in the beginning, but a big service effort from O'Harra which included an ace and big kills from Scully and Ahrens gave the home team an 18-11 lead.  The Waves continued to pound down and final kills from Scully, O'Harra and Ahrens put the set away 25-17 to give Pepperdine a 2-0 lead.
 
The Matadors had the early lead in the third, working towards a 10-6 lead early on.  Despite a late comeback attempt by the Waves, the opposition was able to take the team's first set of the match with a 25-19 result.
 
After a dropped third set, Pepperdine came out with a vengeance in the fourth, working ahead to a 10-4 lead quickly with strong service efforts from Sato and Scully.  After the lead, the Waves were relentless and fueled by a pair of Scully kills and an Ahrens, O'Harra block connection, the Waves were looking at a 12-point lead at 20-8.  Another block from Ahrens and Rosie Ballo helped the cause and a final ace from Jaiden Farr sealed the deal for a 25-10 final set win and a 3-1 victory on the dayl.
 
NEXT UP
Next up for the Waves is a trip to College Station, Texas where Pepperdine will compete in the Texas A&M Invitational against tournament-host A&M, Missouri State and Nicholls State from Sep. 6-7.  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.