LOS ANGELES, Calif. — It was a see-saw battle in the Gersten Pavilion on Friday night, but the Pepperdine women's volleyball team brought out the grit and was able to secure the 25-23, 26-28, 25-22 and 25-23 set wins for a four-set PCH Cup battle victory.

Four players hit for double-figures throughout the night, led by Rachel Ahrens with 15 smashes on a .500 hitting percentage and Shannon Scully with a 13 kill-13 dig double-double.  Tarah Wylie and Kayleigh Hames also added 14 kills on a .458 clip and 13 kills on a .310 output respectively.

The Waves (9-8) advance to a 5-1 record in the West Coast Conference, while the Lions (10-8) drop to an even 3-3 record.  This is the first of two PCH Cup competitions the women's volleyball team will face, with the second matchup against the Lions coming on November 8 at home.

BIG WAVES
Rachel Ahrens (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Tesoro HS): 15 kills, .500 hitting %
Shannon Scully (Huntington Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS/Utah): 13 kills, 2 aces, 13 digs, 4 blocks
Tarah Wylie (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral HS): 14 kills, .458 hitting %, 4 blocks
Kayleigh Hames (Maryville, Tenn./Webb School of Knoxville): 13 kills, .310 hitting %, 8 digs, 1 block
Hana Lishman (Kailua, Hawai'i/Punahou School): 8 digs, 1 ace, 5 assists
Isabel Zelaya (Tomball, Texas/Concordia Lutheran HS): 55 assists, 12 digs, 1 block, 3 kills
Alli O'Harra (Boise, Idaho/Centennial HS): 7 kills, .583 hitting %, 3 blocks (1 solo)
Madison Shields (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge HS): 12 digs, 32 serve receptions with no errors
 
WAVES VS. LIONS
The match was tight throughout, with both sides putting up solid and nearly similar numbers.  The Waves were able to post 68 smashes on a .266 clip, while the Lions put down 63 kills on a .277 output.  Pepperdine led the floor with three aces to LMU's two, but the opposition picked up 59 digs to Pepperdine's three.  Each side collected on 7.0 team blocks.
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          17        4          44        .295
2          16        6          42        .238
3          18        6          39        .308
4          17        5          52        .231
TTL      68        21        177      .266
 
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          14        2          32        .375
2          20        5          40        .375
3          14        5          42        .214
4          15        7          45        .178
TTL      63        19        159      .277
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Each side came out raring to go in the first set, trading points and small leads towards an 10-10 tied score.  The Lions started to pull away after that, with kills that found the floor and a few Pepperdine errors, amassing a 17-12 lead.  That lead grew into a 20-14 lead before the Waves would start to battle back, inching to close the gap to 20-17 and 22-20 tied scores.  Then, Hana Lishman hit the service line, hitting the floor for an ace and allowing opportunity for Rachel Ahrens and Shannon Scully to put down a pair of smashes for the 22-22 tie.  After a 23-23 option, Tarah Wylie smoked one down from the middle and Scully kept it going with an ace to win the set and put the Waves on the right foot.
 
The second set would be just as close, however, as the opposition gained an early 8-3 lead, but the Waves were able to counter en route to a 14-14 tied score.  After exchanging leads all the way to a 26-26 tie, the Lions put in a block and capitalized on a Waves' error to win the set and tie the match.
 
LMU would take hold of the third set early yet again, but as in the other sets, the Waves were quick to rally back and tie things up at 15's.  Kills from Kayleigh Hames and Scully and a big Malibu Roofing Company rejection helped the cause for a 19-17 Waves' advantage.  LMU countered back, but after a 21-21 tie, a pair of attack errors from across the net helped Pepperdine's effort and final kills from Rachel Ahrens and Hames put the set away 25-22. 
 
The fourth and final set would prove to be one of the biggest battles of the night, with LMU pulling ahead 7-4 to begin and the Waves countering with blocks from Wylie and Scully and smashes from Ahrens for the 10-10 tie.  Each side worked to the 18-mark, but then Pepperdine was able to take hold of the momentum, fueled by Wylie at the service line. A huge solo block from Alli O'Harra and kills from Scully kept the Waves in the lead for a 23-20 advantage.  Although LMU was able to hit the 23-mark, kills from O'Harra and Hames put the set away 25-23 for the PCH Cup Waves' win.
 
NEXT UP
Next week, Pepperdine makes the trip up north, challenging Pacific and Saint Mary's on Thursday and Saturday in Stockton and Moraga respectively.
 
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.