MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF. – The #3 Pepperdine beach volleyball team closed the East Meets West Invitational, a tournament hosted by top-ranked UCLA, with a pair of wins over #9 FIU and #19 TCU on Sunday at Manhattan Beach Pier.
 
The Waves (8-4) opened the day by taking down #19 TCU 4-1, before ending the tournament with a 3-2 victory over #9 FIU.  Pepperdine went 2-2 throughout the Invitational.
 
RESULTS
#3 PEPPERDINE 4, #19 TCU 1
EAST MEETS WEST INVITATIONAL | MARCH 10
MANHATTAN BEACH PIER | MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF.
1. Deahna Kraft/Brook Bauer (PEPP) def. Jaelyn Greene/Victoria McDonald (TCU) – 21-13, 21-8
2. Gigi Hernandez/Heidi Dyer (PEPP) def. Molly Scheel/Haven Hill (TCU) – 22-20, 21-14
3. Alexis Filippone/Skylar Caputo (PEPP) def. Taylor Bradley/Claire Doyle (TCU) – 19-21, 29-27, 15-13
4. Nikki Lyons/Maddie Dilfer (PEPP) def. Caroline White/Jordan Westendorff (TCU) – 21-19, 21-10
5. Avery Arellano/Hailey Brockett (TCU) def. Simone Priebe/Katie Gavin (PEPP) – 21-13, 18-21, 15-12
Order of finish: 1, 2, 4*, 5, 3
 
#3 PEPPERDINE 3, #9 FIU 2
EAST MEETS WEST INVITATIONAL | MARCH 10
MANHATTAN BEACH PIER | MANHATTAN BEACH, CALIF.
1. Federica Frasca/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Deahna Kraft/Brook Bauer (PEPP) – 22-20, 10-21, 15-13
2. Gigi Hernandez/Heidi Dyer (PEPP) def. Allison Denney/Nina Petranovic (FIU) – 21-13, 21-16
3. Alexis Filippone/Skylar Caputo (PEPP) def. Dorina Klinger/Abbie Hughes (TCU) – 21-18, 21-17
4. Lina Bernier/Erika Zembyla (FIU) def. Nikki Lyons/Maddie Dilfer (PEPP) – 21-12, 21-19
5. Simone Priebe/Katie Gavin (PEPP) def. Katie Friesen/Maddie Besterfield (FIU) – 22-20, 21-19
Order of finish: 2, 4, 3, 5*, 1
 
MATCH RECAPS
Pepperdine made quick work of the team's opponents in the first dual, facing #19 TCU and winning first sets on four courts.  On court one, Deahna Kraft and Brook Bauer first downed Jaelyn Greene and Victoria McDonald 21-13, 21-8.  Then in the No. 2 position, Gigi Hernandez and Heidi Dyer took care of Molly Scheel and Haven Hill 22-20, 21-14 to put the Waves in a position to close.
 
Nikki Lyons and Maddie Dilfer would do the honors on court four, closing up the two-set wins for Pepperdine with a 21-19, 21-10 defeat of Caroline White and Jordan Westendorff. 
 
The Waves on courts three and five eventually went to third sets.  Although Simone Priebe and Katie Gavin fell in the first set to Avery Arellano and Hailey Brockett, the pair rallied for a second set win to force a third.  The opposition eventually gained a late edge and took the win to put their team on the board.  On the final court, Alexis Filippone and Skylar Caputo faced Taylor Bradley and Claire Doyle and although the duo fell in the first set 21-19, they answered in the second with a 29-27 battle win.  In the final set, the Waves' pair went point-for-point with the opposition, but Pepperdine proved resilient and won the final set 15-13. 
 
In the second matchup, only one match would go to three sets – on court one, resulting in an FIU win to close the day.  Pepperdine won the dual, however, leading off with a Hernandez, Dyer collaboration for a 21-13, 21-16 win on court two over Allison Denney and Nina Petranovic.  Lyons and Dilfer would fall on court four to see a tied score.
 
Filippone and Caputo gave the Waves the edge once more, though, as the pair downed Dorina Klinger and Abbie Hughes 21-18, 21-17 to get the lead back.  Priebe and Gavin would battle on court five for a 22-20, 21-19 win to clinch the dual, before FIU would take the final win on court one to make it 3-2 overall.
 
NEXT UP
Next, Pepperdine hosts the Waves' Invite on Wednesday, March 13, inviting TCU, Cal Poly and Loyola Marymount to Zuma Beach.
 
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