#5 Pepperdine Hosts Waves' Invite; Faces #1 UCLA This Week

MALIBU, Calif. – This week marks another full docket for the #5 Pepperdine beach volleyball team, as the Waves first host #7 Cal Poly, #13 Loyola Marymount and #20 TCU at Zuma Beach on Wednesday for the Waves Invite, before making the short trip for a match against top-ranked UCLA on Saturday.

DUAL 13 – Wednesday (March 13) at Zuma Beach in Malibu, Calif.: #5 Pepperdine vs. #20 TCU at 11 a.m.

DUAL 14 – Wednesday (March 13) at Zuma Beach in Malibu, Calif.: #5 Pepperdine vs. #7 Cal Poly at 1 p.m.

DUAL 15 – Wednesday (March 13) at Zuma Beach in Malibu, Calif.: #5 Pepperdine vs. #13 Loyola Marymount at 3 p.m.

DUAL 16 – Saturday (March 16) at UCLA Beach Courts in Westwood, Calif.: #5 Pepperdine vs. #1 UCLA at 10 a.m.

COVERAGE – All matches at Zuma Beach will be live streamed courtesy of p1440 for the remainder of the season. Links available on www.PepperdineWaves.com/WavesBeachVB. The match on Wednesday will have commentary by Mike Dodd, Tim Hovland, Travis Merwhirter, Rob Espero, Casey Jennings and Jason Dibelius.

The dual at UCLA will not be streamed live and no live results will be available. Any known information can be found on Twitter @WavesBeachVB and on www.PepperdineWaves.com.

Follow on Twitter and Facebook (@WavesBeachVB) for all updates before, during and after matches. Also, go to PepperdineWaves.com for updates, recaps and more.
WAVES WEATHER – On Wednesday, it will be a high of 66º with winds blowing 13 miles per hour throughout the day. It will be a mainly sunny disposition at Zuma Beach. On Saturday in Westwood, it will be a high of 75º with sunny skies and a win of only around five miles per hour.

LOOKING AHEAD – Next, the Waves remain on the road, making a short trip to Long Beach to take on the 49ers on March 20, before heading to Tempe, Ariz. For the ASU Tournament on March 22 and 23.

THE #5 WAVES –

ZUMA BEACH –The Waves call Zuma Beach "home," practicing and hosting all home events at one of Malibu's most picturesque locations. Courts are located just west of Point Dume, between Towers 2 & 3 or at the 29800 block of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Since 2012, Pepperdine has gone 45-3 (.955) at home. The Waves won 13-straight matches from 2012 through 2014. The Waves went 3-1 in 2015, and 9-1 in 2017, but had uncontested home seasons with a 9-0 output in 2016 and an 8-0 record in 2018. The Waves lost for the only the third time at Zuma Beach this season against the Bruins.

OPPONENT NOTES – The Waves have faced all four opponents previously. Against #20 TCU, Pepperdine has gone 4-0 all-time, dating back to the 2015 season when the two teams first faced. The Waves have won three of those matches with sweeping results. Last week, Pepperdine went head-to-head against the Horned Frogs, taking a 4-1 win. TCU has gone 5-7 overall this season.

Pepperdine has faced off with #7 Cal Poly on six occasions, with the Waves coming away with five of the wins. Last season, the Mustangs picked up their first win over Pepperdine with a 3-2 output on neutral courts in the season opener for both squads. This season, Cal Poly has gone 3-3 with losses to #1 UCLA, #7 LSU and #3 Florida State.

The Waves have played PCH Cup rival #13 Loyola Marymount nine times before this week, winning all nine with five of them being 5-0 sweeps. The other four matches, the Waves won by 4-1 decisions. This season, LMU has gone 5-1 overall, losing only to #2 USC.

Pepperdine has matched up against UCLA 12 times since the 2013 season, and each team has collected six wins. The Waves did hold the advantage, but this season the Bruins amassed two wins to even the overall tally. Pepperdine won three-straight with 5-0 results to open before UCLA took a pair of 3-2 wins to end the 2016 season. Last season, Pepperdine went 1-2 against the Bruins. This season, UCLA sits atop the AVCA Coaches Poll after having gone 14-0 overall.

LAST WEEKEND – Last week started out roughly for Pepperdine, as the Waves first fell to #1 UCLA, #4 Florida State and #6 LSU. The Waves rallied on the final day of competition though, as the team bested #19 TCU and #9 Florida International to close the action.

First in a solo dual at Zuma Beach, UCLA downed Pepperdine with a 5-0 result. It was the first time in Pepperdine beach volleyball history that the Waves had been swept in the regular season, as well as only the 3^rd loss at Zuma Beach. Then to open the East Meets West Invitational, the Waves lost 4-1 to FSU and 3-2 to LSU. In the FSU match, Deahna Kraft and Gigi Hernandez were the pair to win, taking a 2-1 win in the No. 2 position. Against LSU, the lineups were switched around a bit and Heidi Dyer and Hernandez won a 2-1 match on court two, as did Skylar Caputo and Alexis Filippone on three.

Pepperdine started the winnings ways on the final day of the tournament, dominating in a 4-1 win against TCU, with wins on courts one through four. The Waves ended the tournament against FIU with a 3-2 victory. Dyer, Hernandez and Caputo, Filippone collected wins, while Simone Priebe and Katie Gavin clinched for Pepperdine.

#5 Pepperdine Hosts Waves' Invite; Faces #1 UCLA This Week

Players Mentioned

Skylar Caputo

Heidi Dyer

Alexis Filippone

Katie Gavin

Gigi Hernandez

Deahna Kraft

Simone Priebe

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