MALIBU, Calif. – It came down to the wire at Zuma Beach on Saturday morning, but the #5 Pepperdine beach volleyball team got the redemption sought from last season over #2 USC after senior Skylar Caputo and sophomore Alexis Filippone clinched the 3-2 dual win with a 22-20, 14-21, 16-14 final battle line.
 
Deahna Kraft, Gigi Hernandez and Simone Priebe, Katie Gavin also stepped up in the Waves (16-6) win over the Trojans (16-3). 
 
After each side had amassed two-points apiece, all eyes went to court four with Filippone and Caputo going up against Joy Dennis and Maja Kaiser.  The pair had taken a 22-20 first set win, but had fallen 21-14 in the second.  It was a grind throughout, as the Waves and Trojans went point-for-point throughout the set en route to a 13-13 tie.  The Trojans picked up the first set-point opportunity on a deep shot, but Caputo and Filippone fended it off with a well-placed shot of their own. 
 
After putting another solid point down on the back right light, Filippone stood at the net with the match on the line.  The serve went over and the Trojans went up for an attack, but the Filippone denied the opportunity with a huge Malibu Roofing Company job to win the dual for her team and send the squad swarming onto the court.
 
Pepperdine now holds a 13-12 record over USC all-time, with a 7-2 record when playing on Zuma Beach.  At home, the Waves improve to 8-1 this season and 50-3 (.943) all-time.
 
RESULTS­
#5 PEPPERDINE 3, #2 USC 2
MARCH 30 | ZUMA BEACH | MALIBU
1: Tina Graudina/Abril Bustamante (USC) def. Brook Bauer/Heidi Dyer (PEPP) – 17-21, 21-19, 13-15
2: Gigi Hernandez/Deahna Kraft (PEPP) def. Sammy Slater/Terese Cannon (USC) – 21-19, 21-18
3: Alexandra Poletto/Haley Hallgren (USC) def. Maddie Dilfer/Nikki Lyons (PEPP) – 24-26, 12-21
4: Alexis Filippone/Skylar Caputo (PEPP) def. Joy Dennis/Maja Kaiser (USC) – 22-20, 14-21, 16-14
5: Simone Priebe/Katie Gavin (PEPP) def. Cammie Dorn/Laurel Kujan (USC) – 21-14, 21-16
6X: Josannah Vazquez/Hannah Martin (USC) def. Jordan Ferrari/Michaela Kasper (PEPP) – 21-18, 22-20
Order of finish: 2, 3, 5, 1, 4*
 
 
­­KEY STATS
Pepperdine def. USC: 3-2
1: Bauer: 14 kills, 2 aces | Dyer: 14 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace
2: Kraft: 17 kills, 2 blocks, 4 aces | Hernandez: 8 kills, 2 aces
3: Dilfer: 5 kills, 2 aces | Lyons: 12 kills, 1 block
4: Caputo: 20 kills, 1 ace | Filippone: 9 kills, 2 blocks, 4 aces
5: Priebe: 8 kills, 3 blocks, 2 aces | Gavin: 8 kills, 2 aces
 
MATCH RECAP
This dual, played in two-flight format, was thrilling from start to finish.  In the first flight, the Waves split on courts two and three.  Gigi Hernandez and Deahna Kraft put the Waves on the board first with a big 21-19, 21-18 win over Sammy Slater and Terese Cannon in the No. 2 position.
 
With the even score going into the second flight, position's one, four and five felt the pressure.  Katie Gavin and Simone Priebe felt confident, however, dominating court five with a 21-14, 21-16 win over Cammie Dorn and Laurel Kujan to put the Waves up 2-1. 
 
Courts one and four were much closer, though, each reaching the three-set marker.  Heidi Dyer and Brook Bauer put in a battle on court one against Tina Graudina and Abril Bustamante, coming back from a 17-21 first set loss to win the second 21-19.  In the third, the opposition was able to get to 15 first, taking a tight 15-13 win to even the overall 2-2.
 
With the pressure on, Alexis Filippone and Skylar Caputo got the job done in extra points.
 
NEXT UP
Next, the Waves have some time off before heading over to USC to take on the Trojans once again on April 11 in Los Angeles.
 
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