MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team will host the 22nd-annual Asics Classic in Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday this week, welcoming in #6 Pitt, #16 Utah and Cal Poly.
 
MATCH #7 — Friday (September 13) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. #16 Utah at 12 p.m.
 
MATCH #8 — Friday (September 13) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. Cal Poly at 7 p.m. | Splash Zone.
 
MATCH #9 — Saturday (September 14) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. #6 Pitt at 7 p.m.
 
LIVE — Live stream and live stats will be available, with all Pepperdine matches going live on the WCC Network.  All non-Pepperdine matches will be streamed live by FloVolleyball.  Links can be found on PepperdineWaves.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA — Follow @WavesVolleyball on Twitter for updates and check out PepperdineWaves.com and Facebook (/WavesVolleyball) for releases and more information.
 
ASICS CLASSIC — This year marks the 22nd season that Pepperdine has hosted the Asics Classic, beginning the tradition with the inaugural tournament in 1997.  The Waves went 23-6 that year, starting out with three-straight wins at the Classic against Fresno State (3-2), Tulane (3-1) and Northern Arizona (3-2).  In the 21-season span of the tournament, the Waves have tallied a 47-15 record against opponents and have gone undefeated on six separate occasions including most recently last year in the 2018 season.
 
SAME OLE SPLASH ZONE, DIFFERENT LOCATIONS — For the second year, Pepperdine is continuing with the student fan-experience for most of the home volleyball matches with the Splash Zone.  The zone will now be located in the student section directly behind (and to the left when facing) DJ Romar.   All Pepperdine students are able to support the Waves' teams in a rowdy experience and anyone in the Splash Zone will also be first-eligible for that events giveaway.  The first Splash Zone match will be Friday against Cal Poly.
 
SQUAD GOALS — As a team, the Waves have gone 3-3 overall this season, dropping the two opening matches before going on a three-match winning streak.  Most recently, the team was felled by Texas A&M in a tough four-set battle. 
 
Pepperdine has amassed 13.60 kills/set on a .260 hitting percentage, while also posting 12.16 assists/set, 1.60 aces/set, 14.48 digs/set and 1.94 blocks/set.  The Waves have allowed opponents 10.96 kills/set on a .208 output, along with 10.20 assists/set, 1.00 aces/set, 13.24 digs/set and 2.26 blocks/set.
 
Rachel Ahrens, Shannon Scully and Kayleigh Hames lead the Waves with 3.50, 3.08 and 3.04 kills/set respectively.  Ahrens has put up a .287 hitting percentage and leads the team with 0.50 aces/set as well after having put down 12 aces this season.  She is tied for second on the team with 0.88 blocks/set after denying opponents on 21 occasions, including three times solo.  Scully has amassed a .241 hitting percentage, while adding 0.25 aces/set and 0.42 blocks/set.  Hames has put in a .210 hitting percentage, along with 0.17 aces/set and 0.33 blocks/set.  Scully and Hames have also added 2.75 digs/set with 66 digs apiece.
 
Tarah Wylie and Alli O'Harra lead the team at the net, marking 0.96 and 0.88 blocks/set respectively.  Wylie adds 2.25 kills/set on a team-best .387 success rate with 54 kills on 111 swings.  She is also second on the team with 0.42 aces/set.  O'Harra has posted 1.62 kills/set on a .244 output, while adding 0.33 digs/set.
 
Hana Lishman and Madison Shields have held down the back row.  Lishman has tallied 4.04 digs/set with 97 total digs for the Waves, and has posted four aces and 19 total assists.  Shields helps the efforts with 1.24 digs/set with 26 total digs. 
 
Tayah Mahi and Isabel Zelaya have held down the playmaking duties for Pepperdine.  Mahi leads the squad with 8.65 assists/et on 173 total assists.  She has added three aces and 39 digs for 1.95 digs/set as well.  Zelaya has posted 8.00 assists/set with 96 total assists and has marked 1.92 digs/set.
 
LAST WEEK, TODAY — Last week, the Waves hosted the Pepperdine Tournament, welcoming California Baptist, Fairfield and Texas A&M to Malibu for the tournament and defeating both the Lancers and Stags.
 
Against CBU, the Waves posted 25-21, 25-17 and 25-20 set wins, while leading the floor with 45 kills on a.313 success rate, compared to the opposition's 23 kills on .090 output.  Pepperdine also led with nine aces to five, 44 assists to 22 and 48 digs to 31, while both teams equally posted five blocks apiece.  Kayleigh Hames led the team with14 kills, while Rachel Ahrens posted a career-best six aces - a feat that ranks tied for 3rd in the Pepperdine women's volleyball record books for most aces in a single match during the rally scoring era.  Tarah Wylie led with three blocks, while Tayah Mahi posted 33 assists and Hames added 12 digs.
 
Against Fairfield, Pepperdine fell 25-20 in the first set, but rallied for 25-22, 25-13 and 25-13 set scores to complete the win.  The Waves led with 60 kills on a .280 clip, compared to 35 kills on a .101 output from across the net.  Pepperdine also added 60 kills to 35, six aces to two, nine blocks to five, 56 assists to 35 and 60 digs to 48 for the win.  Ahrens led with 15 kills, while Scully led with three aces.  Tarah Wylie had a team-best six blocks, while Isabel Zelaya marked 42 assists and Hana Lishman led with 14 digs.
 
In the final match of the weekend, the Waves fell behind with 25-17 and 25-19 first and second set losses, but rallied with a 25-19 third set win against Texas A&M.  Unfortunately, it would not be enough, however, as the Aggies closed the match with a 25-15 fourth set victory.  The Waves put up 52 kills on a .231 success rate, while adding seven blocks, 46 assists and 42 digs.  The opposition was good for 55 kills on a .365 output, with four aces, 10 blocks, 51 assists and 48 digs.  Scully led with 18 kills, Wylie posted six blocks, Mahi led with 25 assits and Scully and Lishman each marked nine digs apiece.
 
THE COMPETITION — The Waves have played all three opponents previously, holding a 4-2 output over Utah all-time.  Pepperdine first faced the Utes in 1981 and won on a neutral court and the most recent win came in 1999 on the road in a five-set thriller.  Utah has gone 7-0 this season thus far and ranks #16 in the AVCA Coaches Poll.  Most recently, the Utes have swept Utah Valley, Portland State and UC Davis.  Against Cal Poly, the Waves have posted 15 wins and 24 losses, winning the first-ever contest in 1975 at home 2-1, while losing the most recent contest in 2018 3-1 on neutral courts.  This season, the Mustangs have gone 3-3 overall and most recently defeated North Texas, Wichita State and San Jose State.  The Waves have gone 3-2 against Pitt all-time, dating back to 1979 when the team won 3-1 at a neutral site.  Most recently, Pepperdine fell 3-0 on the road in 2018.  This season, Pitt is ranked #6 and has posted a 6-0 record overall and has most recently swept Duquesne, Green Bay and Ohio State.
 
POSITION BREAKDOWNS:
CANNONS — Hannah Frohling, Shannon Scully, Rachel Ahrens, Taylor Akason, Savana Greene and Kayliegh Hames.
MALIBU ROOFING COMPANY — Tarah Wylie, Alli O'Harra and Rosie Ballo
PLAYMAKERS — Isabel Zelaya, Tayah Mahi and Lily Dyer.
CAN YOU DIG IT? — Hana Lishman, Madison Shields and Aubrey Roberts.
 
MORE THAN A PEEK INTO THE 2018 SEASON — This week, the Waves took an in-depth look at the trials and tribulations faced during the end of the 2018 season in a three-part docuseries.  Also included in the feature were team philosophies and an inside look at the momentum towards the team's future this season.  All three chapters, as well as the full video, can be found on any of Pepperdine women's volleyball social channels (@WavesVolleyball on Facebook and Twitter) or on the Pepperdine Athletics YouTube channel.
 
WCC PRESEASON POLL & HONORS — The Waves had four honored with an All-WCC Preseason Team selection, including Hannah Frohling, Tarah Wylie, Shannon Scully and Rachel Ahrens.  Pepperdine was picked to finish 3rd in the West Coast Conference this season, close behind BYU and San Diego, and out in front of PCH Cup rival Loyola Marymount, Saint Mary's, Pacific, Portland, Gonzaga, Santa Clara and San Francisco.
 
2018 RECAP — Last season, the Waves went 22-9 overall and 14-4 in the West Coast Conference, posting a 12-1 output at home, a 6-7 record on the road and a 4-1 record on neutral courts.  The Waves made the NCAA Tournament for the 24th time in 44 seasons and the first time since the 2012 campaign, finishing in the second round of the tournament after posting a solid victory over Northern Iowa in the opening round in Wisconsin. The Waves won the final five matches of the regular season, including a 3-2 defeat of Hawai'i and WCC-victories over Gonzaga, Portland, PCH Cup rival LMU and San Diego to finish 2nd in the conference.
 
LISHMAN AND TEAM USA — Senior Hana Lishman had quite the summer, first being invited to the Team USA National Team tryout in Colorado Springs, and then by being selected to the 28-player U.S. Women's Collegiate National Team, Anaheim roster in April.  She trained with the squad in from June 23-29.
 
WAVES ON ICE? — Sophomore defensive specialist Madison 'Mad Dog' Shields didn't just grow up playing volleyball, she started her athletic career playing ice hockey.  Her stepsiblings played the sport and after taking basic lessons, she started to love it so much she joined a team.  That team happened to be an all-guys team, but checking was not yet allowed.  Shields stated, "I was on the team for two years and it was mentally challenging. It made me a more disciplined athlete and it made me want to work harder.  It helped me realize how to be a next-level athlete.
 
SCOTT WONG — Pepperdine alum Scott Wong was named head coach in December 2014, becoming the fifth head coach in program history.  In first four seasons at the helm of the Waves, he amassed a 68-55 overall record for Pepperdine.  He helped the program to its first NCAA appearance since 2012 in the 2018 campaign after leading the Waves to a 22-9 overall season and a NCAA second round finish.   He was an assistant with the Waves' men's program from 2005-09 (and was part of the 2005 NCAA championship-winning team) before moving back to his home state of Hawaii and serving as associate coach with the Rainbows' women's squad for five seasons.  He was also Hawaii's sand volleyball head coach.  Wong was a three-time All-American with the Waves between 1998-01.
 
NEW FACES ON THE SIDELINES — Head Coach Scott Wong has recruited some new help on the sidelines for the 2018 season, bringing in Tara Hittle, Lindsey Berg and Blossom Sato to help coach the squad.  Hittle is a former NCAA Division I multi-sport student-athlete and professional volleyball player.  She graduated from University of Hawai'i after playing both basketball and volleyball and helping the Rainbow Wahine to a pair of NCAA Elite 8 appearances in 2006 and 2007 as well as Sweet 16 berths in 2004 and 2005.  Berg is a three-time Olympian and two-time silver medalist.  She helped lead Team USA to a pair of silver medal finishes in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, while also playing in Italy on the professional circuit for seven season.  Sato is a recent graduate of Pepperdine and spent two years leading the Waves as the primary setter, earning All-WCC first team honors in 2018.  She made an immediate impact after transferring from Mississippi State and posted 1,915 total assists, averaging 10.35 assists/set for the Waves.  Director of Operations Haley Thompson also returned to the sidelines to help the Waves this season.
 
INDOOR VOLLEYBALL HISTORY — The Pepperdine women's volleyball program is synonymous with the word excellence, as the Waves are a perennial national power.  The Waves have advanced to postseason play 28 times in 44 seasons, including 14 trips to the NCAA Championships in the last 21 seasons.  Pepperdine's best finishes in recent years came when the team made the regional final of the NCAA Tournament in 2002 and again in 2011.  Ten players have earned AVCA or Volleyball Magazine All-American honors a combined 19 times, while six players have been dubbed the WCC Player of the Year nine total times.  Nina Matthies, who stepped down after the 2013 season, was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in December, 2015.
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I Championships in five different men's sports — one of just 17 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 25 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, Calif., the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful.  Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks No. 50 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.