MALIBU, Calif. — Five Waves posted double-digit digs and three were in double-figure kills on Saturday night, as the Pepperdine women's volleyball team took on #6 Pittsburgh, in an excitement-filled final match of the 22^nd-annual Asics Classic.  Despite solid performances all-around include three separate double-doubles from Shannon Scully, Hannah Frohling and Isabel Zelaya, the Waves were felled in five with 17-25, 25-21, 25-23, 18-25 and 14-16 final set scores.
 
Pitt (10-0) picked up the early set win, but Pepperdine (3-6) was able to counter with a pair of wins in set two and three.  After the opposition won the fourth to force a fifth set, both teams came out with intent.
 
The Panthers took the first 5-2 lead with some kills, but the Waves rallied with blocks from Tarah Wylie and Zelaya and Alli O'Harra and Rachel Ahrens to close the gap.  A kill from Scully tied the set at 6-apiece and each side went point-for-point en route to a 12-12 tied score.  Although Pitt put a kill and an ace down to pull ahead by two, Scully showed no let-up and plastered a pair of kills on the floor to tie things back up.  The ball would unfortunately be on the other side of the court, however, as the Panthers were able to capitalize on two final Pepperdine errors to win the set and overall match.
 
Scully ended the night with her 5^th seasonal and 19^th career double-double on an impressive 23 kills and 19 digs, while Frohling made quite the return with her first double-double of the season on top of 19 kills and 11 digs.  Wylie also hit for double-figures, while Hana Lishman and Madison Shields tallied double-figure digs.  Freshman setter Zelaya closed the match with a career-high 55 assists and added 11 digs for her 3^rd career double-double as well.
 
BIG WAVES
Shannon Scully (Huntington Beach, Calif./Mater Dei HS/Utah):  23 kills, .340 hitting %, 2 aces, 19 digs
Hannah Frohling (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North HS): 19 kills, 11 digs, 2 aces, 1 block
Tarah Wylie (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral HS): 10 kills, .348 hitting %, 3 blocks (1 solo)
Isabel Zelaya (Tomball, Texas/Concordia Lutheran HS): 55 assists, 11 digs, 2 blocks (1 solo)
Hana Lishman (Kailua, Hawai'i/Punahou School): 20 digs, 2 aces, 4 assists
Alli O'Harra (Boise, Idaho/Centennial HS): 6 kills, .333 hitting %, 6 blocks
Madison Shields (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge HS): 11 digs, 2 assists, 1 ace
Rachel Ahrens (Trabuco Canyon, Calif./Tesoro HS): 3 kills, 5 blocks, 2 digs
 
WAVES VS. PANTHERS
Pitt led the match with 72 kills on a .320 success rate, while adding 69 assists and 84 digs, compared to Pepperdine's 63 smashes on a .256 effort, along with 62 assists and 75 digs.  Each side posted seven aces throughout the match, but the Waves led with 10.0 team blocks to the Panther's 9.5.
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          12        3          36        .250
2          18        3          42        .357
3          13        4          41        .220
4          11        3          32        .250
5          9          4          29        .172
TTL      63        17        180      .256
 
PITT ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          19        2          34        .500
2          12        2          32        .312
3          15        7          45        .178
4          16        3          33        .394
5          10        3          28        .250
TTL      72        17        172      .320
 


PLAY-BY-PLAY
Pitt had the edge to open the match, coming out swinging pulling ahead 7-3 early on and using the advantage to take a 19-12 lead late in the action.  Pepperdine started to rally towards the end of the set, however, climbing within a few, but eventually falling 25-17.
 
The late energy in the first set helped, though, propelling the Waves to a quick 4-1 open in the second set.  With kills from Shannon Scully and Tarah Wylie, the Waves kept climbing and worked to an 11-6 lead.  Pitt countered with some attacks of the team's own to tie things up at 12's, but a quick timeout and words of wisdom from Head Coach Scott Wong and the Waves pulled ahead 17-14.  The Panthers stayed close for a few points, but the Waves were able to keep scoring, collecting smashes from Alli O'Harra and Wylie to reach the 23-21 mark.  Back-to-back kills from Scully closed the set, however, finishing things off with a 25-21 set score for Pepperdine.
 
The energy in Firestone was palpable, fueling the Waves' energy in the third set en route to another solid 7-1 open, courtesy of a strong service presence by Madison Shields.  Two-consecutive blocks from O'Harra and Rachel Ahrens put the Waves up 14-7, and more kills from Hannah Frohling put the home team ahead 18-11.   It was then the opposition would rally, climbing back into the set and eventually tying things up 22-22.  A block by Ahrens and O'Harra earned the sideout and a big ace by Hana Lishman put the Waves in a position to close.  Wylie and Frohling would do just that, combining at the net to put up a Malibu Roofing Company rejection and earn a 25-23 set three score.
 
The momentum switched in the fourth set, and after a 7-7 tied score, the opposition pulled ahead to a 15-10 lead with a few service aces.  The Waves put kills on the floor by Scully and Frohling late in the set, but the Panthers closed it out 25-18 to send the match to a fifth.
 
In the exciting fifth set, after an exciting 14-14 tied score, the opposition was able to finish the match with a 16-14 final score.
 
NEXT UP
Next, the Waves will host UC Irvine on Wednesday, September 18 in Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
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.