MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team opens West Coast Conference action on Thursday and Saturday this week, hosting San Francisco in the opener and Santa Clara for the weekend matchup in Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
MATCH #12 — Thursday (September 26) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. San Francisco at 7 p.m. | WCC Network
 
MATCH #13 — Saturday (September 28) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. Santa Clara at 12 p.m. | WCC Network
 
LIVE — Live stream and live stats will be available for both matches, with all home Pepperdine matches going live on the WCC Network. 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.
 
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 — The Waves have gone 4-7 after a tough non-conference play this season, collecting a 3-4 output at home and an even 1-1 record on neutral ground and on the road.  As a team, Pepperdine has amassed 13.2 kills/set on a .254 success rate, posting 619 kills and 214 errors on 1,596 attempts.  The Waves have also posted 12.1 assists/set, 1.4 aces/set, 14.3 digs/set and 1.9 blocks/set this season thus far.
 
Shannon Scully and Rachel Ahrens lead the team with 3.30 and 2.89 kills/set, while amassing 152 kills on 401 attempts and 130 kills on 316 swings respectively.  Ahrens also leads with 20 aces, while Scully has totaled 3.20 digs/set.  Kayleigh Hames and Hannah Frohling are also hitting well for Pepperdine, posting 2.47 and 2.42 kills/set. 
 
Isabel Zelaya and Tayah Mahi have each put time in at the playmaking position, with Mahi posting 9.54 assists/set and Zelaya adding 7.29 assists/set.  Zelaya adds 1.87 digs/set and 0.32 blocks/set, while Mahi puts forth 1.79 digs/set and 0.18 blocks/set on average.  Hana Lishman leads the pack with 3.63 digs/set, amassing 167 digs in her 46 sets played. 
 
Tarah Wylie and Alli O'Harra lead in the blocking duties, with O'Harra posting 0.89 blocks/set and Wylie adding 0.63 blocks/set.  Wylie also has amassed 2.20 kills/set on a .341 success rate, while adding 0.15 aces/set.  O'Harra has put in 1.74 kills/set on a .313 hitting percentage as well.
 
LAST WEEK, TODAY — The Waves won a home matchup against UC Irvine last week, collecting on a 3-0 win, before dropping a five-setter at UC Santa Barbara.
 
In the opening sweep, Pepperdine marked 44 kills on a .261 output, while giving up 36 smashes on a .160 hitting percentage.  The Waves also amassed 10 aces, 48 digs and 6.0 blocks to the opposition's five aces, 49 digs and 5.0 blocks.  Shannon Scully led the squad with 14 kills on a .323 success rate, while adding 17 digs, three and two aces.  Rachel Ahrens put in a team-best four aces, while Tayah Mahi added three aces.  Alli O'Harra tallied seven kills and three blocks.
 
Against UCSB, two players had double-doubles, four hit for double-figures and three had double-digit digs.  As a team, the Waves produced 59 kills on a .207 output, with five aces, 65 digs and 6.0 blocks, compared to 63 kills on a .202 percentage, with three aces, 67 digs and 12.0 blocks from across the net.  Hannah Frohling and Scully had the double-doubles, with Scully marking 12 kills as well as 16 digs and Frohling posting 15 kills and 10 digs.  Ahrens and Tarah Wylie also totaled 12 an 10 digs apiece, while Hana Lishman was good for 16 digs.
 
THE COMPETITION — Pepperdine has posted a 61-7 all-time record against San Francisco, dating back to the 1985 sesaon when the Waves won in four sets at home.  Then, Pepperdine went on a 16-match winning streak before the 49ers won their first five-set matchup in 1993.  After posting another 29-straight wins from 1993-2007, the opposition won for the second time.  Since losing the 6th match overall to USF in 2014, the Waves have put in nine-consecutive wins.  Last season, the Waves put in a 3-1 win on the road and a straight-set sweep at home.  This season, USF has gone 4-7 overall, with the most recent four matches being losses to Cornell (1-3), CSU Bakersfield (2-3) and two three-set losses to Fresno State and UC Davis.
 
Against Santa Clara, the Waves have posted a 42-33 overall record all-time, with the first-ever win coming in 1982 on a neutral court with a 2-0 finish.  The Waves' longest winning streaks were seven-matches from 1985-88, and six wins apiece from 1989-91 and 2001-03.  SCU had a six-match streak of their own from 2007-09, but last season, Pepperdine won both, 3-0 on the road and 3-1 at home.  This season, SCU has posted a 10-3 record overall, with recent wins over Montana and Air Force and a five-set loss at Denver.
 
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.and World Report's list of America's best colleges.