MALIBU, Calif. — After going undefeated to open West Coast Conference action last week, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team is set to face three more conference opponents, beginning with a road match at San Diego on Tuesday and ending with home matches on Thursday and Saturday against Portland and Gonzaga.
 
MATCH #14 — Tuesday (October 1) at Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, Calif.: Pepperdine at San Diego at 7 p.m. | WCC Network
 
MATCH #15 — Thursday (October 3) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. Portland at 7 p.m. | WCC Network
 
MATCH #16 — Saturday (October 5) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga at 12 p.m. | WCC Network
 
LIVE — Live stream and live stats will be available for all matches, with all West Coast Conference 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.
 
SQUAD GOALS — Pepperdine has gone 6-7 overall this season through a tough non-conference scheduling, and went 2-0 to start West Coast Conference play last week with wins over Santa Clara and San Francisco.  As a team, the Waves produce 13.25 kills/set on a .239 success rate, with 12.13 assists/set, 1.69 aces/set, 13.93 digs/set and 1.85 blocks/set.
 
Shannon Scully and Hannah Frohling lead the Waves with 3.19 and 3.11 kills/set with .241 and .203 hitting percentages respectively.  Scully also adds 3.02 digs/set, 0.43 blocks/set and 0.28 aces/set, while Frohling is good for an additional 1.70 digs/set, 0.44 blocks/set and 0.41 aces/set on average.  Rachel Ahrens and Kayleigh Hames are also hitting well with 2.79 and 2.43 kills/set respectively.  Ahrens leads the squad with 22 aces for 0.42 aces/set, and adds 0.60 blocks/set and 0.74 digs/set.
 
In the middle, Tarah Wylie and Alli O'Harra hang tough for the Waves, each posting 0.81 blocks/set against opponents.  Wylie has amassed 2.22 kills/set on a .335 success rate, while adding 0.31 aces/set and 0.48 digs/set.  O'Harra has posted 1.68 kills/set on a .260 output, while adding 0.34 digs/set for the Waves.
 
Isabel Zelaya has spent the majority of time as playmaker for the Waves, posting 349 total assists for 8.95 assists/set.  She has also marked 1.90 digs/set, 0.33 blocks/set and 0.26 kills/set.  Hana Lishman and Madison Shields have taken on the brunt of defensive work in the back row.  Lishman led the squad with 3.67 digs/set after putting up 198 total digs, and has added 12 aces on the season.  Shields has tallied 78 digs for 1.53 digs/set as the first off the bench for defensive support.
 
LAST WEEK, TODAY — Pepperdine opened West Coast Conference action with a pair of four-set Firestone Fieldhouse wins against San Francisco and Santa Clara last week. 
 
In the win over USF, three players hit for double-figures, led by Hannah Frohling, Shannon Scully and Tarah Wylie with 19, 12 and 10 kills.  As a team, the Waves were good for 52 kills on a .283 success rate, while adding 11 aces, 48 digs and 8.0 blocks.  Frohling added a .410 success rate on the attack and led the team with a career-high four aces and posted three blocks and six digs.  Scully also posted seven digs and Wylie led the squad with a .714 hitting percentage and four blocks including one solo. Hana Lishman put in another solid performance with 17 digs and three aces to help the cause, while Isabel Zelaya led with 43 assists.
 
In the victory over Santa Clara, the Waves posted a .231 success rate with 58 smashes, while adding seven ace, 65 digs and 6.0 blocks.  Frohling once again led with 19 kills, and added 10 digs, three blocks and an ace.  Rachel Ahrens posted 14 kills on a .345 output, while Tarah Wylie led with five blocks and three aces, and amassed nine kills on a .238 success rate. Lishman was good for an impressive 21 digs and six assists, while Zelaya tallied 44 assists, eight digs and three blocks for the Waves.  Shannon Scully also helped the effort with 13 digs and eight kills.
 
THE COMPETITION — Pepperdine holds winning all-time records against all three upcoming opponents this week, having gone 41-31 against San Diego, 58-6 against Portland and 56-8 against Gonzaga. 
 
The first time Pepperdine and San Diego went head-to-head was in 1979, when the Waves swept past the Toreros.  The Waves kept sweeping through USD for the next 13-straight matches and won 19-straight before the Toreros would pick up their first win in five sets in 1993.  The Waves went on another 11-match winning streak from 1998-2003, while USD recorded a nine-match streak of their own from 2012-16.  Last year, the Waves lost once on the road and won in five sets at home.  This season, USD has gone 9-4 overall with a 2-0 start to conference after defeating Portland and Gonzaga in straight sets. The Toreros are receiving votes on the AVCA Coaches Poll.
 
The Waves and Pilots first faced in 1987 when the Waves won the first match in straight-sets on the road, and continued to win the following nine-consecutive matches.  The longest Pepperdine winning streak against the Portland occurred from 1995-2015 when the Waves won 41-straight matches against.  This past year, the Waves won both with a four-set final at home and a three-set win on the road.  This season, the Pilots have gone 8-5 overall and started WCC action 0-2 after facing San Diego and BYU.
 
Pepperdine first went up against the Zags in 1987 and won 10-straight throughout.  The team then went on a 34-match winning streak from 1997-2013.  Last season, Pepperdine won both with a four-set win on the road and a three-set win at home.  This season, the Bulldogs have gone 6-8 overall and 0-2 in the WCC after opening conference play with a pair of losses to San Diego and BYU last week.
 
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.
 
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.