MALIBU, Calif. — For the 25th time in program history, the #25 Pepperdine women's volleyball team will enter the NCAA Tournament.  The Waves' first round matchup will be against UCF on Friday at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood, Calif.  A win in the first round would also put the squad up against either #13 UCLA or Fairfield on Saturday night. 
 
MATCH #28 — Friday (December 3) at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. UCF at 4:30 p.m. PT. | Hosted by UCLA | Watch: ESPN+
 
*MATCH #29 — Saturday (December 4) at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. winner of #13 UCLA vs. Fairfield at 7 p.m. PT. | *pending win in first round | Hosted by UCLA | Watch: ESPN+
 
LIVE COVERAGE — The NCAA first and second rounds will by hosted by UCLA.  All matches will stream live on ESPN+ and live stats will also be available.  Links can be found on www.PepperdineWaves.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA — Follow @WavesVolleyball on Twitter for updates and check out PepperdineWaves.com and Facebook (/WavesVolleyball) for releases and more information.
 
TICKETS & SPECTATOR GUIDELINES — In accordance with updated health guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), regarding COVID-19, UCLA Athletic indoor events will require fans (age 2 and older) in attendance to show proof of their fully-vaccinated status or provide a pre-entry negative COVID-19 test result from within 72 hours of the start of the event.  Additionally, and effective November 1, 2021, all fans over the age of 18 will be required to present an ID along with their proof of vaccination or negative test result.  Verification will occur at the venue entry points.  Please see the UCLA website for more details: https://gowav.es/uclafanattendpolicy.
 
WCC POSTSEASON HONORS — Five from the Pepperdine women's volleyball team earned West Coast Conference postseason honors, with Grace Chillingworth highlighting with the program's second-straight WCC Freshman of the Year honor.  She was also named to the All-WCC honorable mention and All-Freshman Teams.  Rachel Ahrens and Isabel Zelaya were tabbed to the All-WCC first team, while Madison Shields and Meg Brown received second team nods.
 
WAVES IN THE SHOW — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team has advanced to postseason play 29 times in the program's 46-year history, compiling a cumulative record of 41-34 (.547).
 
The Waves have earned a berth to the NCAA Championships on 25 occasions — 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2020 and 2021 — and have gone 19-24 (.442) at the tournament.
 
In 2002, Pepperdine advanced to the Elite Eight and reached the regional final once again in 2011. Pepperdine competed at the AIAW Championships in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979 while the 1995 team participated in the 20-team National Invitational Volleyball Championships. Pepperdine finished fourth at the AIAW Championships in 1976 and 1978.
 
Last season, the Waves swept past UMBC in the NCAA first round before facing Baylor in the second.  After a tough five-set battle, Pepperdine bowed out of the tournament.
 
SQUAD GOALS — Pepperdine went 22-5 overall throughout the regular season, amassing a 14-4 record in the West Coast Conference to finish tied for 2nd this season.  As a team, the Waves put out 13.76 kills/set on a .252 clip, while giving up 11.35 kills/set on a .214 output to opponents.  The squad also averaged 12.70 assists, 1.62 aces, 13.26 digs and 1.95 blocks per set, while allowing opponents 10.46 assists, 1.21 aces, 12.10 digs and 2.21 blocks per set throughout the regular season. 
 
Rachel Ahrens leads in point-scoring for the Waves, having posted 484 total kills to average 4.79 kills/set on a .274 success rate.  She also adds 0.50 aces/set after putting up 50 aces in her 101 sets played this season.  Grace Chillingworth and Meg Brown are next for the squad with 3.03and 2.29 kills/set, with .253 and .300 hitting percentages respectively.  At the net, Brown and Rosie Ballo lead for Pepperdine.  Ballo averages 1.00 blocks/set after having posted 94 total blocks this season including seven solo rejections.  Brown has posted 0.87 blocks/set with 80 total blocks including six solo jobs, while also playing a big role at the service line with 0.27 aces/set and 25 total aces this season.
 
Isabel Zelaya leads in playmaking duties for the Waves and has amassed 1,098 total assists this season to average 10.76 assists/set.  She also adds 1.75 digs, 0.56 blocks, 0.46 kills and 0.14 aces per set for the squad.  In the back row, Madison Shields, Kayla Joyce and Trinity Stanger lead the Waves with 4.15, 1.79 and 1.79 digs/set respectively.  Shields has tallied 423 total digs this season and is second on the team with 93 total assists.  Joyce also adds 0.25 aces/set, while Stanger puts in 0.18 aces/set as well.
 
WEEKLY HONORS & NATIONAL ACCLAIM — A historic moment came to pass for the Waves and Rachel Ahrens this season as she became the first-ever Pepperdine women's volleyball player to garner AVCA National weekly honors on Tuesday, November 9.  The Waves have earned one other national weekly honor in program history with the NCAA Player of the Week award as Jazmine Orozco accomplished the feat in 2012. 
 
This season, the Waves have also tabbed eight West Coast Conference weekly honors.  Rachel Ahrens garnered three Offensive weekly nods, while Madison Shields picked up four defensive honors and Meg Brown earned one defensive.
 
MILESTONES & RECORD WATCH — This season, in the second match against PCH Cup rival LMU, Rachel Ahrens amassed four aces, which put her career total at 148 to become the Pepperdine women's volleyball program's all-time career ace leader.  It was an accomplishment that has not changed in the record books since Nicole Sanderson achieved the top spot with 147 aces from 1994 to 1997.  Ahrens has since amassed 152 aces.  In the final WCC match of the season against Gonzaga, Ahrens also marked her 50th ace of the season, breaking her own single-season rally scoring era ace record which she set during 2019.  She now ranks both No. 1 and No. 2 in the Pepperdine women's volleyball rally scoring era single-season record books for most aces in single season and No. 2 and No. 3 in the all-time record books including the sideout era.
 
Additionally, Ahrens surpassed the 1,000 career-kill mark against Washington earlier this season.  She became the 21st Wave to have accomplished the feat and now with 1,358 kills, she ranks 6th in the Pepperdine women's volleyball career record books.  Against Saint Mary's at home this season, she also tabbed a career-best 30 kills, an attacking output that has only been accomplished twice by a Pepperdine women's volleyball player, and only now three times in program history.  The last two times Waves have hit for more than 30 kills were Katie Wilkins with 32 kills at Pacific in a four-set match in 2003 and Julie Rubenstein with 31 kills in five sets at Oregon State in 2008.
 
As for the record books, Ahrens has racked up quite a few mentions throughout.  So far, she ranks atop the career Pepperdine records with 0.42 aces/set, and 7th with 4.43 points/set.  Her points/set output makes her the first Wave to crack the points/set top-10 records since Julie Rubenstein did so from 2005-08.  Prior to the 2021 season, Ahrens also ranked 2nd in the single-season rally scoring single-season records with 0.44 aces/set, 4th with 4.44 kills/set and 5th with 5.13 points/set.  This season, she has already amassed 50 aces on a 0.50 aces/set ratio and while she now holds the single-season record for most aces in a season during the rally scoring era, she ranks currently ranks second in aces/set.
 
Also in the single-season rally scoring records, Madison Shields ranked tied-7th in 2020 with 4.22 digs/set last season.  She also tied for 3rd in the single-match records with 34 digs - both in five sets and overall.  This season, she also tabbed her 1,000th career dig.  She's the 13th Wave to have accomplished the feat and now ranks 10th in the Pepperdine record books after having amassed 1,118 digs in her career thus far. 
 
Isabel Zelaya ranks 6th with 10.53 career assists/set and 8th with 2,876 total assists. 
 
LAST MATCHES OF REGULAR SEASON — The Waves won the squad's four last matches of the regular season, first downing then-ranked #19 San Diego in five sets and then sweeping past San Francisco, Santa Clara and Gonzaga to close things out.  Against USD, Pepperdine posted 64 kills, along with 6.0 blocks, 64 digs and six aces, while the opposition marked 50 kills, 17.0 blocks with 57 digs and five aces.  Rachel Ahrens and Grace Chillingworth led with 27 and 19 kills respectively, while Ahrens added an ace as well.  Madison Shields led with 19 digs and Isabel Zelaya put up 46 assists and 17 digs.  Emma Ammerman had a team-best five blocks.
 
The Waves dominated San Francisco in three, posting 42 kills on a .359 output, with five aces, 46 digs and 11.0 blocks, giving up only 20 kills on a -.021 with two aces, 4.0 blocks and 37 digs.  Meg Brown led with 10 kills on a .562 clip, while Ammerman and Rosie Ballo put in seven blocks apiece.  Zelaya added 26 assists and Shields led with 13 digs and three aces.
 
Against Santa Clara on Senior Day, the Waves once again made quick of the competition, posting 46 kills on a. 380 collective, with two aces, 36 digs and 3.0 blocks, while giving up 33 kills on a .161 output with five aces, 31 digs and 6.0 blocks.  Ahrens amassed 19 kills on a .469 clip while Ballo put in 9 kills on a career-best .818 output along with three blocks.  Shields led with 17 digs and Zelaya put in 34 assists as well.
 
In the final match of the season, Pepperdine posted 52 kills on a .322 clip with two aces, 54 digs and 8.0 blocks, while allowing Gonzaga 39 kills on a .255 output with five aces, 44 digs and 4.0 blocks.  Ahrens and Ammerman led with 19 and 13 kills respectively, alongside .368 and .462 success rates respectively.  Shields put in 15 digs and Zelaya amassed 38 assists.  Brown led the squad with four blocks as well.
 
THE COMPETITION — UCF has gone 26-6 overall and 19-1 in the American Athletic Conference, winning the program's fourth-straight league title.   The squad has marked an 11-2 record on the road and a 3-0 record on neutral courts.  As a team, UCF averages 13.71 kills/set on a .285 output, while allowing opponent's 11.51 kills/set on a .173 clip.  The Knights also put up 1.79 aces, 13.95 digs and 2.75 blocks per set, while giving up 1.17 aces, 13.53 digs and 1.50 blocks per set.  The Waves lead the Knights all-time with two wins to none, having swept UCF in the 1994 and 1996 campaigns.
 
UCLA has gone 23-5 overall this season, with losses to WCC opponent San Diego, Washington, Arizona State, Oregon and USC.  The Bruins finished Pac-12 action second in the league behind the Huskies after having posted a 16-4 record in conference play.  The Bruins have posted 13.59 kills/set on a .272 hitting percentage throughout the season, while giving up 11.49 kills/set on a .185 output.  UCLA has also amassed 1.50 aces, 13.83 digs and 2.32 blocks per set, while allowing opponents 1.10 aces, 12.12 digs and 2.29 blocks per set.  UCLA leads Pepperdine all-time with a 51-12 record since 1976 when the Bruins won the first-ever matchup 3-0 in Westwood.  The Waves picked up the program's first win against 2-0 in 1978 and then won three more in the 1979 campaign.  The Waves and Bruins have only faced three times since 2011, with Pepperdine winning in five in 2011 and UCLA taking a 3-0 win in 2012 and a 3-1 win in 2016. 
 
Fairfield marked a 24-8 overall record this season and went 16-2 in the MAAC, winning the league's conference tournament with wins over Siena, Canisius and Rider.  Throughout the regular season, the Stags have put up 13.58 kills/set on a .254 clip, while giving up 11.63 kills/set on a .158 output.  Fairfield amassed 1.25 aces, 15.87 digs and 2.59 blocks, while giving up 1.28 aces, 14.11 digs and 1.75 blocks per set to opponents.  The Waves and Stags have faced twice all-time, with Pepperdine winning both in four sets at home (2000, 2019).