#8 Waves Set to Challenge #1 USC, Concordia

MALIBU, Calif. – Two more matches on the docket for the #8 Pepperdine beach volleyball program, as the Waves welcome top-ranked USC and unranked Concordia to Malibu on Sunday.

DUAL 8: Thursday (March 11) in Los Angeles, Calif.: #8 Pepperdine at #4 UCLA at 10 a.m. PT.

DUAL 9: Thursday (March 11) in Los Angeles, Calif.: #8 Pepperdine at #4 UCLA at 1:30 p.m. PT.

COVERAGE: All matches played in Malibu will have live tweeting available @WavesBeachVB. Links to all available coverage can be found on www.PepperdineWaves.com, along with recaps, results, updates and more.

HOME ATTENDANCE — Per the current COVID-19 guidelines set by the state of California and Los Angeles County, fans will not be permitted to attend home games.
LOOKING AHEAD: Next week, the Waves host #4 UCLA in Malibu on Thursday, before hitting the road for duals against Concordia and PCH Cup rival #7 LMU on Saturday.
WAVES WEATHER: The weather in Malibu on Sunday calls for sun with a high of 67˚ with winds blowing northwest from 10 to 20 miles per hour.

WAVE REPORT: Pepperdine has gone 1-6 to start the season, after facing now top-ranked USC three times and #4 UCLA twice. The Waves have also gone head-to-head with #19 Long Beach State and #6 Cal Poly, defeating Beach 3-2. Last week, the Waves fell twice to the Bruins 4-1 and once to the Mustangs 3-2.

Simone Priebe and Melanie Paul have been steady for the Waves, amassing a 4-3 overall record as a pair, while playing in the one, two and three positions. The duo has bested opposing pairs when playing against the top-ranked Trojans as well as the Bruins twice.

Sutton Mactavish and Alexis Filppone have, as well as Carly Skjodt and Brook Bauer have each collected a pair of wins, with the former doing so on courts two and three and the latter having done so on courts one and two. Jordan Benoit and Mary Sinclair have won one match as a pairing on court four against USC.

OPPONENT NOTES: #1 USC has gone undefeated this season thus far, having posted a 9-0 record this season with a 7-0 output in LA and two matches on the road. The Waves have gone 13-15 against USC all-time against, dating back to 2012 where Pepperdine won a pair of matches. Pepperdine then went on a six-match winning streak before the Trojans picked up a victory in 2014. In recent years, the Waves have lost six-straight from their last win in 2019 at Zuma Beach.

Pepperdine has only faced Concordia once previously in 2015 and the Waves won 5-0 on neutral sand. The Eagles have gone 2-2 this season with a 3-2 win over CSUN and a 4-1 victory at The Master's, while dropping 5-0 to each then-ranked #8 Cal and #7 LMU.

FOLLOW: Follow @WavesBeachVB on Facebook and Twitter for updates and check on PepperdineWaves.com for full results, recaps and more. Follow @peppbeachvolley on Instagram for an inside look at the Waves' team culture and check out @PepperdineWaves for the scoop on all the Waves' programs throughout the year.

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Players Mentioned

Brook Bauer

Jordan Benoit

Sutton Mactavish

Melanie Paul

Simone Priebe

Mary Sinclair

Carly Skjodt

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