Women's Volleyball Slated to Begin 2021 Campaign at Classic City Clash

MALIBU, Calif. — The #22 Pepperdine women's volleyball team will hit the court on Friday afternoon to kick off the 2021 season. The Waves will trek to Athens, Ga. for the Classic City Clash, playing Winthrop on Friday before challenging Morehead State and tournament-host Georgia on Saturday.

MATCH #1 — Friday (August 27) at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.: #20 Pepperdine vs. Winthrop at 1:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. ET.

MATCH #2 — Saturday (August 28) at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.: #20 Pepperdine vs. Morehead State at 9:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. ET.

MATCH #3 — Saturday (August 28) at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.: #20 Pepperdine vs. Georgia at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network+

LIVE COVERAGE — Live stats will be available for all matches. The final match against tournament-host Georgia will be streamed on the SEC 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.

MILESTONE & RECORD WATCH — Junior Rachel Ahrens is also close to a career milestone with 874 total career kills. Last season, she amassed 102 total career aces, getting her 100th in the NCAA second round against #12 Baylor. As for the record books, Ahrens has racked up quite a few mentions throughout. So far, she ranks atop the career Pepperdine records with 0.38 aces/set and 10th with 3.99 points/set. Her points/set output makes her the first Wave to crack the points/set top-10 records since Katie Wilkins did so from 2000-03. Ahrens also ranks 1st with 49 total aces in 2019, 2nd in the rally scoring single-season records with 0.44 aces/set, 4th with 4.44 kills/set and 5th with 5.13 points/set.

Isabel Zelaya ranks 6th with 10.40 assists/set. To cap off the single-season rally scoring records, Madison Shields currently ranks tied-7th with 4.22 digs/set this season so far. She also ties for 3rd in the single-match records with 34 digs - both in five sets and overall.

SQUAD GOALS — Pepperdine carries over four starters plus a libero, while losing two. The Waves return an impressive 12 plus libero and lose only two. The squad finished 2nd in the West Coast Conference last season after having gone 17-4 overall and 16-2 in the league. Pepperdine will bring in five newcomers this season, including four freshman and one Waves' beach player also playing indoor this season.

Top-returners include the WCC Libero and Freshman of the Year Madison Shields and Meg Brown. Brown, along with Rachel Ahrens and Isabel Zelaya also picked up All-WCC first team nods, while Shields earned a spot on the second team. Ahrens highlighted the postseason honors with an AVCA All-American honorable mention nod, while she and Zelaya earned AVCA All-Pacific South first team recognition as well.

Other returners include seniors Rosie Ballo, Savana Green and Lily Dyer, juniors Aubrey Roberts, Kayleigh Hames and Kayla Joyce and sophomores Emma Ammerman and Kennedi Steele.

Pepperdine also adds five new Waves with beach sophomore Calista Wright doubling up and freshman Grace Chillingworth, Reagan Goeke, Kate Kilroy and Trinity Stanger.

WCC PRESEASON POLL & HONORS — The Waves had four players honored with All-WCC Preseason Team selections, second most in the league behind #15 BYU. Those four were Rachel Ahrens, Madison Shields, Isabel Zelaya and Meg Brown. Pepperdine was also selected to finish third in the league by the coaches, while the Cougars and #20 USD were slated to finish one and two. PCH Cup rival LMU and Santa Clara closed out the top-five, while Saint Mary's, Gonzaga, Pacific, San Francisco and Portland closed out the top-10.

POSITION BREAKDOWNS:
CANNONS — Rachel Ahrens, Savana Greene, Kayleigh Hames, Emma Ammerman, Grace Chillingworth
MALIBU ROOFING COMPANY — Rosie Ballo, Meg Brown, Reagan Goeke, Calista Wright
PLAYMAKERS — Isabel Zelaya, Lily Dyer, Kate Kilroy
CAN YOU DIG IT? — Madison Shields, Aubrey Roberts, Kayla Joyce, Kennedi Steele, Trinity Stanger

THE COMPETITION — Winthrop went 9-7 overall and 9-7 in the Big South in the 2020 Spring campaign, while Morehead State went 17-2 overall and 15-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, finishing their run in the NCAA Championship second round. Tournament-host Georgia went 8-14 overall and in the SEC throughout last year's campaign. All-time, Pepperdine has a 2-1 record against the tournament-host UGA with wins in 2004 and 2011. It will be the first time the Waves have seen either of the Eagles' programs.

2020 RECAP — The Waves finished last season with a 17-4 overall record and a 16-2 record in the West Coast Conference, finishing 2nd in the league. Pepperdine made the program's 25th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, finishing in the second round. The team with 8-1 at home, 8-2 on the road and 1-1 on neutral courts throughout the year, with all but three matches having been against WCC opposition. The team produced 13.77 kills per set on a .256 clip, while adding 13.02 assists, 1.37 aces, 15.07 digs and 2.05 blocks per set. AVCA All-American Rachel Ahrens led the attack front with 4.42 kills and 0.44 aces per set. Of the returners on the defensive front, Madison Shields was named WCC Libero of the Year after leading the team with 4.22 digs/set and Meg Brown earned WCC Freshman of the Year honors after putting up 0.88 blocks/set and 2.41 kills/set on a .331 clip.

COMPETING WITH PURPOSE — The Pepperdine University Athletics Department is committed to Christian values, to the academic well-being of all our student-athletes and to competing for championships. The Competing with Purpose campaign highlights the commitment to our core values that we dedicate ourselves to daily.

MADDOG ON ICE? — Sophomore defensive specialist Madison 'Maddog' 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. Entering his seventh season at the helm of the Waves, Wong has marked a 103-70 (.595) overall record and winning percentage 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. The 2020 season was played in the Spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but amidst adversity, he led the squad to another NCAA second round appearance. He hit is 100-win milestone as the Waves downed #21 San Diego on the road in four sets. 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.

THE SIDELINES — Along with Head Coach Scott Wong, Tara Hittle returns for her third season on the sidelines as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in 2021. Additionally, Steve Astor continues on as assistant coach. Hittle served as an assistant for Team USA U15-16 National Team for their Summer Series Development Program. She 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. Astor graduated from Vanguard in 2012. He brings over 20 years of coaching experience, spanning multiple sports at various levels, including college, high school and club to the program. He most recently comes after having served as a volunteer assistant at University of Washington.

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 29 times in 46 seasons, including 15 trips to the NCAA Championships in the last 23 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. 49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.

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