MALIBU, Calif. — There is a solo match on the docket this week as the Pepperdine women's volleyball team welcomes PCH Cup rival LMU to Firestone Fieldhouse on Friday.
MATCH #26 — Friday (November 11) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.: Pepperdine vs. LMU at 7 p.m. | Watch: WCC Network
SOCIAL MEDIA — Follow @WavesVolleyball on Twitter for updates and check out PepperdineWaves.com and Facebook (/WavesVolleyball) for releases and more information.
COVERAGE — The match will have live stats and streams available with links to be found on PepperdineWaves.com. All matches will air on the WCC Network.
TICKETS & SPECTATOR GUIDELINES — Tickets to all Pepperdine home women's volleyball matches in 2022 will be available via e-ticket ONLY. Pepperdine faculty, staff and students must show Pepperdine ID card for entry — no ticket purchase is required.
To purchase e-tickets and read the spectator guidelines, visit: www.PepperdineWaves.com/Tickets. Due to campus construction, nearby parking is limited and guests are advised to arrive early.
Each match costs $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (65+) and $5 for children and non-Pepperdine students.
PROMOTIONS — Friday's match will serve as the Waves' Mental Health Awareness game. The squad will be wearing green hair ties, ribbons and shoe laces during the match. The Hidden Opponent, a non-profit focused on breaking the stigma of mental health in athletics, will have a tabling presence in the lobby during the game.
GEAR HERE! — The Pepperdine Bookstore, the official bookstore of Pepperdine Athletics, will also be present in the lobby before, during and after the match. The bookstore will provide a variety of apparel options for purchase, as well as many other trinkets and exciting gets.
UP NEXT — The final four matches of the season will be played at home in Firestone Fieldhouse. After this week's match against LMU, the Waves will host #18 BYU and #2 San Diego on November 17 and 19, with the Saturday matchup against the Toreros serving as Senior Day. The final match of the 2022 regular season will be against Portland on November 22.
WEEKLY NODS — Five weeks this season, the Waves have tabbed a West Coast Conference player of the week nod. Riley Patterson has received the defensive honor on three occasions, while Grace Chillingworth has garnered the offensive recognition twice. The Waves had also swept the accolades on week two this season.
This week, Patterson tabbed her third honor after leading the Waves to a pair of road sweeps against Saint Mary's and Pacific last week. She impressed with 6.00 digs per set and 36 total digs in six sets en route to the wins over Saint Mary's and Pacific. In the first sweep at SMC, she marked 21 digs, marking over 20 digs for the seventh time this season, and averaging 7.00 digs per set. She also finished with two aces, two assists and a kill, averaging 0.67 aces and assists and 0.33 kills per set for the Waves. In the final match against Pacific, Patterson put in 15 digs and three assists, averaging 5.00 digs and 1.00 assist per set.
2022 weekly honors: Grace Chillingworth, offensive (9/5); Riley Patterson, defensive (9/5); Meg Brown, offensive (9/12); Riley Patterson (9/20); Grace Chillingworth, offensive (10/3), Riley Patterson (11/7).
MORE THAN AN ATHLETE — The Waves have made it a principal standard this season to make mental health a priority among the team. The white jerseys this year sport a green ribbon which denotes support of mental health awareness. Throughout a majority of the games as well, many players will wear green hair ties and bracelets, and even paint their nails, all in support of the mental health awareness initiative and erasing the stigma. The team also has two shirts that sport the phrases 'More Than an Athlete' and 'Be Kind to Your Mind.'
A focus for the team is to live an honest and healthy lifestyle with each other. To practice, the team will have at least one weekly meeting and check-in with the team and coaches where the floor is open. From those check-ins, the team knows who needs to be lifted up throughout the week, who needs to be checked in on and the reasons as to why. Pepperdine women's volleyball is continuing to attempt to erase the stigma surrounding mental health in athletes.
HEAVY HITTERS, ALL OF 'EM — In five of the first six matches of the season, the Waves had a different kill leader, showing a strong offensive offering for the season. The story has stayed the same throughout the rest of the season as well. Throughout the 25 matches Pepperdine has played, Meg Brown has led the Waves' attack effort, or tied the match kill-high, on eight separate occasions. Grace Chillingworth has led or tied seven times, while Emily Hellmuth has led the squad in six matches, Rachel Ahrens had led in four matches, Avery Shimaitis has accomplished the feat in two matches and each Vanessa Polk and Emma Ammerman have led or tied once.
SQUAD GOALS — Pepperdine has gone 18-7 overall this season, going 9-5 against West Coast Conference teams. As a team, the Waves produce 13.43 kills/set on a .233 success rate, while also adding 12.54 assists, 1.42 aces, 14.71 digs and 2.46 blocks per set. The squad allows opponents 11.10 kills/set on a .178 clip, along with 11.10 assists, 1.29 aces, 13.75 digs and 2.17 blocks per set.
Three players average more than 2.8 kills/set each match: Meg Brown (2.85), Emily Hellmuth (2.81) and Grace Chillingworth (2.81). Brown leads the team with 265 total kills on an impressive .364 hitting percentage. She also adds 0.25 aces and 0.96 blocks per set. Chillingworth leads the team with 34 total aces, marking 0.37 aces/set, while adding 2.40 digs/set. Vanessa Polk has a team-best 1.25 blocks/set after leading the team with 101 total blocks including 16 solo rejections.
Isabel Zelaya serves as the primary playmaker with 10.23 assists/set and 941 total assists this season. She adds 2.00 digs/set as well. Riley Patterson holds down the back row with 4.16 digs/set after having marked 387 digs so far this season. Kayleigh Hames and Trinity Stanger also help the cause with 2.32 and 1.86 digs/set.
FINAL REGULAR SEASON ROAD TRIP — Last week, the Waves swept both Saint Mary's and Pacific on the road. In the first match, Pepperdine dominated SMC with 25-22, 25-20 and 25-15 set scores. The Waves marked 44 kills on a .279 success rate, with five aces, 12.0 team blocks and 52 digs, while giving up 30 kills on a .071 clip, along with five aces, 7.0 blocks and 47 digs to the Gaels. Grace Chillingworth led the team with a season-high 20 kills on an impressive .475 success rate, adding eight digs and five blocks. Meg Brown also hit for double-figures with 12 kills on a .474, leading the team with seven blocks as well. Riley Patterson held down the back row with 21 digs, adding a pair of service aces. Isabel Zelaya finished up with a pair of service aces also, along with a team-best 36 assists.
In the second match of the week, the Waves swept past the Tigers with 25-16, 25-23 and 25-20 set scores, leading the day with 40 kills on a .236 and adding 7.0 team blocks, three aces and 59 digs. Pacific was good for 37 kills on a .124 output, with five aces, 3.0 blocks and 56 digs. Chillingworth and Emma Ammerman led the Waves with 11 kills apiece, Chillingworth with a double-double after posting 10 digs, two aces and blocks and Ammerman with a .360 clip to end the night. Brown once again led with four blocks, while Zelaya and Patterson added 15 digs apiece. Zelaya also produced 28 assists throughout the match.
THE COMPETITION — Pepperdine holds a 62-25 all-time record against LMU since 1976. The Waves won the first-ever matchup that year with a 3-0 victory on the road. From 1984-91, Pepperdine went 17-1 against LMU during that time, while going on another 12-match winning streak from 2006-12. In recent years, the Waves had posted eight-straight victories, including a pair of wins last season with a 3-2 win in Malibu and a sweep in LA. Earlier this season, the Waves fell in four sets to the Lions in Gersten.
This season, the Lions have gone 16-7 overall and 11-3 against WCC opponents this season. The Lions highlighted their season with a 3-0 sweep over #22 UCLA in early September and the squad took #4 San Diego to five sets.
