BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The #14 Pepperdine beach volleyball team improved to 3-0 after closing out the 2022 season's opening weekend with a 3-2 victory over tournament-host CSU Bakersfield to end the Barnes Beach Complex 'Runner Invite on Saturday afternoon.
Senior duo
Melanie Paul and
Madison Shields clinched the overall dual for the Waves after all eyes turned to court one with a 2-2 tied score. Paul and Shields had battled back from a hard-fought 29-27 first set loss to win the second 21-15. In the third set, each side went point-for-point en route to a slight 8-7 advantage, but the Waves prevailed and closed things up 15-10 to earn the 3-2 win for Pepperdine.
RESULTS
No. 14 Pepperdine def. CSU Bakersfield, 3-2
1.
Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEPP) def. Cameron Solberg/Milica Vukobrat (CSUB) – 27-29, 21-15, 15-10
2.
Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Sophia Hladyniuk/Hana Makonova (CSUB) – 21-17, 21-16
3. Paige Calvin/ Hayley McCluskey (CSUB) def.
Mary Sinclair/Juju Quintero (PEPP) – 10-21, 21-16, 15-13
4. Anna Unke/Brooke Boiseau (CSUB) def.
Cameron Baklenko/Rio Frohoff (PEPP) – 19-21, 21-17, 15-7
5.
Jordan Benoit/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Caroline Benke/Megan Gilbert (CSUB) – 21-19, 21-19
Exh.
Peyton Lewis/Savana Greene (PEPP) def. Alaina Gendale/Isabella Adamczyk (CSUB) – 21-17, 15-21, 15-9
Order of finish: 2, 4, 5, 3, 1*
MATCH RECAPS
The Waves came out strong in the first sets of flight one, battling it out with the Roadrunners from start to finish.
Simone Priebe and
McKenna Thomas took a pair of set wins over Sophia Hladyniuk and Hana Makonova 21-17, 21-6 to give Pepperdine the edge from court two. Though the Pepperdine pair won their first set on court four 21-19, the opposition came back to force a third with a 21-17 set win and then evened the overall with a 15-13 third set.
Peyton Lewis and Savana reene also fought a three-set battle, but came away ahead on the exhibition court with a 21-17. 15-21, 15-9 final line.
The second flight was tight throughout, though
Jordan Benoit and
Kate Clermont would finish in two sets with a pair of 21-19 wins in the No. 5 position over Caroline Benke and Megan Gilbert. CSUB evened things up with a 10-21, 21-16, 15-13 win over the Waves' duo to put all eyes on court one.
Paul and Shields battled back from the 29-27 first set loss to win the next two sets 21-15, 15-10 over Cameron Solberg and Milica Vukobrat to secure the clinch for Pepperdine.
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