Santa Cruz, Calif. – The #16 Pepperdine beach volleyball team downed Santa Clara to reach the final bout of the Mid-Season Invitational at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Courts on Saturday afternoon, but were eventually felled by PCH Cup rival LMU to finish 2^nd overall in the tournament. 
 
The Waves (14-5) won three quick courts in straight sets against the Broncos to open the day, with Simone Priebe and McKenna Thomas earning the clinch to reach the tournament finale.  LMU won the match 5-0 to end the day, though Savana Greene and Jordan Benoit highlighted with a three-set win on court six to finish the action.
 
RESULTS
#16 Pepperdine def. Santa Clara, 4-1
1. Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEPP) def. Michelle Shaffer/Alexia Inman (SCU) – 21-12, 21-16
2. Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Julia Sangiacomo/Sophia Tulino (SCU) – 21-18, 21-12
3. Casey Campbell/Elena Radeff (SCU) def. Peyton Lewis/Juju Quintero (PEPP) – 21-18, 9-21, 15-13
4. Mary Sinclair/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Alexie Epstein/Claire Doud (SCU) – 21-15, 21-7
5. Savana Greene/Rio Frohoff (PEPP) def. Alexia Gallegos/Jordan Bennett (SCU) – 21-13, 18-21, 15-13
Exh. Kristine Briede/Chase Curry (PEPP) def. Natalia Rentsch/Elyse Erickson (SCU) – 21-10, 21-7
Order of finish: 4, 1, 2*, 5, 3
 
#5 LMU def. #16 Pepperdine, 5-0
1. Reka Orsi Toth/Megan Rice (LMU) def. Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEPP) – 21-17, 21-19
2. Marine Kinna/Avery Poppinga (LMU) def. Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) – 21-14, 21-18
3. Abbey Thorup/Selina Maroif (LMU) def. Peyton Lewis/Juju Quintero (PEPP) – 21-11, 21-19
4. Vilhelmiina Prihti/Macy Gordon (LMU) def. Mary Sinclair/Kate Clermont (PEPP) – 21-13, 21-12
5. Jacinda Ramirez/Isabelle Reffel (LMU) def. Cameron Baklenko/Rio Frohoff (PEPP) – 21-17, 21-15
Exh. Savana Greene/Jordan Benoit (PEPP) def. Cassie Chinn/Madi Firnett (LMU) – 22-20, 11-21, 15-9
Order of finish: 4, 1, 2*, 5, 3
 
MATCH RECAPS
The Waves won four first sets in the first matchup against the Broncos to open the second day of action.  Mary Sinclair and Kate Clermont would be the first to put the squad on the scoreboard, defeating Alexie Epstein and Claire Doud 21-15, 21-7 to set the tone on court four.  In the No. 1 position, Melanie Paul and Madison Shields then downed Michelle Shaffer and Alexia Inman 21-12, 21-16 to put the Waves in a position to close.
 
Simone Priebe and McKenna Thomas would do the honors, making quck work of Julia Sangiacomo and Sophia Tulino 21-18, 21-12 to clinch the overall dual on court two. 
 
Savana Greene and Rio Frohoff then took Alexia Gallegos and Jordan Bennett to three sets, eventually winning in the No. 5 position 21-13, 18-21, 15-13 to make it 4-0 overall.  The Broncos were able to snag one three-set win in the No. 3 position to finish the match 4-1.  Kristine Briede and Chase Curry also dominated on the exhibition court, putting in a 21-10, 21-7 victory over Natalia Rentsch and Elyse Erickson. 
 
In the second match, the Lions seemed to have the Waves' numbers, as the opposition collected two-set wins on courts one through five.  Greene and Jordan Benoit highlighted the dual with a 22-20, 11-21, 15-9 win in the No. 6 position to end the dual on a positive note.
 
NEXT UP
Next week, the Waves head to Jacksonville, Fla. To compete in the North Florida Invite, hosted by North Florida.  Pepperdine will go head-to-head against #4 Florida State and (RV) North Florida on Friday, April 1, before taking on #13 Georgia State and #10 Florida Atlantic on Saturday, April 2.

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