JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The #18 Pepperdine beach volleyball team opened up the UNF Beach Invite with quite a presence on Friday afternoon at the Cooper Beach Volleyball Complex, collecting a 3-2 upset victory over #4 Florida State.  The Waves also came back in the second flight to win 3-2 against tournament-host North Florida and go untarnished on the day.
 
The squad's record improved to 16-5.  Melanie Paul and Madison Shields clinched in the first dual of the day against the Seminoles with a two-set win in the No. 1 position, while Peyton Lewis and Juju Quintero would be the Waves to close things down against the Ospreys with the clinch in the No. 3 position.
 
RESULTS
#18 Pepperdine def. #4 Florida State, 3-2
1. Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEPP) def. Brook Bauer/Maddie Anderson (FSU) – 24-22, 21-19
2. Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick (FSU) – 21-16, 21-23, 15-10
3. Jordan Polo/Morgan Chacon (FSU) def. Peyton Lewis/Juju Quintero (PEPP) – 21-12, 21-15
4. Mary Sinclair/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Anna Long/Jenna Johnson (FSU) – 16-21, 21-19, 15-13
5. Kate Privett/Raelyn White (FSU) def. Cameron Baklenko/Rio Frohoff (PEPP) – 21-15, 21-14
Exh. Cassie Anderson/Caitlin Moon (FSU) def. Savana Greene/Jordan Benoit (PEPP) – 21-17, 21-17
Order of finish: 5 4, 3, 2, 1*
 
#18 Pepperdine def. North Florida, 3-2
1. Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEPP) def. Taryn Griffey/Callie Workman (UNF) – 21-17, 21-10
2. Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Carleigh Semeniuk/Lauren Galinis (UNF) – 21-15, 21-8
3. Peyton Lewis/Juju Quintero (PEPP) def. Julianna Askew/Zoe Cahill (UNF) – 19-21, 21-11, 15-11
4. Gabby O'Connell/Hayden Woolridge (UNF) def. Rio Frohoff/Jordan Benoit (PEPP) – 21-17, 21-17
5. Madeline Camp/Chantel McMillan (UNF) vs. Mary Sinclair/Kate Clermont (PEPP) – 21-16, 22-20
Exh. Savana Greene/Cameron Baklenko (PEPP) vs. M. Feliciano/Sanchez/Leah Maloney (UNF) – 21-13, 21-18
Order of finish: 4, 5, 2, 1, 3*
 
MATCH RECAPS
Though Florida State won the first sets in the first flight and struck first with a two-set win in the No. 5 position, the Waves battled back on court four to even things up.  Mary Sinclair and Kate Clermont countered a 21-16 first set loss with a 21-19 second set win to force a third set.  After a see-saw battle with Anna Long and Jenna Johnson, the duo eventually won the final set 15-13 to tie the overall score. Florida State took a two-set win on court three to pull ahead for a second time and put all eyes on the top two pairings. 
 
Simone Priebe and McKenna Thomas won their first set 21-16, but were downed by a narrow 23-21 set win to enter a third set against Alaina Chacon and Madison Fitzpatrick in the No. 2 position.  At the same time, Melanie Paul and Madison Shields were going head-to-head with Maddie Anderson and Pepperdine alumna Brook Bauer on court one, winning 24-22 in the first set. 
 
Priebe and Thomas trailed to open the third set, but were able to tie things up against the Seminoles early and push towards a solid 15-10 victory.  With the match tied 2-2, the deciding court would fall in to the No. 1 position.   
 
After trailing to open the set by a few points, Paul and Shields were able to counter and tie things up around the 10-10 mark.  The Waves started taking the edge at that point and after a 15-15 tied set score, began to work ahead marginally.  The pair would eventually clinch the upset with a 21-19 victory to push Pepperdine to a 3-2 overall victory.
 
In the following match against North Florida, Pepperdine came out with a deficit, falling down 2-0 after the first flight went in favor of the Ospreys. 
 
The Waves were ready to fight in the second set however, and the squad's top two pairings made quick work of their opposition to even things up.  Priebe and Thomas were the first to break the egg for their team, defeating Carleigh Semeniuk and Lauren Galinis 21-15, 21-8 in the No. 2 position.  Shields and Paul would finish shortly after to tie the overall with a 21-17, 21-10 victory in the No. 1 slot over Taryn Griffey and Callie Workman. 
 
With all eyes on court three, Peyton Lewis and Juju Quintero countered a 21-19 first set loss with a 21-11 second set win to force a third set.  The duo then continued with the momentum en route to a 15-11 victory to clinch the dual win for Pepperdine. 
 
Savana Greene and Cameron Baklenko also defeated M. Feliciano Sanchez and Leah Maloney 21-13, 21-18 on exhibition court.
 
NEXT UP
Tomorrow, the #18 Waves will take on two more ranked opponents, facing #11 Georgia State and #10 Florida Atlantic at 5 and 9 a.m. PT respectively, finishing out the UNF Beach Invite early in the morning.

FOLLOW
Follow @WavesBeachVB on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more.  Go to PepperdineWaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.