FORT WORTH, Texas – The #16 Pepperdine beach volleyball team swept past both Houston Baptist and Missouri State to open the TCU Invitational on Friday.
The Waves (19-8) began the day at the TCU Beach Volleyball Courts with the win over HBU. The pairs on courts one, two and five won in straight sets and
Simone Priebe and
McKenna Thomas picked up the clinch to start things off in the No. 2 position. All five pairs won in two sets against Missouri State as well, with
Melanie Paul and
Madison Shields earning the clinch in the No. 1 position.
RESULTS
#16 Pepperdine def. Houston Baptist, 5-0
1.
Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEPP) def. Lauren Huggins/Maddie Butters (HBU) – 22-20, 21-14
2.
Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Alison Stanfill/Abbey Reinard (HBU) – 21-13, 21-15
3.
Peyton Lewis/Juju Quintero (PEPP) def. Kristen Kleymeyer/Lindsay Harris (HBU) – 21-12, 17-21, 17-15
4.
Cameron Baklenko/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Mary Alper/Brennan Miller (HBU) – 15-21, 21-18, 21-19
5.
Rio Frohoff/Savana Greene (PEPP) def. Shelby O'Neal/Gabi Axelrod (HBU) – 21-18, 21-12
Exh.
Jordan Benoit/Gracie Pedersen (PEPP) vs. HBU/HBU – 16-21, 22-20, unfinished
Order of finish: 5, 4, 2*, 1, 3
#16 Pepperdine def. Missouri State, 5-0
1.
Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEPP) def. Tyler Garrett/Mya Young (MSU) – 21-5, 21-10
2.
Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Grace Cooke/Chloe Tome (MSU) – 21-14, 21-14
3.
Peyton Lewis/Juju Quintero (PEPP) def. Addison Crider/Kaeli Kristensen (MSU) – 21-14, 21-12
4.
Cameron Baklenko/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Grayson Hall/Becca Bach (MSU) – 21-15, 21-10
5.
Rio Frohoff/Savana Greene (PEPP) def. Parker McAllen/Olivia Rattler (MSU) – 21-12, 21-15
Exh.
Jordan Benoit/Gracie Pedersen (PEPP) def. MSU/MSU – 21-9, 21-12
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1*, 2, 3
MATCH RECAPS
Pepperdine came out firing in the flight against Houston Baptist and the Waves' five pair would be the first to put the squad on the board.
Rio Frohoff and
Savana Greene had a tight 21-18 bout in the first set against Shelby O'Neal and Gabi Axelrod, but dominated the second set 21-12 to strike first.
Though
Cameron Baklenko and
Kate Clermont were downed 21-15 in their first set in the No. 4 position against Mary Alper and Brennan Miller, the duo came back to force a third with a 21-18 second set. After going point-for-point in the third set en route to extra points down the stretch, Baklenko and Clermont gritted out a 21-19 set win to put the Waves ahead 2-0 overall and in a position to close.
With a rolling start,
Simone Priebe and
McKenna Thomas were well under way in the No. 2 position and easily clinched the dual with a 21-13, 21-15 win over Alison Stanfill and Abbey Reinard.
The Waves would not be done there, however, as
Melanie Paul and
Madison Shields put up a big 22-20, 21-14 win in the top spot over Lauren Huggins and Maddie Butters. With all eyes on court three to close out the match,
Peyton Lewis and
Juju Quintero had split 21-12, 17-21 to enter a third set. After a see-saw battle with Kristen Kleymeyer and Lindsay Harris, Pepperdine would be able to finish with the complete sweep on a 17-15 final set victory.
The second dual of the day would go entirely in Pepperdine's favor as well, starting with the four, five and six pairs taking care of business quickly in the first flight. Baklenko and Clermont started the dual off with a 21-15, 21-10 win over Grayson Hall and Becca Bach in the No. 4 slot. Frohoff and Greene then put the Waves in a position to close with a 21-12, 21-15 win over Parker McAllen and Olivia Rattler on court five.
Gracie Pedersen and
Jordan Benoit also won in the exhibition position with a 21-9, 21-12.
Paul and Shields would be the pair to clinch the overall dual for Pepperdine on court one, marking a staggering 21-5, 21-10 win over Tylar Garrett and Mya Young. In the No. 2 position, Priebe and Thomas then extended the squad's lead with a 21-14, 21-14 win over Grace Cook and Chloe Tome. Lewis and Quintero then finished things up with a 21-14, 21-12 win over Addison Crider and Kaeli Kristensen in the No. 3 spot.
NEXT UP
Tomorrow, the Waves will continue the TCU Invitational with duals at 7:30 and 11:30 a.m. against #9 Stanford and #2 TCU respectively.
FOLLOW
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