JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The #18 Pepperdine beach volleyball team closed out the UNF Invite on Saturday morning, falling in a pair of tight 3-2 duals to #10 Florida Atlantic and #11 Georgia State. 
 
The Waves (16-7) had a pair of exciting wins over #4 Florida State and tournament host North Florida, a team receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll, on the first day of competition which earned Pepperdine a 2-2 record on the weekend.
 
Madison Shields and Melanie Paul went undefeated 4-0 throughout the weekend in the No. 1 position, while Simone Priebe and McKenna Thomas went 3-1 in the No. 2 position.
 
RESULTS
#11 Georgia State def. #18 Pepperdine, 3-2
1. Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEPP) def. Elise Saga/Kelly Dorn (GSU) – 21-13, 21-17
2. Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Eden Hawes/Maddy Delmonte (GSU) – 21-17, 21-14
3. Kayla Whetstone/Yasmin Kuck (GSU) def. Peyton Lewis/Juju Quintero (PEPP) – 22-20, 21-17
4. Angel Ferary/Bella Ferary (GSU) def. Mary Sinclair/Kate Clermont (PEPP) – 21-13, 21-18
5. Chloee Kleespies/Becky Tresham (GSU) def. Rio Frohoff/Jordan Benoit (PEPP)– 21-14, 12-21, 15-9
Exh. Tyler Lindgren/Bailey Hatchett (GSU) def. Cameron Baklenko/Savana Greene (PEPP) – 17-21, 21-17, 15-10
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 2, 3*
 
#10 Florida Atlantic def. #18 Pepperdine, 3-2
1. Melanie Paul/Madison Shields (PEPP) def. Erica Brok/Mackenzie Morris (FAU) – 21-12, 21-16
2. Courtney Moon/Marketa Svozilova (FAU) def. Simone Priebe/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) – 19-21, 21-17, 15-12
3. Ellie Austin/Julie Honzovicova (FAU) def. Peyton Lewis/Juju Quintero (PEPP) – 21-11, 25-23
4. Jillienne Cangelosi/Christine Jarman (FAU) def. Mary Sinclair/Kate Clermont (PEPP) – 19-21, 21-18, 17-15
5. Cameron Baklenko/Savana Greene (PEPP) def. Logan Mignerey/Abby Jackson (FAU) – 21-18, 21-18
Exh. Rio Frohoff/Jordan Benoit (PEPP) def. Alivia Orvieto/Kate McLaughlin (FAU) – 21-16, 21-17
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 2*, 1
 
MATCH RECAPS
Though the Cougars took two points to open the first flight, the Waves were able to rally in the second flight to keep things interesting.  Down 2-0 overall, Melanie Paul and Madison Shields dominated Elise Saga and Kelly Dorn in the No. 1 position 21-13, 21-17 to put their squad on the board. 
 
Simone Priebe and McKenna Thomas also had the edge throughout the majority of their match on court two, putting down Eden Hawes and Maddy Delmonte 21-17, 21-14 to tie things up.
 
Peyton Lewis and Juju Quintero went point-for-point with Kayla Whetstone and Yasmin Kuck in the No. 3 position, facing a 20-20 tie in the first set, but eventually fell by two.  The duo put in a solid effort in the second set as well, but the GSU pair was able to clinch the 3-2 dual victory and hand the Waves the team's first loss of the tournament.
 
The Waves came out swinging in the first flight against Florida Atlantic, winning all three first sets on courts four through six.  Savana Greene and Cameron Baklenko would be the first to score, however, taking a pair of 21-18 sets over Logan Mignerey and Abby Jackson in the No. 5 position to give the Waves the 1-0 edge.  The Owls rallied the first set loss on court four to take the next two sets to even the score. Rio Frohoff and Jordan Benoit also won 21-16, 21-17 over Alivia Orvieto and Kate McLaughlin on the exhibition court.
 
The second flight was close throughout, though FAU snagged the first edge with a two-set win on court three.  On court one and two, the Waves had won each of the first sets, though the Owls countered with a second set win on court two to force a third.  The opposition was able to take a 15-12 win in the third set to clinch the overall dual.
 
Shields and Paul finished out the match with a 21-12, 21-16 win over Erica Brok and Mackenzie Morris in the No. 1 position for a 3-2 end result.
 
NEXT UP
Next week, the Waves will make a short trip to Long Beach State on April 7, before returning to Malibu to host CSUN on April 9.  Prior to the 11 a.m. final home dual of the season, Pepperdine will honor seniors on center court.

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