Saturday, November 11
Malibu, Calif.
12:00 p.m.
Pepperdine University
18-6,14-0WCC
3
vs
0
San Diego
15-10,11-4WCC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 19 | 22 | 17 | 0 |
| Pepperdine | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Photo by: Jeff Golden
Pepperdine Clinches WCC Championship Title with Sweep over San Diego
11/11/2023 3:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team highlighted Senior Day in Firestone Fieldhouse with a sweep over 2022 NCAA Final Four competitor San Diego on Saturday, clinching the West Coast Conference Championship crown and the nation's first automatic qualifier berth into the NCAA Tournament of the season.Â
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The Waves have earned the program's 27th berth into the NCAA Tournament by winning the conference's regular season title. It's Pepperdine's fourth-straight NCAA Tournament and the fifth in the last six years.
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The 25-19, 25-22, 25-17 victory over the Toreros (15-10, 11-4) extended the current Waves' winning streak to 17-consecutive matches and propelled the squad to an 18-6 overall record and an untarnished 14-0 in league action so far.Â
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Prior to the match, seniors Emma Ammerman, Meg Brown, Birdie Hendrickson, Sterling Parker, Riley Patterson and Isabel Zelaya were honored with their families for their contributions to the Pepperdine program and presented with framed senior jerseys and pictures.
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Two players hit for double figures in the match today, while four had seven or more kills throughout. Grace Chillingworth and Birdie Hendrickson led the squad with 16 and 11 kills respectively, tabbing their 20th and 11th matches in double-digits this season. Â
Grace Chillingworth (Tustin, Calif./Foothill HS): 16 kills, 9 digs
Birdie Hendrickson (Rogersville, Mo./Logan-Rogersville HS/Florida): 11 kills, 6 digs
Isabel Zelaya (Tomball, Texas/Concordia Lutheran HS): 31 assists, 8 digs, 3 blocks, 1 ace
Riley Patterson (Sonora, Calif./Sonora HS/Pacific): 11 digs, 8 assists, 1 ace
Meg Brown (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS): 7 kills, 4 digs, 3 blocks
Emily Hellmuth (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park HS): 8 kills, 2 blocks
Vanessa Polk (Saint Louis, Mo./John Burroughs HS): 4 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks
Laine Briggs (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS): 8 digs, 2 aces
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WAVES VS. TOREROS
The Waves had a solid performance throughout the match, starting with 19 kills on a .342 clip in the first set, compared to nine kills on a .188 from across the net. That trend would continue with Pepperdine finishing with 47 kills on a .226 success rate, while allowing USD only 26 kills on a .086 output, including a -.108 in the third set. The Toreros did have the edge at the net, though, with a 10.5-5.5 block ratio, but the Waves kept composed with a 52-39 dig ratio and a 4-3 ace advantage.
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PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct
1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 38Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .342
2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 18Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 48Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .208
3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 29Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .103
TTLÂ Â Â Â Â 47Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 21Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 115Â Â Â Â Â .226
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SAN DIEGO ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct
1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 32Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .188
2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 36Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .194
3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 37Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -.108
TTLÂ Â Â Â Â 26Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 105Â Â Â Â Â .086
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NOTABLES
It was a see-saw battle to start the match, with the teams trading blows en route to a 5-5 tied score. At that point, a few plays went to San Diego for a three-point lead. The Waves quickly regained composure with a Birdie Hendrickson ace, an Isabel Zelaya ace and a smash from Vanessa Polk to even the score once again at 8's. Once again, the teams traded points en route to an 11-11 tie before USD once again worked ahead with a 3-0 run. Three consecutive kills from Grace Chillingworth and a kill from Meg Brown helped the Waves pull ahead by one, 15-14. After going point-for-point to knot at 18's, the Waves started to roll and three consecutive smashes with a pair from Emily Hellmuth and one from Chillingworth helped the squad to a 21-18 lead to force a Toreros' timeout. Out of the break, a pair of USD attack errors and another smash from Chillingworth helped the cause and put Pepperdine in a position to close, 24-18. Though the opposition tacked one on, a final Hellmuth kill would end the set with a Waves' win, 25-19.
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Although the second set began as the first with a 5-5 tied score, it was there the similarities would end, as the Waves blasted out to a four-point lead, 11-7, with kills from Hendrickson and Polk. Pepperdine would maintain at least a one-point lead throughout the rest of the set, reach a 19-18 lead towards the back end of the action. Another pair of smashes from Hendrickson extended the Waves' advantage to 21-18. Though USD was able to string a few points together, Chillingworth and Hellmuth laid down some successful attacks to end the set 25-22 in Pepperdine's favor.
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The third and eventually final set was all Waves all the way, as Pepperdine worked ahead to a 5-1 lead early with a pair of blocks from Brown with either Hellmuth or Isabel Zelaya and a pair of kills from Brown and Chillingworth. Smashes from Hendrickson and Zelaya kept the squad moving forward and another block from Hendrickson, Polk and Hellmuth extended the squad's lead to five-points, 10-5. Laine Briggs tagged her second ace of the match to make it 14-8 and force a Toreros' timeout, but it would be a lead the opposition would be unable to rally against. Out of the break, kills from Brown and Chillingworth, along with multiple attack errors made it 21-13 down the stretch. After San Diego put up a few points, Pepperdine regained composure and smashes from Hendrickson and a final ace from Riley Patterson closed the set down 25-17 and completed the sweep.
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NEXT UP
Next, the Waves will head to Stockton to take on Pacific on November 16 and San Francisco to take on the Dons on November 18. Â The final regular season match of the season will be at SMU on November 20.
FOLLOW
Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter, @WavesVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram, @peppvolley. Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on www.PepperdineWaves.com.Gallery: (11-11-2023) WVB vs. San Diego - WCC Champs
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The Waves have earned the program's 27th berth into the NCAA Tournament by winning the conference's regular season title. It's Pepperdine's fourth-straight NCAA Tournament and the fifth in the last six years.
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The 25-19, 25-22, 25-17 victory over the Toreros (15-10, 11-4) extended the current Waves' winning streak to 17-consecutive matches and propelled the squad to an 18-6 overall record and an untarnished 14-0 in league action so far.Â
Pepperdine's streak ties for second in the program record books and has only happened three times in program history – 17-straight wins in 2002 and 2023 and a program-best 25-straight wins in 2003. The Waves have now won the last 20-consecutive sets and have only dropped three sets against conference opponents this season.Â
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Prior to the match, seniors Emma Ammerman, Meg Brown, Birdie Hendrickson, Sterling Parker, Riley Patterson and Isabel Zelaya were honored with their families for their contributions to the Pepperdine program and presented with framed senior jerseys and pictures.
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Two players hit for double figures in the match today, while four had seven or more kills throughout. Grace Chillingworth and Birdie Hendrickson led the squad with 16 and 11 kills respectively, tabbing their 20th and 11th matches in double-digits this season. Â
BIG WAVES
Grace Chillingworth (Tustin, Calif./Foothill HS): 16 kills, 9 digs
Birdie Hendrickson (Rogersville, Mo./Logan-Rogersville HS/Florida): 11 kills, 6 digs
Isabel Zelaya (Tomball, Texas/Concordia Lutheran HS): 31 assists, 8 digs, 3 blocks, 1 ace
Riley Patterson (Sonora, Calif./Sonora HS/Pacific): 11 digs, 8 assists, 1 ace
Meg Brown (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS): 7 kills, 4 digs, 3 blocks
Emily Hellmuth (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park HS): 8 kills, 2 blocks
Vanessa Polk (Saint Louis, Mo./John Burroughs HS): 4 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks
Laine Briggs (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS): 8 digs, 2 aces
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WAVES VS. TOREROS
The Waves had a solid performance throughout the match, starting with 19 kills on a .342 clip in the first set, compared to nine kills on a .188 from across the net. That trend would continue with Pepperdine finishing with 47 kills on a .226 success rate, while allowing USD only 26 kills on a .086 output, including a -.108 in the third set. The Toreros did have the edge at the net, though, with a 10.5-5.5 block ratio, but the Waves kept composed with a 52-39 dig ratio and a 4-3 ace advantage.
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PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct
1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 19Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 38Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .342
2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 18Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 48Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .208
3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 29Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .103
TTLÂ Â Â Â Â 47Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 21Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 115Â Â Â Â Â .226
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SAN DIEGO ATTACK BY SET
Set      K         E         TA       Pct
1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 32Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .188
2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 36Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .194
3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 37Â Â Â Â Â Â Â -.108
TTLÂ Â Â Â Â 26Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 105Â Â Â Â Â .086
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NOTABLES
- Pepperdine is on a 17-match winning streak, which ties the second-best winning streak in Pepperdine women's volleyball program history all-time. The last time the program won 17-consecutive matches was in 2003, when the squad won a program-best 25-straight matches.
- Other notable streaks include 17-consecutive matches in 2002 and 15 in 1991. Pepperdine has won 13-straight matches on eight occasions throughout program history, including this season.
- The last time the Waves had an eight-match streak or higher was in 2011 when the program started off WCC play with 13-straight wins.Â
- Fourteen of the last 17 wins – including the last six-straight victories since Oct. 21 - have been in straight sets. Earlier during this stretch, the Waves also won five-consecutive matches with sweeps from Sep. 28 to Oct. 12.
- Pepperdine has only lost three sets through West Coast Conference play so far, having started the conference slate 14-0 overall and tabbing a 42-3 sets record.
- The last time Pepperdine lost a match was on September 8 and the last time the Waves lost a set was on October 19.
- Isabel Zelaya ranks second in career assists in the Pepperdine women's volleyball all-time record books, and first in career assists during the rally scoring era. After today's match, she has amassed 4,810 assists. The program record is held by Becca Roehl with 5,020 assists from 1994-97.
PLAY-BY-PLAYCongrats Seniors! #PeppProud of all you have accomplished for the Waves! #WavesUp pic.twitter.com/8sVC2uLs38
— Pepperdine Women's Volleyball (@WavesVolleyball) November 11, 2023
It was a see-saw battle to start the match, with the teams trading blows en route to a 5-5 tied score. At that point, a few plays went to San Diego for a three-point lead. The Waves quickly regained composure with a Birdie Hendrickson ace, an Isabel Zelaya ace and a smash from Vanessa Polk to even the score once again at 8's. Once again, the teams traded points en route to an 11-11 tie before USD once again worked ahead with a 3-0 run. Three consecutive kills from Grace Chillingworth and a kill from Meg Brown helped the Waves pull ahead by one, 15-14. After going point-for-point to knot at 18's, the Waves started to roll and three consecutive smashes with a pair from Emily Hellmuth and one from Chillingworth helped the squad to a 21-18 lead to force a Toreros' timeout. Out of the break, a pair of USD attack errors and another smash from Chillingworth helped the cause and put Pepperdine in a position to close, 24-18. Though the opposition tacked one on, a final Hellmuth kill would end the set with a Waves' win, 25-19.
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Although the second set began as the first with a 5-5 tied score, it was there the similarities would end, as the Waves blasted out to a four-point lead, 11-7, with kills from Hendrickson and Polk. Pepperdine would maintain at least a one-point lead throughout the rest of the set, reach a 19-18 lead towards the back end of the action. Another pair of smashes from Hendrickson extended the Waves' advantage to 21-18. Though USD was able to string a few points together, Chillingworth and Hellmuth laid down some successful attacks to end the set 25-22 in Pepperdine's favor.
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The third and eventually final set was all Waves all the way, as Pepperdine worked ahead to a 5-1 lead early with a pair of blocks from Brown with either Hellmuth or Isabel Zelaya and a pair of kills from Brown and Chillingworth. Smashes from Hendrickson and Zelaya kept the squad moving forward and another block from Hendrickson, Polk and Hellmuth extended the squad's lead to five-points, 10-5. Laine Briggs tagged her second ace of the match to make it 14-8 and force a Toreros' timeout, but it would be a lead the opposition would be unable to rally against. Out of the break, kills from Brown and Chillingworth, along with multiple attack errors made it 21-13 down the stretch. After San Diego put up a few points, Pepperdine regained composure and smashes from Hendrickson and a final ace from Riley Patterson closed the set down 25-17 and completed the sweep.
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NEXT UP
Next, the Waves will head to Stockton to take on Pacific on November 16 and San Francisco to take on the Dons on November 18. Â The final regular season match of the season will be at SMU on November 20.
FOLLOW
Follow the Waves on Facebook and Twitter, @WavesVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram, @peppvolley. Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on www.PepperdineWaves.com.
Team Stats
SD
PEP
Kills
26
47
Errors
17
21
Attempts
105
115
Hitting %
.086
.226
Points
39.5
56.5
Assists
24
42
Aces
3
4
Blocks
10.5
5.5
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB/OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
