Box Score DALLAS, Texas — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team closed out the regular season with a road loss to SMU, a team receiving votes in the AVCA coaches poll. 
 
With the 25-21, 25-23, 25-16 loss at Moody Coliseum on Monday night, the Waves finished out the regular season with a 19-8 overall record, while the Mustangs improved to 24-6.
 
Pepperdine earned an automatic qualifier bid into the NCAA Tournament after winning the West Coast Conference Championship title this season.  The NCAA Selection Show, where the Waves will learn their postseason destination, will air live on ESPNU on Sunday, November 26 at 3 p.m. PT.
 
BIG WAVES
Birdie Hendrickson (Rogersville, Mo./Logan-Rogersville HS/Florida): 10 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks
Grace Chillingworth (Tustin, Calif./Foothill HS): 9 kills, 15 digs
Isabel Zelaya (Tomball, Texas/Concordia Lutheran HS): 31 assists, 3 aces, 7 digs
Meg Brown (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS): 8 kills, 2 blocks
Emily Hellmuth (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park HS): 5 kills, 2 blocks
Vanessa Polk (Saint Louis, Mo./John Burroughs HS): 3 kills, 2 blocks
Riley Patterson (Sonora, Calif./Sonora HS/Pacific): 8 digs
Laine Briggs (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS): 6 digs
 
WAVES VS. MUSTANGS
Pepperdine's attack force was not as effective as it had been recently, keeping to 36 kills on a .139 output, while allowing 44 kills on a .275 to SMU. The Mustangs also led 10.0 to 5.0 in blocks, six to three in aces and 51 to 45 in digs.
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          13        6          38        .184
2          15        5          44        .227
3          8          9          33        -.030
TTL      36        20        115      .139
 
SMU ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          15        8          39        .179
2          18        4          45        .311
3          11        2          25        .360
TTL      44        14        109      .275
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Each side of the net came out swinging, heading for an even 6-6 tied score before the Mustangs strung a few opportunities together to pull ahead 12-8.  Kills from Vanessa Polk and a block collaboration from Polk and Emily Hellmuth helped the squad close the gap at 15-13, but the opposition extended the gap to 19-13.  Pepperdine started closing the gap with more kills from Meg Brown and a pair of blocks from Brown and Birdie Hendrickson, 23-21, but it wouldn't be enough as SMU ended the set in the next two plays. 
 
The second set began with another see-saw battle through the 15-15 mark.  At that point, SMU went on a 7-0 run to pull ahead.  The Waves weren't done, though, and a kill from Hendrickson and block from Kenadie Patterson and Hellmuth started closing the gap.  Three-consecutive aces from Isabel Zelaya kept the squad moving forward and two kills from Hendrickson and an error from across the net pushed Pepperdine to a one-point lead, 23-22.  Despite the Waves' 8-0 run late, the Mustangs rallied to finish the set in the next three opportunities, 25-23.
 
After opening the third set 6-6, the home team pull ahead to a five-point lead 11-7.  SMU kept extending the gap, leading 20-8 towards the end of the set.  It would be a lead the Waves would be unable to overcome, eventually dropping 25-16 to finish the match.
 
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.