SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team clinched a share of the West Coast Conference Championship crown on Thursday night at the Leavey Center after sweeping past Santa Clara 25-20, 25-23, 25-14. 
 
It's the first time since the 2011 season that the Waves, a team receiving votes in the AVCA coaches poll, have clinched at least a share of the league title.  One more conference win this season would clinch the title outright and earn the team automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.  The first opportunity the Waves have to achieve that feat is this Saturday as Pepperdine takes on San Diego on Senior Day in Firestone Fieldhouse at noon.  The match and Senior Day festivities will stream live on ESPN+.
 
The Waves (17-6, 13-0 WCC) posted the third match of the season hitting higher than a .400 clip tonight, having marked 45 kills on a .425 success rate in the match tonight against the Broncos (11-15, 3-11 WCC). 
 
Last week's West Coast Conference offensive player of the week, Grace Chillingworth, was absolutely unstoppable, having marked 16 kills on a career-high .577 clip while matching her career-best with five aces as well.  It was the 19^th match of the season that the Tustin, Calif. native hit for double-figures and the 53^rd of her career.  Birdie Hendrickson also hit for double-figures with 10 kills, while six Waves in total picked up three or more kills in the match.  
 
BIG WAVES
Grace Chillingworth (Tustin, Calif./Foothill HS): 16 kills, .577 hitting %, 5 aces, 9 digs
Birdie Hendrickson (Rogersville, Mo./Logan-Rogersville HS/Florida): 10 kills, 8 digs, 3 blocks
Isabel Zelaya (Tomball, Texas/Concordia Lutheran HS): 33 assists, 5 digs
Meg Brown (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS): 6 kills, .500 hitting %
Riley Patterson (Sonora, Calif./Sonora HS/Pacific): 6 digs, 4 assists, 1 ace
Kenadie Patterson (Oakdale, Calif./Gregori HS): 4 kills, 1.00 hitting %, 2 blocks (1 solo)
Emily Hellmuth (Dallas, Texas/Highland Park HS): 5 kills
Laine Briggs (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor HS): 6 digs
 
WAVES VS. BRONCOS
It was also the team's 10^th match hitting above .300 as well. The Waves did so while allowing the opposition only 37 kills on a .224 output.  Fueled by a strong performance from Grace Chillingworth at the service line, Pepperdine led seven to three in aces, while also keeping the advantage at the net with a 5.0 to 3.0 block differential.  The Waves also maintained a 37-30 lead in digs.
 
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          17        4          34        .382
2          17        1          31        .516
3          11        3          22        .364
TTL      45        8          87        .425
 
SANTA CLARA ATTACK BY SET
Set       K          E          TA        Pct
1          12        5          31        .226
2          18        3          43        .349
3          7          7          24        .000
TTL      37        15        98        .224
 
NOTABLES

• Pepperdine is on a 16-match winning streak, which is the third-best winning streak in Pepperdine women's volleyball program history all-time.  The last time the program won 15-consecutive matches was in 2003, when the squad won a program-best 25-striaght matches.
• The second-best streak was achieved in 2002, when the team won 17-consecutive matches.  Additionally, Pepperdine had won 15-straight in 1991.
• 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.  The program has had a streak of 13 or more wins eight times throughout history including this season.
• Thirteen of the last 16 wins – including the last five-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.
• The Waves have had two stints of 17-set winning streaks – currently since October 19 and earlier this season from September 23 to October 21.
• Pepperdine has only lost three sets through West Coast Conference play so far, having started the conference slate 13-0 overall and tabbing a 39-3 sets record.
• The last time Pepperdine lost a match was on September 8.
• 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 4,779 assists.  The program record is held by Becca Roehl with 5,020 assists from 1994-97.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
A kill from Vanessa Polk and an ace from Riley Patterson started the Waves off on the right foot in the first set, along with a pair of kills from Meg Brown to put the squad ahead 6-1 early.  SCU closed the gap to come within one-point at the 8-7 mark and the two teams then went point-for-point to a 10-9 Pepperdine lead.  A pair of big smashes from Grace Chillingworth, along with a sneaky dump from Isabel Zelaya pushed the Waves to a four-point spread, 15-11.  The kills kept coming, this time from Birdie Hendrickson and followed by a Hendrickson, Polk block collaboration to make it a five-point lead at the 17-12 mark.  Another block from Hendrickson wit Zelaya and a kill from Emily Hellmuth had the Waves reaching their first set point opportunity.  An ace from Chillingworth, followed by a smash from Hendrickson would close the set down, 25-20 to Pepperdine. 
 
The opposition came out firing in the second set, however, building to a 9-5 lead early.  Despite kills from Chillingworth and Hendrickson, the Broncos were able to use the momentum to work ahead, 17-11.  It was there the home team's luck would end, though, as a 7-0 run by Pepperdine featuring kills from Kenadie Patterson, Hellmuth and Hendrickson would flip the script and give the squad a one-point lead, 18-17.  The Waves held on to the lead throughout the rest of the set and a pair of kills from Chillingworth helped the team to a two-point lead, 21-19.  Late in the action, SCU came within one with an ace to make it 23-22.  A kill from Brown gave Pepperdine the set-point opportunity and though the Broncos fought it off with a kill, the next play was won by the Waves with a Chillingworth smash to make it 25-23.
 
Pepperdine came out with more energy in the third set and after an even 6-6 score, three nearly-consecutive aces from Chillingworth, a block from Hendrickson and Brown and kills from the same three propelled the Waves to a 13-6 advantage.  The Waves kept rolling also and a block from K. Patterson and Hellmuth, along with a pair of kills from the same pair, extended the Waves' lead to eight, 19-11.  Shortly after, a solo rejection from K. Patterson and an ace from Hendrickson kept growing the gap to 23-12 and put the squad in a position to close.  A kill from Hendrickson and a fifth ace from Chillingworth ended the set 25-14 and completed the sweep for the Waves.  
 
FOLLOW
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