Pepperdine University
Arizona State
#18 Pepperdine to Play Three Duals in Phoenix
3/16/2023 5:48:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. – The #18 Pepperdine beach volleyball team is set for a tournament in Phoenix, Ariz. this week, ready to take on tournament-host #7 Grand Canyon, as well as Arizona State and UC Davis.
DUAL 9: Friday (March 17) at the GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium in Phoenix, Ariz.: #18 Pepperdine (6-2) vs. Arizona State (RV) (4-3) at 12 p.m. PT
DUAL 10: Saturday (March 18) at the GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium in Phoenix, Ariz.: #18 Pepperdine (6-2) vs. UC Davis (9-0) at 5 p.m. PT
DUAL 11: Saturday (March 18) at the GCU Beach Volleyball Stadium in Phoenix, Ariz.: #18 Pepperdine (6-2) vs.#7 Grand Canyon (8-4) at 10 a.m. PT
COVERAGE: There will be no live scoring or stream available this weekend in Arizona. Any available results and information can be found on Twitter @WavesBeachVB or on the website at www.pepperdinewaves.com. Additionally, go to the Pepperdine Athletics website for all recaps, results, updates and more.
LOOKING AHEAD: On March 25 and 26, the Waves will be in Pismo Beach, Calif. for the West Coast Challenge.Â
WAVES WEATHER: Friday and Saturday both show highs of around 74º with sunshine expected. Winds will be low, around five to 10 miles per hour and there is a below 5% chance of precipitation.Â
LAST WEEK IN MALIBU: The Waves went 3-1 last week at home, sweeping West Coast Conference opponent San Francisco and downing North Florida, a team receiving votes in the AVCA coaches poll, and UAB 4-1. Pepperdine had a tough battle with #18 Arizona as well, though the squad fell 3-2.Â
Against the Wildcats, the Waves had the first edge, winning both courts in the first flight to pull ahead 2-0. Savannah Standage and Kate Clermont won in two sets, while Gracey Campbell and Gabrielle Perez defeated their opposition in three to help the cause. UA would have the edge, though, winning in two on court five to get on the board and then taking a pair of three set wins on courts one and three to secure the victory.
In the following dual against North Florida, the Waves were back on top as another pair of first flight wins helped put the team forward. Standage and Clermont won in two, while Campbell and Perez won in three. McKenna Thomas and Alexus McLeod would do the honors, clinching in a two-set win on court one, while Kristine Briede and Madison Oriskovich finished things off with a three-set victory on court five to end things 4-1.
In similar fashion, the Waves took the first 2-0 lead in the first flight yet again against UAB, the squad's two and four pairs won in a couple of three-set bouts to pull ahead. Briede and Oriskovich would be the duo to clinch with a solid two-set victory in the No. 5 position as well. Though Jordan Benoit and Juju Quintero won in three on court three to give the Waves a 4-0 lead, the opposition would end with a win on one to avoid the sweep.
In the final match against WCC-opponent San Francisco, all five Waves' duos including a new pair of Aubrey Roberts and Mari Wright on court three, would win in two to end the weekend with a sweep.
WAVE REPORT: Pepperdine has gone 6-2 overall and 1-2 against ranked opponents this season, which puts them at #18 in the AVCA coaches rankings.  Still undefeated, Kate Clermont and Savannah Standage have amassed a perfect 8-0 record in the No. 2 position, including wins against pairs from #12 Cal, #14 Long Beach State and #18 Arizona. The Waves top pair, McKenna Thomas and Alexus McLeod have gone 5-3 overall.
Freshmen duo Gracey Campbell and Gabriella Perez have posted a 7-1 record in the No. 4 position for the Waves, falling only to the #12 Cal opposition. Kristine Briede and Madison Oriskovich have amassed a 4-1 record in the No. 5 slot. Both these Pepperdine pairs are currently working with a four-match winning streak. In the No. 3 position, a few duos have seen time, with Gracie Pedersen and Jasmine Suarez having played in six duals with two wins. Â
OPPONENT NOTES: This season, Arizona State has gone 4-3 overall, with losses to #7 Stanford, #1 UCLA and unranked Boise State. All-time, the Waves have gone 2-0 against the Sun Devils, with a 5-0 win at home in 2017 to open things up. The two team's last matchup resulted in a 3-2 Pepperdine victory on the road in 2019.
UC Davis has yet to drop a match this season, having defeated many West Coast Conference teams including Saint Mary's, Pacific, San Francisco and Santa Clara for an untarnished 9-0 record. Â All-time, Pepperdine has posted a 2-0 record against UCD, both on the road in 2021 with one by way of sweep.
Grand Canyon is ranked #7 in this week's AVCA coaches poll, having marked an 8-4 record this season. The Antelopes have notched wins against #14 Long Beach State, #10 Georgia State and #11 Stetson, while falling to #4 USC, #2 Florida State, #3 UCLA and #8 LMU. All-time, the Waves have posted a 6-0 record against GCU, dating back to 2013 when the teams first met. Pepperdine swept the Lopes in 2013, 2014 and 2015 before the opposition was able to take a point in 2017 and 2018 to lose 4-1. In the most recent dual in 2021, the Waves won 3-2 on neutral sand.
