MALIBU, Calif. – The #19 Pepperdine beach volleyball team will travel across the country to compete at the North Florida Invite on Friday and Saturday, challenging top-ranked TCU, #17 Stetson, Florida Gulf Coast and tournament-host North Florida.
 
DUAL 16: Friday (March 31) at The Coop in Jacksonville, Fla.: #19 Pepperdine (11-4) vs. #1 TCU (20-0) at 7 a.m. PT
 
DUAL 17: Friday (March 31) at The Coop in Jacksonville, Fla.: #19 Pepperdine (11-4) vs. North Florida (13-5) at 1 p.m. PT
 
DUAL 18: Saturday (April 1) at The Coop in Jacksonville, Fla.: #19 Pepperdine (11-4) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (10-8) at 5 a.m. PT
 
DUAL 19: Saturday (April 1) at The Coop in Jacksonville, Fla.: #19 Pepperdine (11-4) vs. #17 Stetson (12-8) at 9 a.m. PT
 
COVERAGE: All matches will have live scoring available, while only Pepperdine's dual against North Florida will be streamed live.  Those links, along with available results, updates and information can be found on Twitter @WavesBeachVB or on the website at www.pepperdinewaves.com. 
 
LOOKING AHEAD: After the weekend in Jacksonville, the Waves will return to California for a pair of duals on April 6 at Long Beach State against both Beach and Cal State LA.  Pepperdine will play its final home match of the season on April 8 at 10 a.m. against CSUN.  The match in Malibu will also serve as Senior Day.
 
WAVES WEATHER: Friday's weather in Jacksonville calls for a high of 84º with party cloudy skies and winds running southeast from 10 to 20 miles per hour.  On Saturday, it's much of the same, with a high of 88º and intervals of clouds and sunshine in the morning, with wind running southwest at 15 to 25 miles per hour.  There is only an eight percent chance of precipitation each day.
 
LAST WEEK IN SANTA CRUZ: The Waves went 3-1 last week in the West Coast Challenge in Santa Cruz, sweeping past San Francisco and Santa Clara in pool play to advance into the Gold Bracket.  After falling 3-2 to Saint Mary's in the first round, Pepperdine finished the tournament with another 4-1 win over the Broncos.
 
In pool play, the Waves won nine of the 10 pair's matches in straight-sets.  On the next day against SMC, the Waves opened the scoring with a two-set win from Madison Oriskovich and Kristine Briede on court five, before the opposition countered with a win on court one.  Pepperdine's No. 2 pair, Kate Clermont and Savannah Standage then dominated their match with a two-set win to put the Waves in a position to close, but the Gaels on courts four and two had other plans taking a two-set win and then a three-set win on those courts respectively to take the win.
 
In the final match against Santa Clara, Pepperdine came out strong yet again, winning on courts two and three in straight sets and Standage and Clermont and then Jasmin Suarez and Gracie Pedersen downed their opposition quickly in that order.  Briede and Oriskovich clinched the dual with with another two-set win on court five, and McKenna Thomas and Alexus McLeod made it 4-0 with a three-set victory on the top court.  The Broncos were able to end with a three-set win on court four to avoid the sweep.
 
WAVE REPORT: The Waves have gone 11-4 overall this season, with a 1-3 record against nationally ranked opponents.  Pepperdine is 6-2 at home, has one true road loss and has collected a 5-1 record on neutral sand. 
 
Kate Clermont and Savannah Standage have held down the No. 2 position from start to finish, having only lost one match this season to post an impressive 14-1 record.  The duo is on a four-match winning streak and has won nine of their last 10 matches.  On court one, McKenna Thomas and Alexus McLeod have been strong, collecting a 10-5 record overall.  The pair has gone 7-1 in their last 10-matches.  In the No. 3 slot, a few pairs have seen time, but Jasmin Suarez and Gracie Pedersen have played the most matches, amassing a 5-6 record in that position.
 
Freshman duo Gracey Campbell and Gabriella Perez have also had some great performances in the No. 4 position this season, posting an 11-4 record, with a 7-3 output in their last 10 matches together.  In the No. 5 position, Kristine Briede and Madison Oriskovich have played the most together, posting a solid 10-2 overall record against opponents.  The pair os on a four-match winning streak and has gone 9-1 in their last 10-matches played.
 
OPPONENTS: TCU is currently ranked #1 in the AVCA national coaches poll, having amassed a perfect 20-0 overall record at this point in the season.  They've defeated then-ranked #2 Florida State and #2 USC 4-1, #4 LSU twice 4-1 and 5-0, and #6 Grand Canyon 3-2.  The Waves hold a 5-1 record over Horned Frogs all-time.
 
North Florida has gone 13-5 overall this season, though they are still an undefeated 6-0 at home.  The Waves and Ospreys faced earlier in the month and Pepperdine took home the 4-1 win in Malibu.  Most recently, UNF has defeated North Alabama and Jacksonville and been swept by #2 USC.  Pepperdine has gone 3-0 against North Florida all-time.
 
Florida Gulf Coast has posted a 10-8 overall record this season, with a 6-4 record on neutral sand.  Most reently, the Eagles beat North Alabama and Coastal Carolina, but fell 3-2 to both #17 Stetson and #14 FAU. This is the first-ever meeting for Pepperdine and FGCU.
 
Stetson is ranked #17 in this week's AVCA coaches poll, having gone 12-8 against opponents this season, including an even 4-4 on neutral courts.  Most recently, the Hatters downed FGCU, Coastal Carolina and North Alabama and downed #14 FAU.  The Waves and Stetson have only faced twice before, with Pepperdine winning both.
 
FOLLOW: Follow @WavesBeachVB on Facebook and Twitter for updates and check on PepperdineWaves.com for full results, recaps and more.  Follow @peppbeachvolley on Instagram for an inside look at the Waves' team culture and check out @PepperdineWaves for the scoop on all the Waves' programs throughout the year.