MALIBU, Calif. – The #18 Pepperdine beach volleyball team swept through a pair of season-opening duals at the Pepperdine Beach Volleyball Courts on Saturday, dominating Concordia and Houston Christian.
 
Pepperdine (2-0) began the day with a sound sweep over Concordia (2-6), taking all but one court in just two sets.  The Waves then continued positively over Houston Christian (2-4), winning in straight-sets on courts three and four and coming from behind to post a trio of gritty three-set wins in the top two and fifth positions to highlight the final dual of the day.
 
The Waves were scheduled to begin the season last Saturday, though inclement weather had other plans and forced the teams to reschedule.  Pepperdine will go head-to-head against #12 California and #14 Long Beach State on Monday, March 6, beginning at 9 a.m. PT in Malibu.
 
RESULTS
#18 Pepperdine def. Concordia, 5-0
1. McKenna Thomas/Lexi Mcleod (PEPP) def. Hannah Phair/Olivia Highstreet (CUI) - 21-5, 21-11
2. Savannah Standage/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Tatum Smith/Bella Bush (CUI) - 21-13, 21-14
3. Jasmin Suarez/Gracie Pedersen (PEPP) def. Hailee Ryan/Kelia Giusta (CUI) - 21-16, 21-17
4. Gracey Campbell/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) def. Kelissa Lemoine/Eva Prewitt (CUI) - 15-21, 21-18, 15-10
5. Kristine Briede/Madison Oriskovich (PEPP) def. Lily Dyer/Carly Moreno (CUI) - 21-13, 21-18
6 (Exh.). Aubrey Roberts/Mari Wright (PEPP) def. Lauren Clifton/Ashleigh Souza (CUI) - 21-3, 21-16
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1*, 5, 3
 
#18 Pepperdine def. Houston Christian, 5-0
1. McKenna Thomas/Lexi Mcleod (PEPP) def. Maddie Butters/Alison Stanfill (HCU) - 21-17, 17-21, 17-15
2. Savannah Standage/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Lindsay Harris/Kristen Kleymeyer (HCU) – 14-21, 21-14, 18-16
3. Jasmin Suarez/Gracie Pedersen (PEPP) def. Abbey Reinard/Abbey Bufkin (HCU) – 21-16, 21-15
4. Gracey Campbell/ Gabriella Perez (PEPP) def. Shelby O'Neal/Alisia Silverthorn (HCU) – 21-12, 21-9
5. Juju Quintero/Jordan Benoit (PEPP) def. Mary Alper/Kylann Griffith (HCU) – 21-14, 15-21, 15-13
6 (Exh.) Killian Armstrong/Gabi Axelrod (HCU) def. Chase Curry/Emi Erickson (PEPP) – 21-19, 21-19
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 5, 1
 
MATCH RECAPS
The Waves split the first two sets of the day, though Savannah Standage and Kate Clermont made quick work of their opposition in the No. 2 slot, winning the match 21-13, 21-14 to put the home squad on the board early.  In the No. 4 position, Gracey Campbell and Gabriella Perez rallied from a 21-15 first set loss to force a third on a 21-18 second set win.  The pair then dominated the final set, 15-10 to put Pepperdine ahead 2-0 heading into the second flight.
 
In the next round, McKenna Thomas and Lexi McLeod came out firing, absolutely crushing their opposition 21-5 in the first set and 21-11 in the second to clinch the overall dual for the Waves on court one. 
 
The squad was not done, however, as Kristine Briede and Madison Oriskovich then put down the Eagles on court five with a 21-13, 21-18 victory in the No. 5 spot.  Jasmin Suarez and Gracie Pedersen completed the sweep with a 21-16, 21-17 win on three.  Aubrey Roberts and Mari Wright also excelled in the No. 6 exhibition court, dominating their competition with a staggering 21-3, 21-16 decision.
 
In the second dual, Campbell and Perez made the necessary adjustments from their first match and the work paid off with a 21-12, 21-9 win in the No. 4 position to strike first.  After falling 21-14 in the first set, Clermont and Standage countered with a 21-14 win of their own on court two to force a third.  The Waves duo would trail in the final moments of the third set, down 13-12 at one point, but rally back to tie things up at 14's.  After duking it out point-for-point, the pair would grit out the 18-16 set win to put their team in a position to clinch.
 
Suarez and Pedersen would be up to the task in the second flight, taking no chances and quickly winning in two sets, 21-16, 21-15 on court three to clinch the overall dual.
 
Jordan Benoit and Juju Quintero would be the next Waves to strike, though it would come in the third set as the pair split the first two 21-14, 15-21.  The duo then fought through a see-saw battle against their opposition in the No. 5 position, winning 15-13 to put Pepperdine ahead 4-0.  With a sweep on the line, all eyes went to the No. 1 position where Thomas and McLeod were entering a third set after splitting 21-17, 17-21.  The pair was trailing 13-11, but showed no let up, tying the set at 14's.  The two then capitalized on some smart plays to work towards the 17-15 final set victory to complete the sweep.
 
NEXT UP
After the duals on Monday, Pepperdine will remain home for three full days of beach volleyball on March 10-12, hosting Arizona, North Florida, UAB and San Francisco for the Malibu Invite.

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