Pepperdine University
Arizona
Waves to Host Eight Duals for Malibu Invite
3/9/2023 3:35:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
MALIBU, Calif. – The #17 Pepperdine beach volleyball team has a full schedule slated for the Malibu Invite this weekend, as #18 Arizona, North Florida, UAB and San Francisco all make the trip to the West Coast.
DUAL 5: Friday (March 10) in Malibu, Calif.: #17 Pepperdine (3-1) vs. #18 Arizona (5-2) at the Pepperdine Beach Volleyball Courts in Malibu, Calif. at 11 a.m.
DUAL 6: Saturday (March 11) in Malibu, Calif.: #17 Pepperdine (3-1) vs. North Florida (5-3) at 9 a.m.
DUAL 7: Sunday (March 12) in Malibu, Calif.: #17 Pepperdine (3-1) vs. UAB (5-4) at 9 a.m.
DUAL 8: Saturday (March 12) in Malibu, Calif.: #17 Pepperdine (3-1) vs. San Francisco (0-5) at 1 p.m.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
Friday:
Pepperdine vs. Arizona – 11 a.m.
Saturday:
Pepperdine vs. North Florida – 9 a.m.
Arizona vs. San Francisco – 11 a.m.
North Florida vs. UAB – 1 p.m.
UAB vs. San Francisco – 3 p.m.
Sunday:
Pepperdine vs. UAB – 9 a.m.
North Florida vs. San Francisco – 11 a.m.
Pepperdine vs. San Francisco – 1 p.m.
COVERAGE: All home matches will have live scoring available with links found on www.pepperdinewaves.com. Fans may also follow along with Pepperdine duals on Twitter @WavesBeachVB. Additionally, go to the Pepperdine Athletics website for all recaps, results, updates and more.
FAN ATTENDANCE & GUIDELINES: Attendance is free to spectators. Free parking is also available on the road next to the Marie Canyon Field, while the closest lot is the Rho parking lot. Please be prepared to walk up a small hill to the courts, though those in need may notify the Athletics' staff if there is need of assistance. Bleachers will be available, though lawn chairs, tents and umbrellas are welcomed, as long as no spectator's view is impaired.
LOOKING AHEAD: Next week, the Waves will hit the road for the first away contest of the season, competing at the GCU Tournament. Pepperdine will go head-to-head with Arizona State and UC Davis before closing up the weekend against tournament host Grand Canyon on Saturday.
WAVES WEATHER: There is a 98% chance for heavy rainfall on Friday, with winds moving east to south east at 10 to 15 miles per hour and a high of 54º. Saturday calls for showers in the morning with clouds in the afternoon. It will be a high of 61º and winds moving around five to 10 miles per hour. On Sunday, the weather shows a high of 64º with early clouds moving to partial sunshine late and winds around 10 to 15 miles per hour.
LAST WEEK IN MALIBU: Pepperdine went 3-1 to open the 2023 campaign, highlighting the week with a 3-2 upset over #14 Long Beach State. The Waves went toe-to-toe with #12 Cal, falling in a tough 3-2 battle as well. Pepperdine opened the week with a pair of sweeps over Concordia and Houston Christian as well.Â
Pepperdine's No. 2 pair, Kate Clermont and Savannah Standage went undefeated with a couple wild three-set bouts. The Waves' top pair, Alexus McLeod and McKenna Thomas, along with the four's Gracey Campbell and Gabriella Perez boasted a 3-1 record to open. Gracie Pedersen and Jasmine Suarez split an even 2-2 in the No. 3 position. The Waves saw a few pairs in the No. 5 slot, with Jordan Benoit and Juju Quintero going 2-0 and Kristine Briede and Madison Oriskovich going 1-1 throughout the weekend.
In the big win over Beach, Perez and Campbell opened things up with a two-set win on their court. Clermont and Standage fell 21-19 in their first set, but rallied with a commanding 21-12 win in the second set to force a third. The Waves duo would impress with a 15-11 win to put the Waves ahead 2-0 heading into the next flight. After Long Beach State took wins off courts three and five, Thomas and McLeod showed up big with a hard-fought 27-25, 15-21, 16-14 win in the No. position to clinch the dual.Â
Thomas and McLeod clinched two matches throughout the week, while Pedersen and Suarez would pick up the third.
OPPONENT NOTES: This season, Arizona has gone 5-2 overall and though they've played thrice on neutral courts, have yet to be tested in a true road match. They were swept by #12 Cal and lost 3-2 to #16 Washington, while collecting wins against Oregon twice and Boise State to name a few. All-time, Pepperdine has gone 4-1 against Arizona, falling only once in 2021 on the road, 4-1. Prior to that, the Waves had won two at home and two on neutral sand.
North Florida has gone 5-3 overall this season, while dropping their only true road dual thus far. They defeated #20 Coast Carolina, but fell to #12 FAU and #15 Stetson. Pepperdine and North Florida have faced once in 2012, with the Waves sweeping for the victory on neutral sand.
UAB has posted a 5-4 overall record so far this season with an 0-2 record on the road. The squad has fallen to LSU, TCU, Houston Christian, South Carolina, while defeating Central Arkansas and North Alabama. All-time, the Waves hold a 2-0 record against UAB including a pair of sweeps in either 2012 or 2016 – both on neutral sand.
San Francisco has lost all five matches they've played so far this season, two of which have been on the road. The Dons have been swept by UC Davis three times and fallen to Saint Mary's and Sacramento State. All-time, the Waves have defeated USF twice, both with sweeps in 2015 or 2019 and on neutral sand.
WAVE REPORT: Pepperdine returns eight from the 2022 squad, including four starters. Of the familiar faces, the Waves welcome back juniors Kristine Briede, Gracie Pedersen and Jordan Benoit and sophomores Chase Curry, Juju Quintero, Kate Clermont, McKenna Thomas and Madison Oriskovich.Â
New faces will include graduate transfers Alexus McLeod (CSUN) and Jasmin Suarez (Saint Mary's), as well as Aubrey Roberts who previously played on Pepperdine's indoor women's volleyball team. This year's newest crop of freshmen includes Gracey Campbell, Emi Erickson, Mari Wright, Gabriella Perez and Savannah Standage
PRESEASON PROJECTIONS: Sophomores McKenna Thomas and Kate Clermont earned a spot on the All-West Coast Conference preseason team. Thomas went 26-7 in the No. 2 position for the Waves last season, while Clermont posted a 19-14 overall record, including a 7-3 output in the No. 5 position, 9-9 in the No. 4 position and 3-2 in the No. 3 position. The Waves were predicted to finish second in the league after the coaches had voted.
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.
