Beach Volleyball Set for Big Weekend in SLO

MALIBU, Calif. – The #19 Pepperdine beach volleyball team will head to San Luis Obispo for the Center of Excellence Challenge, hosted by Cal Poly, on Friday and Saturday.

The Waves will play #1 TCU and #3 UCLA, along with the tournament-host for sure, while the fourth and final dual will be scheduled based on tournament wins and losses.

DUAL 23: Friday (April 14) at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex in San Luis Obispo, Calif.: #19 Pepperdine (15-7) vs. #3 UCLA (26-2) at 11:15 a.m.

DUAL 24: Friday (April 14) at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex in San Luis Obispo, Calif.: #19 Pepperdine (15-7) vs. Cal Poly (11-19) at 6:45 p.m.

DUAL 25: Saturday (April 15) at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex in San Luis Obispo, Calif.: #19 Pepperdine (15-7) vs. #1 TCU (28-0) at 9 a.m.

DUAL 26: Saturday (April 15) at the Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex in San Luis Obispo, Calif.: #19 Pepperdine (15-7) vs. TBD.

COVERAGE: All matches will have live streaming and scoring available. The dual against Cal Poly will stream on ESPN+, while the other duals will stream via the AVP live stream. 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: Next week, the Waves will be back in action in southern California, facing LMU and Washington in Los Angeles, Calif. on April 22.

WAVES WEATHER: Friday and Saturday will both range in the mid-60's with mainly sunny skies, though Friday's winds are projected to be 10-20 miles per hour as opposed to Saturday's 10-15 mph.

LAST WEEK IN CALI: Pepperdine went 2-1 last week, defeating CSUN and Cal State LA and falling in a tight 3-2 battle to #12 Long Beach State. On Thursday against both the Golden Eagles and Beach, The Waves top pair, McKenna Thomas and Kate Clermont went undefeated throughout the day, as well as the squad's No. 4 freshmen duo, Gabriella Perez and Gracey Campbell. Each pair won once in straight sets and then fought through a three-set bout in the other match throughout the day.

Then in the sweep over the Matadors for Senior Day on Saturday, the Waves had another strong output before honoring graduate student Alexus McLeod after the dual. McLeod and her partner, Savannah Standage, dominated their first set, 21-9, but were tested with a 22-20 second set loss to enter a third. After going point-for-point through to an even 13's, the duo gained a one-point edge. CSUN fought off a few set-point opportunities and took a one-point lead themselves, but the Pepperdine pair was able to keep in the mix. The Waves stayed tough and eventually took the 20-18 third set win to put the squad up 2-0 and in the position to clinch in the following flight.

WAVE REPORT: Pepperdine has gone 15-7 overall this season and 2-4 against teams ranked in the AVCA national coaches poll. As pairs, the Waves have gone 74-36 for a .673 winning percentage. In the No. 1 spot, McKenna Thomas has played with two partners, collecting a 10-7 record with Alexus McLeod and a 5-0 record with Kate Clermont. Clermont and McLeod have also spent time in the No. 2 position alongside Savannah Standage. Clermont and Standage had collected a 14-3 record, while McLeod and Standage have gone 2-1.

The freshmen duo in the No. 4 position, Gabriella Perez and Gracey Campbell, have been very strong for the Waves, collecting on a 16-6 overall record, while Madison Oriskovich and Kristine Briede have been equally successful with a 14-5 record in the No. 5 position.

Pepperdine has had numerous pairs play in the No. 3 position, with Gracie Pedersen and Jasmin Suarez posting a 5-7 record and Juju Quintero and Aubrey Roberts going 2-3.

OPPONENTS: UCLA is ranked third nationally after compiling a 26-2 overall record this season. The Bruins are on a five-match winning streak, having defeated #9 Cal, #10 Stanford, #13 Washington and Arizona. UCLA has gone 12-6 against Pepperdine all-time.

Cal Poly has gone 11-19 this season, while going 4-2 in the month of April so far after dropping to #9 Cal and #13 Washington and besting #20 Tulane, UC Davis, Pacific and CSU Bakersfield. Pepperdine holds an 8-3 record against the Mustangs all-time.

TCU is still undefeated at 28-0 this season to rank atop the national coaches poll. The Horned Frogs have won the last eight matches by way of sweep, including against the Waves at the end of March. The Waves hold a 5-2 record over Horned Frogs all-time.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Kristine Briede

Gracey Campbell

Kate Clermont

Alexus McLeod

Madison Oriskovich

Gracie Pedersen

Gabbie Perez

Juju Quintero

Aubrey Roberts

Savannah Standage

Jasmin Suarez

McKenna Thomas

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