SANTA MONICA, Calif. – In an overcast final day of the West Coast Conference Championships at Ocean Park Beach on Friday, the #19 Pepperdine beach volleyball team swept Santa Clara to reach the championship title bout, but PCH Cup rival and #5-ranked LMU would take home the title with a 3-0 win.
 
The Waves (19-15) started the day with a 4-1 loss to the Lions to enter the contender's bracket as well.  With the win in the final, LMU clinched the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships in May.  The NCAA Selection Show will air on NCAA.com at 8 a.m. PT.
 
RESULTS
#5 LMU def. #19 Pepperdine, 4-1
No. 1: Melanie Paul/Valma Prihit (LMU) def. McKenna Thomas/Kate Clermont (PEPP) – 21-17, 21-17
No. 2: Kirstine Garder/Abbey Thorup (LMU) def. Alexus McLeod/Aubrey Roberts (PEPP) – 21-19, 21-12
No. 3: Savannah Standage/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) def. Jacinda Ramirez/Isabelle Reffel (LMU) – 21-16, 22-20
No. 4: Chloe Hooker/Cassie Chinn (LMU) def. Gracey Campbell/Juju Quintero (PEPP) – 21-13, 21-17
No. 5: Madi Firnett/Isabelle Tucker (LMU) def. Kristine Briede/Madison Oriskovich (PEPP) – 21-15, 21-13
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1*, 3, 2
 
#19 Pepperdine def. Santa Clara, 5-0
No. 1: McKenna Thomas/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Nicole Robison/Julia Sangiacomo (SCU) – 21-16, 21-9
No. 2: Alexus McLeod/Aubrey Roberts (PEPP) def. Elena Radeff/Ella Duffner (SCU) – 21-11, 21-18
No. 3: Savannah Standage/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) def. Casey Campbell/Katie Kishton (SCU) – 21-15, 21-9
No. 4: Gracey Campbell/Juju Quintero (PEPP) def. Jordan Bennett/Claire Doud (SCU) – 21-19, 9-21, 15-12
No. 5: Kristine Briede/Madison Oriskovich (PEPP) def. Alexie Epstein/Hailey Benesz (SCU) – 21-13, 21-10
Order of finish: 3, 5, 1*, 2, 4
 
#5 LMU def. #19 Pepperdine, 3-0
No. 1: McKenna Thomas/Kate Clermont (PEPP) vs. Melanie Paul/Valma Prihit (LMU) – 21-19, 13-20, unfinished
No. 2: Alexus McLeod/Aubrey Roberts (PEPP) vs. Kirstine Garder/Abbey Thorup (LMU) – 25-23, 13-21, unfinished
No. 3: Jacinda Ramirez/Isabelle Reffel (LMU) def. Savannah Standage/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) – 22-20, 21-18
No. 4: Chloe Hooker/Cassie Chinn (LMU) def. Gracey Campbell/Juju Quintero (PEPP) – 21-14, 21-9
No. 5: Madi Firnett/Isabelle Tucker (LMU) def. Kristine Briede/Madison Oriskovich (PEPP) – 21-11, 21-13
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3*
 
MATCH RECAPS
Pepperdine faced off with PCH Cup rival LMU to start the day, with both teams not having lost a dual in the tournament yet.  The opposition would have the edge on courts four and five, winning in straight sets to lead 2-0. 
 
Though Savannah Standage and Gabriella Perez won 12-16, 22-20 on court three to put Pepperdine on the board, the Lions on court one had won first to clinch the dual.  The opposition finished things off with a two-set win in the No. 2 position as well to make it 4-1 and send the Waves into the noon dual against Santa Clara.
 
Pepperdine had the edge against SCU from start to finish, quickly pulling ahead with a pair of straight-set wins in the No. 3 and 5 positions.  Standage and Perez won 21-15, 21-9 in the No. 3 slot to kick things off and Kristine Briede and Madison Oriskovich put the squad in a position to clinch with a 21-13, 21-10 win in the No. 5 position.
 
McKenna Thomas and Kate Clermont would do the honors on court one, plastering a 21-16, 21-9 win on the board over the Broncos to clinch the dual.  Aubrey Roberts and Alexus McLeod then downed their opposition 21-11, 21-18 on court two to make it 4-0 and the Waves completed the sweep with a 21-19, 9-21, 15-12 win in the No. 4 position from Gracey Campbell and Juju Quintero.
 
The Championship bout was played in a two-flight format, with courts four and five going head-to-head first.  LMU's pairs would take both to gain the edge heading into the following flight, winning both in straight sets. 
 
The second flight proved to be exciting, with the Waves on all three courts leading the way through the majority of the set.  Thomas and Clermont on court one, and Roberts and McLeod on court two, each took their first sets 21-19 and 25-23 respectively.  Although the Waves on three put in a good fight, the Lions took the first set 22-20 and finished up with a 21-18 set win to clinch the dual and the Championships title.  
 
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