LONG BEACH, Calif. – The #18 Pepperdine beach volleyball team split the day at LBSU Sand Courts, sweeping past Cal State LA after falling in a tight 3-2 battle to #12 Long Beach State.
 
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.
 
The Waves will return to Malibu on Saturday to host Senior Day against CSUN at 10 a.m. and Alexus McLeod will be honored after the dual.
 
RESULTS
#12 Long Beach State def. #18 Pepperdine, 3-2
No. 1: McKenna Thomas/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Sydney Stevens/Julia Westby (LBSU) – 21-18, 21-18
No. 2: Malia Gementera/Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) def. Alexus McLeod/Savannah Standage (PEPP) – 21-16, 21-17
No. 3: Megan Widener/Natalie Glenn (LBSU) def. Juju Quintero/Aubrey Roberts (PEPP) – 21-17, 21-16
No. 4: Gracey Campbell/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) def. Maggie Walters/Christine Deroos (LBSU) – 21-19, 11-21, 15-9
No. 5: Haley Carrington/Emily Mattoon (LBSU) def. Kristine Briede/Madison Oriskovich (PEPP) – 21-17, 21-13
Exh: Gracie Pedersen/Jasmin Suarez (PEPP) vs. Kate Stoughton/Savannah Lyons (LBSU) – 15-21, 21-15
Order of finish: 2, 4, 5, 1, 3*
 
#18 Pepperdine def. Cal State LA, 5-0
No. 1: McKenna Thomas/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Ashley Dittmann/Iane Henke (CSLA) – 20-22, 21-7, 15-10
No. 2: Alexus McLeod/Savannah Standage (PEPP) def. Eliza Cannon/Jameson Sanders (CSLA) – 21-8, 21-6
No. 3: Juju Quintero/Aubrey Roberts (PEPP) def. Emily Elliott/Zuhal Cetin (CSLA) – 21-9, 21-14
No. 4: Gracey Campbell/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) def. Shelby Grubbs/Haley Roundtree (CSLA) – 21-3, 21-10
No. 5: Kristine Briede/Madison Oriskovich (PEPP) def. Ayjah Landers/Jaden Grova (CSLA) – 21-15, 21-11
Exh: Mari Wright/Jordan Benoit (PEPP) def. Tehya Chadwick/Beatriz Jimenez (CSLA) – 21-8, 21-9
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 5, 1
 
MATCH RECAPS
The Waves came jout firing in the first match against host Long Beach State, with the No. 4 pair Gracey Campbell and Gabriella Perez winning the first set 21-19.  The opposition countered a 21-11 win in the second set to force a third and Beach also simultaneously collected the first point with a win on court two.  Campbell and Perez were resilient though, coming away with a 15-9 win in the third set to tie things up heading into the second flight.
 
LBSU took a two-set win in the No. 5 position to pull ahead again, but McKenna Thomas and Kate Clermont were able to secure a pair of 21-18 set wins in the No. 1 position to tie the overall and put all eyes on court three.  It would end in Long Beach State's favor, however, as the opposition collected on a win on court three to take the dual 3-2.
 
It was all Waves in the second match, though, beginning with a pair of two-set dominating wins in the first flight.  Campbell and Perez made quick work of their opponents in the No. 4 slot, posting a 21-3, 21-10 victory to put Pepperdine on the board.  Savannah Standage and Alexus McLeod then took down their opponent on court two with a 21-8, 21-6 win to put the Waves in a position to clinch.
 
Juju Quintero and Aubrey Roberts would do the honors on court three, with a solid 21-9, 21-14 win in the following flight to clinch the dual. 
 
On court five, Madison Oriskovich and Kristine Briede continued to pound down with a 21-15, 21-11 win to make it 4-0.  After a tight 22-20 loss to open on court one, Thomas and Clermont then dominated the following two sets 21-7 and 15-10 to make it an event sweep.
 
In the exhibition matches, Gracie Pedersen and Jasmine Suarez split a pair of 21-15 sets against their Long Beah opponents, while Mari Wright and Jordan Benoit won 21-8, 21-9 against the Golden Eagles in the following dual.
 
FOLLOW
Follow @WavesBeachVB on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more.  Go to PepperdineWaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.