MALIBU, Calif. – It was a beautiful day at the Pepperdine beach volleyball courts on Saturday, as the #18 Pepperdine beach volleyball team swept past local opponent CSUN, 5-0. Graduate student
Alexus McLeod was honored in a celebration after winning on court two in the final home dual of her collegiate career.
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.
McLeod has posted 13 wins since she donned the blue and orange, including 10 in the No. 1 position alongside
McKenna Thomas and three in the No. 2 slot with Standage.
RESULTS
No. 1:
McKenna Thomas/Kate Clermont (PEPP) def. Lauren Ekroian/Tasha Mae (CSUN) – 21-18, 21-11
No. 2:
Alexus McLeod/Savannah Standage (PEPP) def. Emily Sparks/Mac McCarthy (CSUN) – 21-9, 20-22, 20-18
No. 3:
Juju Quintero/Aubrey Roberts (PEPP) def. Seyvion Waggoner/Mikaela Maughan (CSUN) – 21-18, 21-17
No. 4:
Gracey Campbell/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) def. Victoria Rogers/Layla Cederlind (CSUN) – 21-15, 21-12
No. 5:
Kristine Briede/Madison Oriskovich (PEPP) def. Abigael Sweeting/Gabriella Griego (CSUN) – 21-12, 22-24, 15-7
Exh:
Mari Wright/Jordan Benoit (PEPP) def. Abigail Alvarez/Kinley Lindhardt (CSUN) – 21-19, 25-23
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 5, 1
MATCH RECAPS
The Waves came out ready to battle in the first flight and the freshmen duo
Gracey Campbell and
Gabriella Perez made quick work of their opposition in the No. 4 position, winning 21-15, 21-12. On the exhibition court,
Mari Wright and
Jordan Benoit also won in straight sets, 21-19, 25-23.
Alexus McLeod and
Savannah Standage then put the Waves in a position to clinch with their three-set win from the No. 2 position.
The Waves on court three would do the honors, as
Juju Quintero and
Aubrey Roberts took a two-set win in the position to clinch the dual for the squad.
Pepperdine was not done, though, as
Kristine Briede and
Madison Oriskovich took down their opponents in the No. 5 position with a 21-12, 22-24, 15-7 final.
McKenna Thomas and
Kate Clermont finished up the dual with a 21-18, 21-11 win in the No. 1 position as well.
NEXT UP
On April 14 and 15, the Waves will be in San Luis Obispo, Calif. for the Center of Excellence Challenge. Pepperdine will go head-to-head with #4 UCLA and Cal Poly on Friday before facing #3 Florida State and another on Saturday.
FOLLOW
Follow @WavesBeachVB on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to PepperdineWaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
