MALIBU, Calif. — A huge night from Birdie Hendrickson and a third-set rally was the difference for the Pepperdine women's volleyball team, which got back in the win column with a 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 29-27, 25-18) victory over Saint Mary's on Thursday night.
The turning point for the Waves (8-8, 5-1 West Coast Conference) came in the third set when the team fought off three set points and eventually stole the set from the Gaels (5-10, 1-5 WCC) with a 29-27 win.
All of the stars were out in Firestone Fieldhouse. Playing in front of actor Jamie Foxx, who made a surprise appearance in the student section, Hendrickson was the star on the court by tying her career high with 25 kills and setting her career high with 21 digs. That scoreline was the first 20-dig, 20-kill 20 double-double since Shannon Scully's 20-kill, 23-dig effort against BYU on Feb. 24, 2021. Collectively, the Waves hit .305 and saw four players finish with double-figure kills. Riley Simpson put together arguably her best game as a Wave with 15 kills — all on an ultra-efficient .536 hitting percentage — while Grace Chillingworth and Kenadie Patterson finished with 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Setter Rosemary Archer ran the offense with a 49-assist, 19-dig double-double — both of which were career highs.
Donning pink jerseys for the team's annual Dig Pink night, the Waves landed the first blow of the match with a 5-0 run early in the set to take an 11-9 lead. Thanks to Patterson's hot start with three kills and two blocks in the first set, the Waves maintained that lead until Ella Piskorz made the score 17-12 with her first kill of the night. Despite Saint Mary's mounting a comeback attempt that would pull the visitors within one at 17-16, miscues from the Gaels quickly flipped the script as the Waves cruised to a 25-20 first-set win.
However, the Gaels evened the score with a second-set win. Saint Mary's got off to a 7-3 lead in the early proceedings and maintained that lead until Pepperdine rallied with a 6-0 run. Piskorz sparked the run with a kill, she and Archer teamed up for a block and then the true freshman chipped in another kill on the next point as the Waves tied the score at 17 and forced the Gaels to regroup. Piskorz again found the floor out of the timeout, and both teams battled down the stretch until Hendrickson gave the Waves a 21-20 lead. Yet the Gaels sided out and went on a decisive 4-0 run with a pair of service aces to eke out a 25-23 second-set win.
Invigorated by stealing the second set from the Waves, the Gaels put up their toughest fight in the third set, which saw 15 ties throughout the match. Both teams kept it close in the early goings until a 3-0 Saint Mary's run put the Gaels up 14-11 and forced the Waves to call timeout. Playing from behind throughout the set, Pepperdine pulled within one point twice until a pair of Saint Mary's errors tied the score at 20-all, yet the Waves couldn't quite get over the hump. The Gaels sided out and went on a 4-1 run to take a 24-21 lead — and effectively put the Waves on upset watch.
But Pepperdine battled back.
Like she has been wont to do, Hendrickson answered the call when the team needed her most. The fifth-year senior saved three set points with three straight kills to tie the score at 24 and bring the Waves back into the set. Both teams sided out as the third set went the distance, and then the Waves fought off another set point when Simpson's kill helped Pepperdine side out at 27-all. A block from Simpson and Patterson on the next point brought about set point for the Waves, and then Chillingworth delivered with a kill that stymied all six Gaels for the come-from-behind, 29-27 win.
After winning the third set, the Waves took control of the match. The fourth set saw Pepperdine hit a match-best .459 from the floor with 19 kills and just two hitting errors. Three consecutive kills from Chillingworth gave the Waves a 4-1 lead, then the team's lead snowballed to seven with Hendrickson's 22nd kill of the night to make the score 12-5. Although Saint Mary's rallied to tie the score at 12, the Waves responded with a 6-0 run to put the set out of reach for the Gaels. With Chillingworth back behind the service line, a strong serve led to Piskorz's match-ending kill to cap off the four-set win.
NEXT UP
Pepperdine's homestand continues with a match against Portland this Saturday at noon. Season tickets are now available for all fall sports, including women's volleyball. Additionally, Pepperdine is offering a Fall All-Sport Pass, which grants admission to all fall home sports including women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo — a $525 retail value for just $150. Learn more and access those exclusive season ticket offers here: gowav.es/peppszntix2425.
FOLLOW
Follow the Waves on Facebook and X, @WavesVolleyball, and follow the team on Instagram, @peppvolley. Get all the most recent schedules, results and more on www.PepperdineWaves.com.
