SANTA CLARA, CALIF. — Extending its win streak to four matches, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team fended off Santa Clara with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-21) road win at the Leavey Center on Saturday.
In a match that featured four close sets, the Waves (11-8, 8-1 West Coast Conference) prevailed thanks to its defense. Led by middle blockers Ella Piskorz and Kenadie Patterson, the Waves' tallied 14 blocks to the Broncos' 10, while Pepperdine's front line was instrumental in causing 30 SCU attack errors.
Pepperdine out-hit Santa Clara by posting a .243 hitting percentage thanks to double-figure kills from Birdie Hendrickson (17 kills), Grace Chillingworth (13) and Piskorz (10), while the Broncos mustered a .196 clip throughout the afternoon. The aforementioned Patterson chipped in eight kills to match her eight blocks, while setter Rosemary Archer posted another productive stat line with 47 assists, eight digs and two service aces.
With 16 ties and eight lead changes, the first set was a sign of things to come. Both teams see-sawed in the opening set before a late 4-0 Pepperdine run pushed the Waves over the finish line. A Piskorz kill helped the Waves side out, a Bronco error put Pepperdine up 21-20, then the true freshman dealt back-to-back service aces to put the Waves up 23-20. However, the Broncos didn't waver, as they closed out the set on a 5-0 run to win the first set.
Although Santa Clara took an early lead in the second set, the Pepperdine block showed up to flip the script. Rejections from Chillingworth, Patterson and Riley Simpson helped the Waves swing back in front, then a kill from Patterson put the Waves up 5-2. Although Santa Clara retaliated with a 4-0 run to take back the lead, an 8-1 run midway through the set was ultimately the difference.
Hendrickson, whose 17-kill, 14-dig double-double led Pepperdine, recorded five of her kills in the second set alone. Her second kill of the frame tied the score at nine, then Piskorz's third ace of the night helped the Waves hold serve. Aside from a Bronco kill at 11-10, the Waves continued their run thanks to a kill from Patterson and an ace from Archer, who remained behind the service line until the Waves capped off their run with a block from Hendrickson and Patterson to make the score 16-10, Pepperdine.
The Waves led by as many as six off another kill from Piskorz at 23-19, yet the Broncos rattled off the next three points to make the score 23-22. But this time, the Waves wouldn't let the set slip away. Back-to-back kills from Hendrickson helped Pepperdine even the score with a 25-20 second-set win.
Pepperdine's offense posted a match-best .424 hitting percentage in the third set thanks to five kills from Chillingworth. After see-sawing in the early stages of the set, the reigning WCC Player of the Year and Chloe Pravednikov sparked an early 3-0 run that gave Pepperdine a 12-9 lead. However, Santa Clara rattled off a 6-1 run before the media timeout before the Waves responded with another 3-0 run. For the third-straight set, Pepperdine clung to a 20-19 lead off another Hendrickson kill, and for the third-straight set, the Broncos made a late push. Consecutive kills from SCU's Layla Truitt made the score 21-20, Broncos and forced Pepperdine to regroup. A big swing from Piskorz tied the match at 21, then Pepperdine took over by closing the set on a 3-0 run. A block from Chillingworth and Piskorz finished off a long rally and brought about match point, which Pepperdine won off an error for a 25-21, third-set win.
Trying to push the match to five sets, Santa Clara took a 14-9 lead early in the fourth set. Yet five kills in the final frame from Hendrickson prevented the Broncos' comeback. Her second kill of the frame sparked a 5-0 run that tied the match at 14. A Chillingworth kill helped the Waves side out, then a block from Pravednikov and Piskorz, plus another Broncos miscue made the score 17-15, Pepperdine. Although Santa Clara pulled within one point twice in the latter stages of the set, a late 5-0 Waves run put the Waves ahead for good. With timely kills from Chillingworth and Hendrickson, plus an ace from Chillingworth for good measure, the Waves took the final set 25-21 to close out another perfect week in WCC play.
The Broncos fell to 7-11 on the season and 3-6 in WCC play with the result.
The next two weeks will be critical in determining the WCC title race. Pepperdine welcomes Washington State on Saturday, Nov. 2 before taking on LMU in a PCH Cup rivalry match in Firestone Fieldhouse next Thursday. From there, a road match at San Diego looms on Nov. 9.
NEXT UP
Pepperdine has one week to prepare for a home match against Washington State. The Cougars come to Malibu on Nov. 2; first serve is at noon. Tickets can be purchased for all remaining matches here.
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.
