PULLMAN, Wash. — Playing in front of a hostile road crowd and a nationally televised audience on ESPNU, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team used a late comeback to knock off Washington State 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-16, 25-23) on Sunday afternoon.

Trailing 20-18 in the fourth set, Grace Chillingworth and Ella Piskorz took over in all facets of the game and were responsible for Pepperdine's final seven points. Chillingworth sparked a 4-0 run that Piskorz capped off with a solo block to put the Waves ahead 22-20, then Chillingworth's walk-off ace capped off Pepperdine's decisive 3-0 run to seal the victory. 

The Waves (7-7, 4-0 West Coast Conference) handed the Cougars (8-5, 3-1 WCC) their first home loss of the season thanks to a stellar performance up front, plus better accuracy behind the service line. Despite having just five players record kills, Pepperdine out-hit Washington State .213 to .119, while 11 WSU service errors quashed the Cougars' momentum at key times throughout the match.

Individually, Chillingworth and Birdie Hendrickson led Pepperdine with 14 kills apiece, plus both pin-hitters finished with double-figure digs. Piskorz set a new career-high with 12 kills (on a team-best .455 hitting percentage) with five blocks, and fellow middle blocker Kenadie Patterson chipped in seven kills as well. Rosemary Archer finished with a 44-assist, 11-dig double-double, while libero Trinity Stanger set her new career-high with 27 digs.

Returning to the site of the Waves' last NCAA Tournament appearance from 2023, Pepperdine wasted no time establishing itself in the first set. Five early kills from Chillingworth helped the Waves double up the Cougars 8-4, then Pepperdine kept the lead for the rest of the set. A solo rejection from Hendrickson gave the Waves their largest lead of the set at 20-10, yet Pepperdine had to overcome a late WSU surge down the stretch. Although Washington State got within five points at 22-17, Riley Simpson recorded the first of her seven kills of the afternoon to put the set out of reach and help the Waves take the first set 25-19.

The second set saw the Cougars' offense bounce back by hitting a match-best .220 from the floor. Both teams tried finding their footing in the early goings and neither team gained significant separation until a Hendrickson kill and a WSU error gave Pepperdine an 11-8 lead. Yet a 6-1 Cougar run midway through the set put the home team back in front for good. Pepperdine was gifted opportunities to get back into the match with four WSU service errors and the Waves would eventually pull within three points as Chillingworth's ace made the score 22-19. But the Cougars held on for a 25-21 second-set lead to even the score.

Hendrickson started off the third set hot with two kills and an ace, and an early 4-0 run helped the Waves double up the Cougars for a 6-3 lead. Patterson sparked another 4-0 run that put the Waves up 10-5, then Pepperdine never trailed from that point forward. Three-consecutive kills from Piskorz gave Pepperdine a 13-6 lead, then the freshman from Canada snapped a 4-0 WSU run to keep the Waves ahead for good. In what ended up being the most lopsided set of the afternoon, the Waves capped off their 25-16 victory with a 6-0 run thanks to kills from Chillingworth and Simpson.

But Washington State wouldn't go quietly. With 10 ties and eight lead changes, the fourth set was the closest of the afternoon. In a sign of things to come, kills from Chillingworth and Piskorz helped the Waves take a 7-2 run out the gate, yet the Cougars ripped off a 9-1 run to reclaim the lead. A kill out of the Pepperdine timeout from Chillingworth got the Waves back on track, but the Waves really got back into the match with a 4-0 run midway through the set. Archer found Hendrickson, Patterson and Simpson on four-straight points to give Pepperdine a 15-14 lead, yet the Waves never led by more than one point. As the set see-sawed back and forth, back-to-back swings from Washington State's Sage Brustad — who had six of her match-high 18 kills in the final set —put the Cougars up 18-17, then her teammate Katy Ryan recorded her 1,000th career kill to put the hosts up 20-18.

Staring down the possibility of a fifth set, Chillingworth and Piskorz came alive.

Back-to-back kills from Chillingworth gave the Waves the lead, then a kill and a huge solo block from Piskorz gave the Waves a 22-20 lead. The Cougars made one final push by winning the next three points, yet Archer found Chillingworth for a kill to tie the score at 23. Piskorz's 12th kill forced match point, then Chillingworth's ace clipped the tape and fell between the Cougars' front and back lines to seal the come-from-behind, 25-23 fourth-set victory.

NEXT UP
Pepperdine will be back in action on Saturday for a PCH Cup match at LMU. 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.

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