MORAGA, Calif. — Sweeping a West Coast Conference opponent for the third straight match, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team used a career-high 15 kills from Ella Piskorz to beat Saint Mary's 3-0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-19) on the road on Thursday night.
To pull off the sweep, the Waves (15-10, 12-3 WCC) fended off a late, 8-0 run from the Gaels (9-15, 5-10 WCC) in the first set, which sent the set to extra points. But after winning the first set 27-25, Pepperdine hit .300 or better in the latter two sets and Saint Mary's block regressed to help the Waves win their third-consecutive match.
The aforementioned Piskorz stole the show with 15 kills, three aces and 3.5 total blocks — all of which were match-highs. Grace Chillingworth (12 kills) and Birdie Hendrickson (10 kills) finished in double-figure once again, while Hendrickson chipped in 10 digs for her 11th double-double of the season. Setter Rosemary Archer also notched her eighth double-double of the season with 40 assists and 10 digs.
Piskorz made her mark early in the match. Trailing 10-8 in the first set, Archer found Piskorz for a kill to help the Waves side out, then the freshman went back behind the service line for three consecutive aces. From there, the Waves never trailed in the first set. Later in the frame, a 7-0 Pepperdine run helped put the Waves up 23-15. Piskorz's third kill of the frame brought about the first set point at 24-16, yet Saint Mary's made things interesting with a late 8-0 run to tie the score at 24. But Piskorz delivered with another kill to help the Waves side out, then kills from Chillingworth and Hendrickson helped Pepperdine take the first set 27-25.
The second set was a game of runs. Although Saint Mary's took an early 3-0 lead in the second set, a kill from Kenadie Patterson sparked a 5-0 run that swung momentum in favor of Pepperdine. After a 4-0 SMC run, Chloe Pravednikov kicked off a 4-0 Waves' run to put the visitors up 12-9. But Chillingworth was the spark Pepperdine needed in the second set with her six kills — including a stretch of three consecutive points for Pepperdine late in the set. Saint Mary's got within two points of Pepperdine at 19-17, yet the Gaels couldn't break through. Hendrickson took over late with three of the Waves' final four points in the set to help Pepperdine win 25-20.
Pepperdine saved its most efficient set for last, as the team out-hit the Gaels by posting a .382 hitting percentage to Saint Mary's .212 clip. Eleven of Pepperdine's 17 kills came from Pepperdine's freshmen duo of Piskorz and Pravednikov, who had seven and four kills, respectively. However, Saint Mary's clung to a 13-11 lead midway through the set before Piskorz and Pravednikov went on a 3-0 run to help Pepperdine regain the lead. All told, the Waves pulled off a 6-1 run to go up 17-14 and take a lead they would not relinquish. A late 3-0 run capped off by an Archer ace, then kills from Chillingworth, Pravednikov and Piskorz down the stretch put the finishing touches on the 25-19 third-set win.
NEXT UP
Pepperdine heads to Stockton, Calif. to take on the Pacific Tigers this Saturday at noon. Then the Waves will return to Malibu for the final week of the regular season against San Diego and Oregon State. 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.
