MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine beach volleyball team was picked to finish second in the West Coast Conference preseason poll, as announced Thursday. Additionally,
Kate Clermont,
Sarlota Svobodova and
McKenna Thomas were named to the WCC preseason team.
The Waves, who received one first-place vote, were picked second behind first-place LMU with six first-place votes.
Clermont (Burlington, Ontario, Canada/Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School), a junior, has been a key player for the Waves in her first two seasons at Pepperdine. She's played in 65 matches, including a 25-7 record during the 2023 campaign. Clermont garnered the AVCA Top Flight award and All-WCC first team honors in 2023 and was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team in 2022.
Svobodova (Brno, Czech Republic/Gymnazium Slovanske namesti 7/Coastal Carolina), a graduate transfer, looks to make an immediate impact as a Wave in the 2024 season. Svobodova has plenty of experience as she's played for the Czech National Team and earned awards while competing for Coastal Carolina. As a Chanticleer, she has a career record of 49-16. Svobodova was also named to the ASUN All-Freshman Team and the ASUN All-Tournament team in 2021. Additionally, she earned All-Sun Belt first team honors in 2023 after she redshirted her sophomore year.
Thomas (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic HS), a junior, has been a staple in the Pepperdine lineup over her first two seasons. She's competed in 65 matches in her time as a Wave and picked up 10 wins in position No. 1, including a three-set win over then-ranked #14 Long Beach State during the 2023 season. Thomas earned five awards in 2022 including an AVCA Top Flight award, WCC Co-Freshman of the Year, WCC All-Freshman team and was an All-WCC first team selection in 2023.
The Waves will open their season on Saturday, Feb. 24 as they play host to Vanguard and Long Beach State in the Pepperdine Challenge in Malibu, Calif.
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