MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine beach volleyball team will make the short trip to Long Beach, Calif. to compete in the Beach Challenge on March 15.

DUAL #13 — Pepperdine (6-6) vs. Nebraska (13-7) | Friday, Mar. 15 | 9 a.m. PT | LBSU Sand Courts | Long Beach, Calif.

DUAL #14 — Pepperdine (6-6) vs. #11 Arizona State (8-2) | Friday, Mar. 15 | 12 p.m. PT | LBSU Sand Courts | Long Beach, Calif.

LIVE COVERAGE: Both duals will have live scoring available with links found on pepperdinewaves.com. 

LOOKING AHEAD: Next week, the Waves have four contests at the PCH Invite hosted by Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount on March 22 and March 24. Pepperdine will host the competition on Friday, March 22 and the schedule is as follows:

Pepperdine vs. Concordia University Irvine - 10 a.m.
Concordia University Irvine vs. Colorado Mesa - 12 p.m.
Pepperdine vs. Colorado Mesa - 2 p.m.

Then on Sunday, March 24, the Waves will travel to Loyola Marymount where they will face off against PCH Cup rival LMU at 10 a.m. before taking on Tulane at 2 p.m.

PCH CUP: An annual all-sport competition between two local rivals that are separated by just 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, the PCH Cup is in its 15th season of existence. Pepperdine has won 11 of the 14 years that this competition has been held.

WAVES WEATHER: Friday is forecasted to have a high of 67º degrees and wind speeds of three to 10 miles per hour with gusts up to 17 miles per hour. Friday's weather also features clear visibility with no rain slated to occur.

LAST WEEK IN MALIBU: Pepperdine went 4-3 and won bronze at the Queen's Cup in Honolulu, Hawai'i last weekend. The Waves dominated the first day as they swept Chaminade before defeating Nebraska 4-1. On the second day, Pepperdine stumbled as they fell 2-3 to Boise State and 0-5 to #12 Hawai'i. The third and final day featured a bracket play format where the Waves once again beat Nebraska 4-1 to propel them into the semifinals in a rematch against Hawai'i. Pepperdine was swept again by the Rainbow Warriors, but were able to bounce back against Saint Mary's and took the bronze medal match 3-2.

On Thursday, in the first dual, Pepperdine quickly took a 2-0 lead with a pair of two-set wins from Kate Clermont (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) and McKenna Thomas (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) 21-9, 21-12 on court one and Aubrey Roberts (Walnut Creek, Calif.) and Emi Erickson (Honolulu, Hawai'i.) 21-10, 21-14 on court five.

Sarlota Svobodova (Brno, Czech Republic) and Gabriella Perez (Loomis, Calif.) would be the pair to clinch the win as they took care of business in the No. 3 slot 21-17, 21-13.

Gracie Pedersen (Franklin, Tenn.) and Kaydon Meyers (Scottsdale, Ariz.) gave Pepperdine another leg up with a 21-14, 21-16 victory in the No. 4 position. Madison Oriskovich (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Kristine Briede (Balozi, Latvia) completed the sweep with another two-set 21-15, 21-18 win on court two.

In the second dual, the Waves took a 1-0 lead after earning a two-set victory on court five as Erickson and Roberts quickly took care of the Huskers duo 21-16, 21-12.  Clermont and Thomas increased Pepperdine's advantage to 2-0 after winning in two-sets in slot No. 1 21-19, 21-18. Svobodova and Perez clinched the dual for the Waves as they won court three in straight-sets 21-16, 21-18.

In slot No. 2, after dropping the first set 16-21, Oriskovich and Briede forced an all deciding third set as they earned a set two victory 21-16. The Pepperdine duo then won court two as they took the all-deciding third set 16-14 and increased the Waves' lead to 4-0.

Pedersen and Meyers would take set one on court four 21-16, but the pair from Nebraska would battle back and win sets two and three to put the Huskers on the board, but the Waves would ultimately win the dual 4-1.

Then on Friday, In the first dual, Boise State quickly took a 2-0 lead with a pair of two-set wins on courts four and three, 21-17, 21-17 and 24-22, 21-16, respectively.

Clermont and Thomas dropped the first set, but battled back to put the Waves on the board as they took the second set 21-17 and the third set 15-9 on court one.

In slot No. 5, Roberts and Erickson lost the first set, but forced an all-deciding third set as they took set two 21-14. In a back-and-forth battle in the final set, the Broncos duo ultimately won the court and clinched the dual for Boise State with a 15-12 third set win.

Oriskovich and Briede dominated the first set on court two 21-10, but the Boise State pair forced a third set as they took a highly contested second set 25-23. Oriskovich and Briede were able to win the court as they won the third set 15-13, but the Broncos ultimately won the dual 3-2.

In the second dual, Hawai'i quickly took a 2-0 lead after earning a pair of two-set victories on courts two and four.

After dropping the first set, Svobodova and Perez forced a third set in slot No. 3 after taking the second set 21-14, but the Rainbow Warriors duo would clinch the dual as they took the third set 15-11.

Roberts and Erickson took the first set 21-13 on court five, but Hawai'i bounced back and won the court as they took the next two sets to increase its lead 4-0. The Rainbow Warriors completed the sweep after taking court five in a three-set battle.

Then in bracket play on Saturday, In the first dual, Pepperdine jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead as Oriskovich and Briede won court two in a two-set victory 21-18, 21-16. Although Clermont and Thomas lost their first set 15-21 in slot No. 1, the duo bounced back and put the Waves in front 2-0 as they won the last two sets 21-14 and 15-6.

Svobodova and Perez lost the first set 17-21, but were able to force a third set on court three thanks to a dominant 21-12 second set victory. However, Nebraska ultimately took the court and cut Pepperdine's lead in half, 2-1.

Erickson and Roberts won a highly contested first set in slot No. 5 21-19, but the Huskers duo would force an all-deciding third set. Erickson and Roberts were able clinch the dual for the Waves as they earned a 15-12 third set victory and put Pepperdine in front 3-1. Meyers and Pedersen went three sets on court four and ended up winning the court in a hard-fought battle as they took the third set 16-14 and gave the Waves a 4-1 victory over the Huskers.

In the second dual, Hawai'i quickly took a 2-0 lead after earning a pair of two-set victories on courts three and one.

Briede and Oriskovich took the first set in slot. No. 2, 21-19, but the Rainbow Warriors duo would fight back and ultimately clinch the dual for Hawai'i as they won the second and third sets 21-16 and 15-13. 

Roberts and Erickson took the first set 21-16 on court five, but Hawai'i bounced back and won the court as they took the next two sets to increase its lead to 4-0. Pedersen and Svobodova would also earn a first set victory on court four, but the Rainbow Warriors completed the sweep after winning the next two sets.

In the third and final dual of the day in the bronze medal match, Clermont and Thomas gave Pepperdine a 1-0 lead after a commanding two-set win in slot No. 1, 21-6, 21-13. On court four, Saint Mary's would even things up 1-1 after they took a two-set victory of their own.

Maya McNabney (Ancaster, Ontario, Canada) and Erickson would put the Waves back in front 2-1 after earning a two-set victory 21-17, 21-13 in slot No. 5.

Briede and Oriskovich would drop a tightly contested first set 19-21 on court two, but fought back and won the second and third sets 21-14 and 15-11 to increase Pepperdine's advantage to 3-1 and clinch the dual and the bronze medal for the Waves.

Although Pedersend and Svobodova lost the first set 13-21 on court four, the duo would send the court to a third set after a 24-22 second set win. However, the Gaels pair would win the court with a third set victory, but Pepperdine still won the dual 3-2.

OPPONENT NOTES: The Waves are 4-0 against Nebraska all-time having defeated the Huskers twice last weekend at the Queen's Cup in Honolulu, Hawai'i. Pepperdine is 3-0 all-time against Arizona State having won the last contest 4-1 in 2023 at the GCU Tournament.

WAVE REPORT: Pepperdine returns nine from the 2023 squad, including six Waves who started in the WCC Tournament.  Of the familiar faces, the Waves welcome back graduate Aubrey Roberts, seniors Kristine Briede and Gracie Pedersen, juniors Chase Curry, Kate Clermont, Madison Oriskovich and McKenna Thomas and sophomores Emi Erickson and Gabriella Perez.
New faces will include graduate transfer Sarlota Svobodova (Coastal Carolina) and redshirt-sophomore transfer Emma Bubelis (CSU Bakersfield). This year's newest crop of freshmen includes Lauren Cook, Grace Jackson, Kaydon Meyers and Maya McNabney.

PRESEASON PROJECTIONS: Juniors Kate Clermont and McKenna Thomas earned spots on the All-West Coast Conference preseason team. Clermont went 25-7 last season including a 14-3 record at the No. 2 position and an 11-4 record in the No. 1 position alongside Thomas. Thomas also collected a total of 21 wins in the No.1 position during the 2023 season. Graduate transfer Sarlota Svobodova also earned a spot on the All-West Coast Conference preseason team. Svobodova went 26-9 in the No. 2 and No. 3 position as a Chanticleer last season. The Waves were predicted to finish second in the league after the coaches had voted.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY: Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 20 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, five times (most recently in back-to-back years during the 2022-23 and 2021-22). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #76 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.

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