Waves Head North for West Coast Challenge

Friday, March 29

Santa Cruz, Calif.

10:00 a.m. PT

Pepperdine University

Portland

Photo by: Charlie Blake

3/27/2024 8:35:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball

By: By Athletic Communications

MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine beach volleyball team will compete in the West Coast Challenge this weekend.

DUAL #19 — Pepperdine (9-9) vs. Portland (6-6) | Friday, Mar. 29 | 10 a.m. | Santa Cruz, Calif.

DUAL #20 — Pepperdine (9-9) vs. Santa Clara (4-12) | Friday, Mar. 29 | 2 p.m. | Santa Cruz, Calif.

DUAL #21 — Pepperdine (9-9) vs. TBD | Saturday, Mar. 30 | TBD | Santa Cruz, Calif.

LIVE COVERAGE: If available, links to any broadcasts and/or live results for Saturday's competitions can be found at pepperdinewaves.com.

LOOKING AHEAD: Next weekend, the Waves return to Malibu as they host the Waves Tourney on April 5-6. Pepperdine will take on Southeastern Louisiana and Cal State Bakersfield on Friday before facing off against UC Davis on Saturday.

WAVES TOURNEY SCHEDULE:

Friday:

Pepperdine vs. Southeastern Louisiana – 9 a.m.
CUI vs. UC Davis – 11 a.m.
Pepperdine vs. CSUB – 1 p.m.
UC Davis vs. Southeastern Louisiana – 3 p.m.

Saturday:

Pepperdine vs. UC Davis – 9 a.m.
CSUB vs. Southeastern Louisiana – 11 a.m.
CSUB vs. CUI – 1 p.m.
CUI vs. Southeastern Louisiana – 3 p.m.

WAVES WEATHER: Friday is forecasted to have a high of 56º degrees and wind speeds of two to 13 miles per hour with gusts up to 30 miles per hour. Friday also shows a 65% chance of rain on the day. Saturday shows a high of 60º degrees and wind speeds of five to nine miles per hour with gusts up to 16 miles per hour. There is no rain slated for Saturday.

LAST WEEK: Pepperdine went 2-2 at the PCH Invite on Friday, March 22 and Sunday, March 24.

On Friday in the first dual, Pepperdine jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with a pair of two-set victories as Madison Oriskovich (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Kristine Briede (Balozi, Latvia) won court two 21-18, 21-19 and Kaydon Meyers (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Gracie Pedersen (Franklin, Tenn.) took court four 21-16, 21-8.

Concordia would cut Pepperdine's advantage in half, 2-1 as the Golden Eagles duo won court one in two-sets. Emma Bubelis (Northbrook, Ill.) and Aubrey Roberts (Walnut Creek, Calif.) would be the pair to clinch the dual for the Waves as they won in straight sets in slot No. 5, 21-11, 21-17.

Sarlota Svobodova (Brno, Czech Republic) and Gabriella Perez (Loomis, Calif.) dropped the first set in slot. No. 3, but the Waves duo would battle back and take the next two sets 21-19, 15-11 to make the final score 4-1 as Pepperdine defeated Concordia.

In the second dual, Pepperdine quickly took a 1-0 lead as Pedersen and Meyers won court four 22-20, 21-8. In slot No. 2, Oriskovich and Briede dropped the first set 18-21, but won a marathon of a second set 31-29 to force an all-deciding third set. The Waves duo continued their momentum and took the third set 15-6 as they gave Pepperdine a 2-0 advantage in the dual.

Perez and Svobodova would be the pair to clinch the dual for the Waves as they won court three in two sets, 22-20, 21-8.

Emi Erickson (Honolulu, Hawai'i) and Maya McNabney (Ancaster, Ontario, Canada) would give the Waves a 4-0 lead after winning court five in straight sets, 21-18, 23-21.

In slot No. 1, Clermont and McKenna Thomas (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) took the first set 21-9, but the Mavericks duo would take the next two sets 23-21, 15-8. Pepperdine won the dual 4-1.

Then on Sunday, In the first dual, Loyola Marymount jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with a pair of victories on courts two and four, 21-11, 21-17 and 19-21, 21-18, 15-9 respectively.

Pepperdine would cut LMU's advantage in half, 2-1 as the duo of Perez and Svoboda took court three in straight sets 21-18, 21-19.

The Lions would clinch the dual after winning slot No. 1 in two sets, 25-23, 21-10. Loyola Marymount would then make the final score 4-1 after taking court five 21-14, 21-16.

In the second dual, although Oriskovich and Briede took the first set 21-13 on court two, the Green Wave duo won the court after taking the final two sets 21-14, 15-12 to give Tulane a 1-0 lead.

In slot No. 4, the Green Wave took the first set 21-16, but Pedersen and Meyers forced a third set after taking the second 21-18. Tulane ultimately won the third set 15-13 and increased its advantage to 2-0.

The Green Wave would then clinch the dual after earning a two-set victory on court one.

Tulane would win in straight sets on court five to increase their lead to 4-0. Perez and Svobodova would earn a hard-fought first set on court three 21-19, but the Green Wave pair would take the next two sets 25-23, 15-13 and complete the sweep for Tulane.

OPPONENT NOTES: The Waves are 1-0 against Portland all-time with their lone win coming in 2021. Pepperdine is 6-0 all-time against Santa Clara including three wins over the Broncos last season.

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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