MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team won the first set, yet eventually fell to the visiting #21 USC Trojans in four sets (25-22, 21-25, 17-25, 17-25) in Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday evening.
While the result was the same for the Waves (0-2), Pepperdine saw improvements on both offense and defense, holding the Trojans to hitting just .215 compared to their .380 clip from Friday night's season opener. Sparked by six first-set kills from Riley Simpson and solid defense up front by Kenadie Patterson, Pepperdine fired on all cylinders in the first set and took the first set from the Trojans (2-0). Unfortunately for Pepperdine, USC rattled off the next three sets to complete the opening weekend sweep.
Senior Grace Chillingworth led Pepperdine with 14 kills and 11 digs for her first double-double of the season. In just her second match as a Wave, the aforementioned Simpson put together another effective night by tallying a dozen kills with four total blocks. Fellow fifth-year Birdie Hendrickson chipped in seven kills and a team-high 16 digs, while Patterson added six kills and three blocks. Setters Rosemary Archer and Brynne McGhie helped run the offense with 24 and 14 assists, respectively.
Next week, the Waves will look for their first win of the season with a two-match road swing at Hawai'i.
BIG WAVES
Grace Chillingworth (Tustin, Calif./Foothill HS): 14 kills, 11 digs, 4 assists, 1 block
Riley Simpson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Rampart HS/Baylor): 12 kills, 2 digs, 4 blocks
Birdie Hendrickson (Rogersville, Mo./Logan-Rogersville HS/Florida): 7 kills, 16 digs
Rosemary Archer (Fairview, Texas/Lovejoy HS): 24 assists, 6 digs
Ella Piskorz (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada/Philip Pocock Catholic Secondary School): 6 blocks, 3 kills, 1 dig
WAVES VS. TROJANS
Aside from the first set, the Trojans out-hit the Waves by hitting .215 to Pepperdine's .159 clip. Although both teams tied with 24 attack errors apiece, Pepperdine had 11 service errors to USC's nine, while the Trojans notched four aces. Former Nebraska standout Ally Batenhorst led all players with a 16-kill, 11-dig double-double, while London Wijay and Favor Anyanwu added 11 kills apiece.
PEPPERDINE ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 16 5 38 .289
2 9 7 38 .053
3 9 6 34 .088
4 13 6 35 .200
TTL 47 24 145 .159
USC ATTACK BY SET
Set K E TA Pct
1 12 7 42 .119
2 16 8 44 .182
3 13 6 32 .219
4 15 3 31 .387
TTL 56 24 149 .215
PLAY-BY-PLAY
In the first set, three quick kills from Riley Simpson helped Pepperdine an early 5-3 lead before the Trojans swung back in front to take a 10-7 advantage. But back-to-back kills from Kenadie Patterson helped spark a 6-1 Pepperdine run that put the home team back in front. Pepperdine had a slim 15-14 advantage at the first media timeout, yet a kill from Grace Chillingworth and a block from Simpson and freshman Ella Piskorz forced USC to call timeout.
However, Pepperdine needed to fend off USC down the stretch. The Trojans cut the deficit to one at 23-22 before Simpson's sixth kill of the night forced set point. Simpson and Patterson teamed up on set point for a block that gave the Waves a 25-22 first-set win.
Neither team led by more than three points in a close second set, which saw the Trojans take advantage of Pepperdine hitting errors to take an 11-8 lead before a pair of Birdie Hendrickson kills tied the score at 11-all. Trailing 18-14 late in the second set, a block from Piskorz and Simpson helped spark a 4-0 run that tied the score at 18, yet the Trojans won the next three points to put the Waves' at arm's length from that point forward.
After USC evened the score with a 25-21 second-set win, the Trojans took control to start the third set. Yet Pepperdine rallied thanks to another kill from Simpson, which sparked a 5-0 run that put the Waves up 8-5. The Trojans responded with a 4-0 run of their own to make the score 9-8. From there, the third set featured just two more ties before USC broke open the set; the Trojans led by as many as seven points before winning the third set 25-17.
USC's offense came alive in the fourth set, hitting .387 to help put the match away. Both teams played close in the fourth set, and although a pair of Hendrickson kills helped make it a one-point game at 17-16, USC pulled away with a 7-1 run to finish off the fourth set.
NEXT UP
Pepperdine heads to Hawai'i for a two-match series against the 'Bows starting Friday, Sept. 6. 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.
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.
