MALIBU, Calif. — Over the offseason, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team decided that "gritty" was one of the defining words for the 2024 season. On Sunday, the Waves needed every ounce of grit they could muster.
Trailing UC Santa Barbara 24-21 in the second set, the Waves rallied back to prevail in a marathon, 37-35 second set en route to sweeping the Gauchos 3-0 (25-21, 37-35, 25-23) on the final day of the Asics Classic.
The Waves (3-5) avenged last season's reverse sweep of the Gauchos (2-8), plus it doubled as Pepperdine's first sweep of the year. Pepperdine's 37 points required to win the second set also set a program record for the highest single-set score by the Waves in the 25-point rally scoring era (the Waves also won a set 37-35 on Nov. 12, 2002 against UCLA, but sets were won at 30 points then).
Led by Asics Classic All-Tournament Team selection Grace Chillingworth's 21 kills (on a .348 hitting percentage), the Waves offense out-hit the Gauchos by posting a .240 hitting percentage to UCSB's .117 clip. Fellow Asics Classic All-Tournament team selection Birdie Hendrickson chipped in five kills and led the team with 12 digs, while also setting her single-game career high with four service aces. Freshmen Chloe Pravednikov and Ella Piskorz finished with six kills each, while the latter led the Waves with six total blocks. Rosemary Archer ran the offense with 22 assists, plus she had 10 digs to record her first double-double of the year.
With both teams playing their third match in three days, Pepperdine and UCSB took a little bit of time to establish momentum in the first set. An early 4-0 run off mostly UCSB errors helped the Waves take an 8-5 lead before the Gauchos clawed back to tie the score at nine. Yet the Waves sided out and went on a 4-0 run with Hendrickson behind the service line. UCSB would rally to tie the score three more times and threatened to take the first set at 21-all, yet a Hendrickson kill sparked a decisive 4-0 run for the Waves. Her second service ace gave Pepperdine a 25-21, first-set win.
The Gauchos bolted out to a 5-1 lead to start the second set, forcing the Waves to play from behind for the majority of the set. Pepperdine pulled within one point three times before a 3-0 run put UCSB up 14-9 and forced the Waves to call timeout.
Trailing 15-10, Pepperdine's slow and steady climb began with a trio of UCSB errors that pulled the Waves within two. Pepperdine hung within two points of the Gauchos on three occasions before a Pepperdine error made the score 24-21 in favor of UCSB. On the first of 14 set points, Hendrickson answered the call with a kill, then a UCSB error and a swing from Kenadie Patterson tied the score at 24.
Neither team budged. When Pepperdine needed a side-out, Chillingworth delivered with four of her kills coming in the later stages of the set. However, the Gauchos prevailed on several long points out of system to keep extending the set. Tied at 33, the Gauchos dropped a service ace in between all six Waves, which appeared to be a fortuitous sign for UCSB, yet a bad set on the ensuing match point brought Pepperdine back from the brink. Although UCSB took another lead off a Pepperdine miscue, Hendrickson's emphatic kill broke a 35-35 tie, setting up another long rally for set point that the Waves eventually won off a UCSB error, 37-35.
After winning the second set 37-35, the Waves kept their feet on the gas pedal in set three. A trio of early Pravednikov swings led to a 5-1 run that gave Pepperdine an 11-9 lead, which they maintained for the rest of the match. Pepperdine led by as many as six points twice: first from a Hendrickson ace at 20-14, then with a Chillingworth kill that made the score 21-15. Trailing 24-20, UCSB made one more push by saving three consecutive match points, yet a Piskorz kill at the net helped Pepperdine finish off the sweep with a 25-23 third-set win.
With the result, the Waves closed out the Asics Classic going 2-1 behind winner #1 Pitt, which went 2-0 on the weekend.
2024 Asics Classic
MVP: Olivia Babcock (Pitt)
All-Tournament Team
Rachel Fairbanks (Pitt)
Kali Jurgensmeier (UNO)
Andi Kreiling (UCSB)
Grace Chillingworth (PEPP)
Birdie Hendrickson (PEPP)
NEXT UP
Pepperdine stays local next week by traveling to Long Beach State for a pair of matches against Big Ten newcomer Washington and LBSU. The Waves take on the Huskies on Friday at 3 p.m. 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.
