MALIBU, Calif. — After hosting the Asics Classic and playing against the number one and two-ranked squads, Pepperdine will travel to Long Beach to play in the LBSU Tournament on Friday and Saturday to close out non-conference play. The Waves will play against Washington on Friday at 3 p.m. and will then take on Long Beach on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid.
MATCH #9 — Friday, Sept. 20 at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. | Pepperdine (3-5) vs. Washington (7-0) at 3 p.m.
MATCH #10 — Saturday, Sept. 21 at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif | Pepperdine (3-5) vs. Long Beach (4-3) at 4 p.m. | ESPN+
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ESPN+ & COVERAGE — For the second straight year, all WCC matches will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats and live stream links can be found on pepperdinewaves.com.
THE COMPETITION — Washington has opened its season going undefeated in its first seven matches and is a team receiving votes in the AVCA Coach's Poll this week. The Huskies took away five-set victories against both Georgia and Colorado while going to four sets against West Coast Conference competitors Washington State and Oregon State. The squad posts 13.5 kills per set as opposed to their opponents' 10.5, while also adding 14.5 digs and 2.8 blocks per set. Pepperdine leads 6-3 all-time against Washington, with their last meeting being a three-set victory last season.
The Beach has a 4-3 record, with all three of their losses coming from ranked opponents. Long Beach swept Omaha last week, a team Pepperdine beat in a five-set match, while most recently, #14 Arizona State swept Long Beach at the Nebraska Classic. The Beach's opponents have been able to run a successful offense, averaging 11.7 kills as opposed to Long Beach's 10.8 kills per set. Defensively, the squad posts 11.9 digs and 2.1 blocks per set. The Beach leads 17-15-1 all-time against the Waves, but the two teams haven't met since 2017 when Pepperdine took the match 3-1.
WCC WEEKLY ACCLAIM — Freshman Ella Piskorz picked up two West Coast Conference weekly honors after her impressive Asics Classic performance earning the Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week awards. Last week, Piskorz led Pepperdine with 25 blocks, with three solo blocks across four matches — including two against #1 Pitt and #2 Stanford. Currently, Piskorz ranks third in the WCC and 75th in the nation with 1.25 blocks per set. Her 40 total blocks on the season also rank third in the conference and 51st in the nation.
UP NEXT — The Waves will open WCC play by heading to Oregon State on Sept. 26 for a 7 p.m. match, before heading back to Malibu to take on Pacific on Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in Firestone Fieldhouse.
LAST TIME OUT — The Waves started its four-game homestand with a match against #2 Stanford. Pepperdine took the second set from Stanford and nearly mounted a comeback late in the fourth set, but the Cardinal took the match, 3-1 (18-25, 25-22, 17-25, 21-25) on Thursday night. Grace Chillingworth led Pepperdine with 17 kills and three service aces, while Birdie Hendrickson added 14 kills and nine digs, and Rosemary Archer and Brynne McGhie split playmaking duties with 21 and 20 assists, respectively.
Pepperdine started the Asics Classic by hosting #1 Pitt in a three-set match (25-18, 25-8, 25-15) where the Panthers took home a win. Chillingworth led the offense, she had six kills, five digs and a pair of blocks, while Ella Piskorz and Chloe Pravednikov tabbed five kills apiece, and Piskorz led the Waves' defense with five total blocks.
On Saturday, the Waves came back from trailing by five points late in the fourth set to beat Omaha 3-2 (23-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 15-11). Hendrickson tallied her second double-double of the season with 25 kills and 12 digs to help the Waves beat the Mavericks for their first home win of the season. As a team, Pepperdine served 10 aces, while Chillingworth posted 13 kills and eight digs, and Pravednikov was one kill short of her career high with 12 of her own.
Rounding out the weekend, Pepperdine swept UCSB (25-21, 37-35, 25-23), but not in an easy manner. The second set of the match required 37 points to win, which also set a program record for the highest single-set score by the Waves in the 25-point rally scoring era. Pepperdine's offense out-hit UCSB by posting a .240 hitting percentage to the Gauchos .117 clip. Hendrickson recorded five kills and led the team with 12 digs, while also setting her single-game career high with four service aces, and Chillingworth's 21 kill effort helped the Waves sweep for the first time this season.
WCC PRESEASON HONORS — Grace Chillingworth, Birdie Hendrickson, and Riley Simpson all made the WCC All-Preseason Team, which was announced last Friday. The Waves were also picked to finish first in the WCC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving eight first-place votes.
2023 RECAP — The Waves are coming off a 19-9 season, including a WCC Championship win and berth into the program's 27th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which is the program's fifth in the last six years. After a 1-6 start to the 2023 campaign, the Waves rallied, winning the next 17 consecutive matches, including 14 in straight sets from Sept. 10 through Nov. 11. The 17 wins in a row tied the program's second-best win streak in history, which had last been done in 2002 (17) and 2003 (25). It was the eighth time in program history that Pepperdine has won 13 or more games consecutively as well. In conference play, the Waves dropped just six of the 53 sets they played. The team ended their season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, losing in five sets to #18 Dayton.
The Waves averaged 12.5 kills/set on a .228 success rate while adding 14.3 digs, 12.5 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.5 aces per set. Pepperdine kept opponents to 12.1 kills with a .194 hitting percentage. Grace Chillingworth led the attack, posting 3.78 kills per set on a .272 clip, while also leading the squad in service aces, recording 32 aces in her 96 sets played. Vanessa Polk posted strong defensive efforts, adding .84 blocks per set. Brynne McGhie had a solid freshman campaign on playmaking duties, tallying 2.56 assists per set last season.
ONE LAST BOWL OF CHILLI — Returning for her final season with the Waves, 2023 WCC Player of the Year, Grace Chillingworth will look to help the squad defend its WCC title. The senior outside/opposite hitter from Tustin, Calif. collected AVCA All-American and AVCA All-Pacific South Region awards, as well as four WCC Offensive Player of the Week honors last season. Chillingworth led the league by averaging 3.78 kills per set last season, which also ranked 64th in the nation, while also recording seven double-doubles, and 22 matches with double-figure kills.
FRESHMEN TAKEOVER — The 2024 squad features seven freshmen, making up almost half of the Waves' roster. Team Canada middle blocker Ella Piskorz, is joining Pepperdine after being a part of Canada's U19 FIVB squad that played at the World Championship in Croatia and Hungary in 2023. Outside hitter and all-league player of the year, Chloe Pravednikov is a Southern California native and collected numerous league awards throughout her four-year varsity run. A libero out of Kailua, Hawai'i, Charis Kai, earned a spot on the Prep Volleyball Class of 2024 Watch List, helped her team to a HHSAA Division II State Championship in 2023. Maggie Beauer also joins the squad after winning the American National Championship in 2024, while earning MVP honors at the tournament. Beauer also helped her high school be ranked as high as 23rd in the nation and win the 2023 6A Arizona State Championship. Mila Stojakovic, daughter of longtime Sacramento King Peja Stojakovic, bolsters the front row after helping lead St. Francis Catholic HS to a sectional championship last year. Tustin, Calif. native Ella Irwin will help defensively, having played four years of varsity volleyball as a libero for Foothill High School in Tustin, Calif. Texan setter Piper Justiss rounds out the group of freshmen; she was a 6A All-District selection for Bowie High School in 2023.
MORE THAN AN ATHLETE — For several seasons, the Waves have made mental health a priority among the team. The white jerseys the team wears sport a green ribbon, which signifies mental health awareness. Throughout the majority of the games, many players will wear green hair ties and bracelets, and even paint their nails, all in support of the mental health awareness initiative and erasing the stigma. The team also has two shirts that sport the phrases "'More Than an Athlete" and "Be Kind to Your Mind." A focus for the team is to live an honest and healthy lifestyle with each other. At practice, the team will have at least one weekly meeting and check-in with the team and coaches where the floor is open. From those check-ins, the team knows who needs to be lifted up throughout the week, who needs to be checked in with and reasons why they might be struggling. Pepperdine women's volleyball is attempting to erase the stigma surrounding mental health in athletes.
SEASON TICKETS — 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.
GROUP OPPORTUNITIES — Interested in bringing your group out to a Pepperdine Athletics event? Unique experiences include anthem buddies, national anthem performances, fan tunnels, halftime performances and more. Group tickets (15+ tickets) and experiences are available, beginning at $5 per person for women's volleyball, men's water polo and women's soccer. Those interested in purchasing group tickets can fill out this form or reach out to the ticket office via e-mail wavestix@pepperdine.edu or phone (866) WAVE-TIX.
JR. WAVES — Register your kid(s) to join Pepperdine's official kids club, "Jr. Waves" for the 2024-2025 academic year. Jr. Waves receive an exclusive t-shirt, membership card and a lanyard that grants free general admission to all Pepperdine ticketed sporting events. Memberships start at $100 per kid.
