LONG BEACH, Calif. — Despite hanging with the unbeaten Washington Huskies for three close sets, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 20-25, 17-25) in its opening match of the Long Beach State University Tournament on Friday afternoon.
The Waves (3-6) took the first set 25-23, yet the Huskies (10-0) won the next two sets and pulled away in the fourth to snap Pepperdine's two-match win streak. Washington, which received votes in the latest AVCA poll, avenged last year's straight-set loss with the result.
Offensively, Grace Chillingworth and Long Beach native Chloe Pravednikov led Pepperdine with 11 kills each, as the Waves hit just .105 as a team. Reigning West Coast Conference Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week Ella Piskorz chipped in seven kills, a pair of service aces and three blocks, the latter of which tied junior middle blocker Kenadie Patterson for the most on the squad. Trinity Stanger shattered her career-high with 26 digs and chipped in seven assists, while Rosemary Archer led Pepperdine with 18 assists to go along with seven digs.
The first set was the closest between both teams. Locked in a defensive-heavy set, neither team gained a significant advantage until the Huskies went on a 4-0 run to take an 18-16 lead. However, the Waves rallied back to take a 19-18 lead; with Birdie Hendrickson back to serve, kills from Chillingworth, Patterson and Pravednikov helped Pepperdine swing back in front. Playing in her first match since the opening weekend, Riley Simpson chipped in a kill to break a 23-all tie, then a Washington error helped Pepperdine take a narrow 25-23 first set.
Despite a close second set, the Huskies' offense improved while the Waves' offense regressed. A pair of Washington errors gave the Waves an early 6-4 lead, yet an 8-0 Washington run put the Huskies in front for good. An Archer ace and a Washington error pulled Pepperdine within four at 16-12, yet the Waves couldn't get over the hump. Washington sided out, served up back-to-back aces and put Pepperdine at arm's length for good. However, the Waves made a couple of late pushes to pull within two thanks to a block from Patterson and Hendrickson to make it a 23-21 game. But Washington went on to even the score with a 25-21 second-set win.
From there, the Huskies out-hit the Waves .263 to .057 en route to winning the third set. Like the previous two sets, both teams were neck-and-neck in the early goings. A Hendrickson ace at gave the Waves an 11-8 lead, then freshman Ella Irwin added an ace of her own to put Pepperdine up 13-9 for its largest lead of the set. After a Pravednikov swing made the score 14-10, the Huskies sided out and went on a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead. Pepperdine would pull within two points twice from that point forward, as the Huskies won the third set 25-20.
The fourth set was all Huskies. Washington posted its best hitting percentage of the set by hitting .412 to close out the match. Despite an early 3-0 deficit, Pepperdine rallied back to tie the match at six with a Piskorz kill. But three consecutive Washington service aces midway through the set put the Huskies in front for good.
Washington finished with four players with double-figure kills and three with a dozen: Audra Wilmes, Julia Hunt and Emoni Bush. The Huskies had a 13-to-6 advantage in blocks, posted a dozen service aces and hit .224 as a team.
NEXT UP
Pepperdine wraps up non-conference play against Long Beach State on Saturday at 4 p.m. The match will be livestreamed on ESPN+. From there, the Waves begin WCC play against conference newcomer Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore. on Sept. 26. 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.
