MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine women's volleyball team (12-7, 6-2 West Coast Conference) looks to extend its four-match win streak against the Pacific Tigers (7-12, 1-7 West Coast Conference) on the road this Saturday at noon.
All West Coast Conference matches will be livestreamed on ESPN+, which requires a subscription. Live stream and live stat links can be found on the women's volleyball team's schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.
LAST TIME OUT
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The Waves held off Oregon State in a five-set thriller on Thursday night.
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The match had several career highs: Chloe Pravednikov notched 20 kills, Tristen Raymond dished out 49 assists, Laine Briggs had 24 digs and Ella Irwin played the hero with five service aces in the fourth and fifth sets alone — including back-to-back aces to win the match.
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Pepperdine had three players finish with double-figure kills for the fifth time this season: Pravednikov (20), Ella Piskorz (15, which tied her career high) and Maggie Beauer (12).
AWESOME ARIZONANS
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Stepping into a bigger role as a sophomore, Chandler, Ariz. native Maggie Beauer is second on the team with 188 total kills, averaging 2.88 per set. She has recorded double-figure kills in nine matches.
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Peoria, Ariz. native Tristen Raymond has given the Waves a spark as a do-it-all setter. Raymond ranks in Pepperdine's top five in nearly every statistical category: The lefty leads Pepperdine with 5.99 assists per set, is second in service aces per set (0.38), fourth in blocks per set (0.71) and second in digs per set (2.28).
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Raymond is the reigning West Coast Conference Setter of the Week after totaling 50 assists in two matches, averaging 8.33 per set. She recorded her seventh-career double-double with a 24-assist, 10-dig night against Seattle. Two days later against Portland, she stuffed the stat sheet with 26 assists, nine digs, three blocks, three aces and two kills.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
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Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Pravednikov leads the team with 200 kills, which is No. 15 in the WCC. Her 2.90 kills per set lead the team.
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A West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team selection last year, Pravednikov is picking up where she left off late last season, when she emerged as Pepperdine's consistent third option on offense. Earlier this season, Pravednikov set her career high with 20 kills against Oregon State — one of a team-high 12 games with 10 kills or more.
O CANADA
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Sophomore middle blocker Ella Piskorz is picking up where she left off last season as one of the best young middle blockers in the nation. She ranks No. 38 in the NCAA with 86 total blocks and No. 30 with 1.32 blocks per set.
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She leads the West Coast Conference with 91 total blocks, 1.32 blocks per set and 80 block assists.
STAY IN YOUR LAINE
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Junior libero Laine Briggs is one of the best servers in the country, as her 35 total aces lead the WCC and rank No. 60 in all of Division I and first in the West Coast Conference. Her 0.51 aces per set lead the league and rank No. 38 in Division I.
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She set her career-high with five aces against Portland, which is one of her 13 matches with multiple aces this year.
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Briggs also leads the team and ranks eighth in the West Coast Conference with 3.48 digs per set.
GOING BACK TO CALI
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San Diego native Irelynd Lorenzen has been a key piece for Pepperdine's block during her first year of playing collegiate volleyball in her home state. The Lafayette transfer is second on the team with 1.13 blocks per set, which ranks tied for third in the West Coast Conference.
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Lorenzen also ranks in the top 10 in the league with 61 block assists (tied for third) and 72 total blocks (fifth).
STRONG SERVING
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Pepperdine is No. 17 in the nation with 1.97 aces per set and No. 64 with 138 aces this year.
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The Waves lead the league with 2.00 service aces per set and 138 assists.
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Five Waves rank in the top 20 in the league in service aces per set: Laine Briggs (No 1., 0.51 per set), Tristen Raymond (No. 4, 0.38), Ella Irwin (T-No. 14, 0.33), Ryan Gilhooly (T-No. 18, 0.33) and Brynne McGhie (T-No. 18, 0.33)
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The team has had at least one player with multiple aces in every match this season.
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Multiple Waves have recorded multiple aces in 15 of the 19 matches this year.
COMEBACK KIDS
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On Oct. 2, Pepperdine trailed San Francisco 18-7 in the first set but came back to win 25-23, which was their biggest single-set comeback of the season.
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This comeback was one of four comebacks of 11 points or more. Northeastern came back from a 13-point deficit, while DePaul and Wisconsin rallied back from 11-point deficits.
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Two of Pepperdine's three five-set wins have been reverse-sweeps.
SOLID SCHEDULING
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At the end of non-conference play, Pepperdine's non-conference schedule ranked No. 35 in the nation in terms of opponents' combined win percentage.
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Pepperdine is the only West Coast Conference team to face two top-10 programs in non-conference play (No. 9 Pitt and No. 8 Arizona State).
SERIES HISTORY
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
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Picked to finish seventh in the West Coast Conference poll, the Tigers are looking to snap out of a five-match losing skid against the Waves.
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Up front, Coastal Carolina graduate transfer Valentina Varani ranks third in the West Coast Conference and No. 89 in Division I with 1.21 blocks per set. She is also fourth in the league with 74 total blocks.
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The Tigers are one of the few West Coast Conference teams that can compete with Pepperdine behind the service line. Pacific averages 1.90 aces per set, which is second in the league and No. 30 in Division I. Their 127 aces are No. 59 in Division I.
SEASON OVERVIEW
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In Scott Wong's eleventh season at the helm, the Pepperdine Waves were picked second in the West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches' poll behind San Diego and ahead of LMU. The top three teams in the poll were the last three teams to win the West Coast Conference title.
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Pepperdine also put three players on the West Coast Conference Preseason Team: redshirt junior Vanessa Polk, sophomore Ella Piskorz and Bradley transfer Iva Popovic, who was one of three conference newcomers to make the team.
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Pepperdine has ten returners but brings back just one starter from last year: middle blocker Ella Piskorz. However, fellow middle blocker Vanessa Polk, who was a key piece on Pepperdine's 2023 West Coast Conference Championship squad, will return after redshirting in 2024. Sophomore opposite hitter Chloe Pravednikov, an All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team selection from a year ago, worked her way into the starting rotation late last season and will be expected to have a larger role this season.
NEW WAVES
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The Waves also welcome six newcomers to the team, consisting of three transfers and three true freshmen. Junior middle blocker Irelynd Lorenzen and sophomore setter Nalani Muniz are both returning to their home state after competing for Lafayette and Southern Utah, respectively. Iva Popovic also comes to Malibu by way of Bradley University and New Mexico Junior College, where she was a two-time NJCAA All-American.
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Pepperdine's three freshmen are Ryan Gilhooly (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), Tristen Raymond (Peoria, Ariz.) and Alice Vigano (Lake Como, Italy).
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For the first time under Scott Wong, the Waves feature three international players on the roster: Ella Piskorz (Canada), Iva Popovic (Serbia) and Alice Vigano (Italy).
THE MOUNTAIN AT MULLIN PARK
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The Mountain at Mullin Park will become the new home for Pepperdine's basketball and volleyball programs in 2026. The 3,600-seat arena will give Pepperdine a state-of-the-art competition venue, complete with a 360-degree high-definition scoreboard, VIP and hospitality spaces, and custom team locker rooms. The facility will improve the experience for student-athletes and provide fans with one of the premier indoor collegiate environments on the West Coast. Connected to the arena is a three-story, 45,000-square-foot student center that will house the University's RISE Institute along with a broad range of wellness and recreation amenities.
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Construction reached a major milestone with the topping-out ceremony in May 2025, marking the completion of the arena's highest structural point. Following interior build-out and finishing, Pepperdine men's and women's basketball teams are expected to be the first teams to compete in the new arena beginning the 2026-27 season.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine women's volleyball has reached 26 NCAA Tournaments since 1981 as one of the most successful collegiate programs on the West Coast. The 12-time West Coast Conference Champions Waves have consistently produced top talent with 21 All-American selections with honorees in six straight decades. With multiple Olympians going through the program, Kim Hill brought home the program's first gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games.
