MALIBU, Calif. — Extending its West Coast Conference win streak to seven matches, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team (15-7, 9-2 West Coast Conference) bounced back from dropping the first set to beat San Francisco (3-18, 1-10 West Coast Conference) 3-1 on Saturday.
"I'm proud of how our team responded after a little rough start," Pepperdine head coach Scott Wong said. "The response was a collective response of action, making plays and ultimately competing, and I love how that is a part of our identity."
Ella Piskorz tied her career highs with 15 kills — with an impressive .429 hitting percentage — and 10 total blocks for her first career double-double. Chloe Pravednikov and Maggie Beauer finished in double-figures with 12 and 10 kills, respectively, while Tristen Raymond had a 35-assist, 11-dig double-double.
San Francisco took advantage of a slow Pepperdine start and used a 9-1 run to take the first set 25-20. The Waves pulled within one at 19-18 off one of Charis Kai's two aces of the afternoon, yet they couldn't quite get over the hump.
In the second set, however, the Waves reset and broke open the second set with a 10-0 run. With Emma McMahon dealing three aces and Vanessa Polk contributing three kills, the Pepperdine offense was humming and the Waves extended their lead to a dozen at 19-7. The Waves led by as many as 13 before Beauer put away the 25-12 second-set win.
Posting its best hitting percentage of the afternoon, the Waves hit .524 and held San Francisco to hitting -0.043 for another big third-set win. The Waves never trailed; an early 5-0 run featuring a Piskorz ace and two kills from Irelynd Lorenzen gave Pepperdine a 12-4 lead, forcing the Dons to call a timeout. Piskorz had a huge set with four kills, three block assists and an ace as the Waves ran away with the set. Once again, Beauer delivered on set point, capping off a 25-11 third-set win and giving the Waves a 2-1 set lead.
The final set was all Pepperdine. Piskorz contributed six of the Waves' 19 kills in the set and Beauer chipped in five as the Waves took control of the set early and didn't look back. Laine Briggs capped off an early 7-0 run with a service ace, giving Pepperdine a 9-2 advantage. But the Dons tried clawing back in the set by pulling within three points.
With Pepperdine ahead 17-14, Polk came alive with a kill and an emphatic block on the right side with Piskorz in short succession to give the Waves momentum for good. Beauer's fourth kill of the set gave Pepperdine its first match point, and although the Dons saved four set points, Beauer capped off the match with her fifth kill of the set to finish the 25-22 win.
Next week, the Waves head to the Inland Northwest for matches against Gonzaga and Washington State, starting with a Thursday night match against Gonzaga. All schedule updates can be found on the women's volleyball team's schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.
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 WCC 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.
