PULLMAN, Wash. — In the last West Coast Conference match between the Pepperdine women's volleyball team (16-7, 10-2 West Coast Conference) and the Washington State Cougars (14-8, 8-4 West Coast Conference), the Waves swept the Cougars on the road Saturday afternoon.
"Washington State played some really good volleyball and tested us in a lot of different ways," Pepperdine head coach Scott Wong said. "But it was fun to see the resolve of this group as they continued to push back, serve tough and make big plays when it counted!"
Pepperdine had an answer for every move Washington State made. Chloe Pravednikov led Pepperdine with 12 kills — six of which came in the first set — while Ella Piskorz contributed 11 kills and a team-high six total blocks. Tristen Raymond recorded her 11th double-double of the year with 30 assists and 11 digs, while Laine Briggs matched her with 11 digs to go along with a pair of service aces.
As a team, the Waves posted a .226 hitting percentage, while the Cougars hit .087. Pepperdine had the advantage in kills (46 to 29) and service aces (seven to four) — most of which were timely to counter the Cougars' comeback attempts.
The first set was a close affair until the Waves went on a mini-run midway through the frame. Pravednikov chipped in a pair of kills during a 4-1 run that gave Pepperdine a 14-9 advantage, which ended up being all the cushion the Waves needed from that point forward. The Waves held a steady five-point lead for the rest of the way, then two late kills from Pravednikov capped off the 25-18 first-set win.
In the second set, the Waves used their league-leading serving to compensate for a slight dip in offensive production. Piskorz dealt back-to-back aces to cap off an early 4-0 run, making the score 9-6 in favor of the Waves. However, Washington State made its first big push of the afternoon, reclaiming the lead with a 5-0 run of its own. Trailing 14-11, the Waves sided out with a kill from Irelynd Lorenzen at the net, then Briggs went back to serve and promptly dealt an ace. But the set was still a back-and-forth affair until one of Maggie Beauer's three kills of the frame kicked off a 5-0 run, which was capped off by a Raymond ace. All told, Pepperdine closed the second set on an 8-1 run to take the second set 25-20.
Pepperdine bolted out to a 7-1 lead in the first set thanks to kills from Pravednikov and Piskorz, then another ace from Briggs. The Waves doubled up the Cougars and extended their lead to seven at 15-8 before Washington State responded. WSU would eventually tie the score at 19, yet the Waves had another answer. Brynne McGhie found Beauer for an emphatic kill on the next point, then Pepperdine had their first match point with a big block from Vanessa Polk and Piskorz. Although Washington State saved a match point, Piskorz gave Pepperdine a 25-24 lead before a block from Piskorz and Raymond closed out the 26-24, third-set win.
Washington State, which is set to return to the Pac-12 Conference in 2026, fell to 0-6 all-time against Pepperdine.
The Waves return to Malibu for a Senior Day rematch against Santa Clara next Saturday. 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.
