Beach Volleyball Hosts the Malibu Invite This Weekend

Friday, March 14

Malibu, Calif.

9:00 a.m. PT

Pepperdine University

Morehead State

Photo by: James Hanson

Beach Volleyball Hosts the Malibu Invite This Weekend

3/12/2025 11:42:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball

By: By Athletic Communications

MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine beach volleyball team is set to face some new opponents with three home games at the Malibu Invite this weekend.

DUAL #9 — Pepperdine vs. Morehead State | Friday, Mar. 14 | 9 a.m. | Pepperdine Beach Volleyball Courts | Malibu, Calif. | Stats

DUAL #10 — Pepperdine vs. Sacramento State | Friday, Mar. 14 | 1 p.m. | Pepperdine Beach Volleyball Courts | Malibu, Calif. | Stats

DUAL #11 — Pepperdine vs. UTEP | Saturday, Mar. 15 | 9 a.m. | Pepperdine Beach Volleyball Courts | Malibu, Calif. | Stats

MOREHEAD STATE — This will be the first matchup between the Waves and the Eagles. This season, Morehead State is 6-2 with wins over Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Liberty, McKendree, Tennessee Tech and Tusculum (Tenn.).

SACRAMENTO STATE — The duel on Friday will be the first-ever between Pepperdine and Sacramento State. The Hornets are 4-5 on the year with wins coming against Pacific, Portland, San Francisco and San Jose State.

UTEP — The Waves will face off with the Miners for the first time ever on Saturday morning. This year, UTEP is 6-4 with wins against Central Arkansas, McNeese, Sam Houston, Tarleton State, Texas A&M - Kingsville and Wayland Baptist.

MALIBU INVITE FULL SCHEDULE
Friday
9 a.m. - Pepperdine vs. Morehead State
11 a.m. - Sacramento State vs. UTEP
1 p.m. - Pepperdine vs. Sacramento State
3 p.m. - Morehead State vs. UTEP

Saturday
9 a.m. - Pepperdine vs. UTEP
11 a.m. - Morehead State vs, Sacramento State
1 p.m. - CSUN vs. UTEP
3 p.m. - CSUN vs. Morehead State

LIVE COVERAGE — All Pepperdine games will have live scoring available with links found on the beach volleyball schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com. If available, live stats for the neutral site games can be found on the schedule page as well.

FAN ATTENDANCE & GUIDELINES — Attendance is free to spectators. Free parking is also available on the road next to the Marie Canyon Field. Please be prepared to walk up a small hill to the courts, though those in need may notify the Athletics' staff if there is need of assistance. Bleachers will be available, though lawn chairs, tents and umbrellas are welcomed, as long as no spectator's view is impaired. Nearby parking may be limited and guests are advised to arrive early.

WAVES WEATHER — Friday is forecasted to have a high of 51 degrees and wind speeds will be 3-9 mph with gusts up to 14 mph. There is also a 50% chance of rain on Friday. Saturday's weather will feature a high of 61 degrees and wind speeds of 2-8 mph, while gusts will be 14 mph. As of now, there is no rain slated for Saturday.

WAVE REPORT — Pepperdine returns six players from the 2024 squad, including five Waves who started in the WCC Tournament. Of the familiar faces, the Waves welcome back seniors Kate Clermont, McKenna Thomas and Madison Oriskovich as well as juniors Emma Bubelis, Emi Erickson and Gabriella Perez. New faces will include graduate transfer Ella Foti and Marley Johnson, transfers Bella Avelar, Kenzi McSpadden and Deanie Woodruff and freshman Emma Eden, Tippi Lane and Marta Vildere.

PRESEASON PROJECTIONS — Seniors Kate Clermont and McKenna Thomas as well as junior Gabriella Perez all earned spots on the All-WCC preseason team, while the Waves were picked to finish second in the West Coast Conference preseason poll.

LOOKING AHEAD — Next week, the Waves remain in Malibu and will host the Asics Classic on Friday and Saturday. Pepperdine will take South Florida and Concordia on Friday before facing off against Vanguard and South Florida on Saturday.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 20 schools to have accomplished this feat — and 10 overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, four times (most recently in 2022-23). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #80 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.

FOLLOW — Follow @WavesBeachVB on Facebook and X for immediate updates, results and more. Go to PepperdineWaves.com for all information, releases and schedules. Find the Waves on Instagram @peppbeachvolley.