MALIBU, Calif.  —  The Pepperdine beach volleyball team went 2-0 on the opening day of the Malibu Invite today.
 
The Waves (4-6) swept Morehead State (6-3) in the morning before defeating Sacramento State (4-7) 3-2 in a hard-fought battle this afternoon.
 
MOREHEAD STATE RECAP
In flight one, Pepperdine jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead as Gabriella Perez (Loomis, Calif.) and Madision Oriskovich (Santa Barbara, Calif.) cruised to a 21-12, 21-15 sweep on court two. Over in slot No. 4, Emi Erickson (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Deanie Woodruff (Point Loma, Calif.) dropped the first set 18-21, but came back and forced a third with a 22-20 win in set two. Then in the final set, Erickson and Woodruff put the Waves in front 2-0 with a 15-12 win.
 
Kate Clermont (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) and McKenna Thomas (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) then clinched the duel for Pepperdine after winning court one in straight-sets, 21-14, 21-14.
 
Over on court three, Emma Eden (Albuquerque N.M.) and Ella Foti (Madison, Wis.) made it 4-0 with another Waves two-set win, 21-15, 21-9 before Emma Bubelis (Northbrook, Ill.) and Bella Avelar (North Hollywood, Calif.) completed the sweep with a 21-17, 19-21, 15-12 three-set victory.
 
SACRAMENTO STATE RECAP
Erickson and Woodruff came out and defeated the Hornets duo on court four 21-18, 21-18 to give Pepperdine an early 1-0 advantage. Oriskovich and Perez took set one in slot No. 2, but Sacramento State bounced back and won the next two sets 21-19, 15-12 to tie the duel up at 1-all after the first flight.
 
On court three, Eden and Foti cruised to another two-set win (21-12, 21-15) to put the Waves back in front, 2-1. The Hornets continued to fight back as they won court five 21-16, 21-15 and tied things up again with just one court left to play.
 
Over in slot No. 1, Clermont and Thomas found themselves in winner-take-all third set after splitting the first two with the Hornets pair, 21-17, 18-21. After dropping the second set, Clermont and Thomas regained the momentum as they went up 3-1 to start the final set. From there, the Waves duo never trailed and cruised to 15-10 final set victory to win the court and clinch the duel for the Waves.
 
RESULTS
Pepperdine def. Morehead State 5-0
No. 1. Kate Clermont/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Irene Wogenstahl/Bella Marita (MOR) 21-14, 21-14
No. 2 Madison Oriskovich/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) def. M.E. Hargan/Avery Ray (MOR) 21-12, 21-15
No. 3. Emma Eden/Ella Foti (PEPP) def. Sarah Heath/Peighton Isley (MOR) 21-15, 21-9
No. 4. Emi Erickson/Deanie Woodruff (PEPP) def. Brenna Bommer (MOR) 18-21, 22-20, 15-12
No. 5. Emma Bubelis/Bella Avelar (PEPP) def. Hollan Everett/Courtney Fitzgerald (MOR) 21-17, 19-21, 15-12
 
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1*, 3, 5
 
Pepperdine def. Sacramento State 3-2
No. 1. Kate Clermont/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Caitlin Volkmann/Bridgette Smith (SAC) 21-17, 18-21, 15-10
No. 2  Ashlynn Archer/Ellie Tisko (SAC) def. Madison Oriskovich/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) 17-21, 21-19, 15-12
No. 3. Emma Eden/Ella Foti (PEPP) def. Karlie Spohn/Greta Davis (SAC) 21-12, 21-15
No. 4. Emi Erickson/Deanie Woodruff (PEPP) def. Victoria Marthaler/Mia Guevara (SAC) 21-18, 21-18
No. 5. Kate Doorn/Savannah Risley (SAC) def. Emma Bubelis/Bella Avelar (PEPP) 21-16, 21-15
 
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 5, 1*
 
UP NEXT
The Waves will finish the Malibu Invite tomorrow as they take on UTEP at 9 a.m. Live stats can be found here.
 
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.