Pepperdine Set for WCC Tournament

Thursday, April 24

Santa Monica, Calif.

11:30 a.m. PT

Pepperdine University

Pacific

Photo by: Kennedy Duke

4/22/2025 5:06:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball

Tournament Central Stats

By: By Athletic Communications

MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine beach volleyball team will start the postseason on Thursday, making the trip to Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica for the West Coast Conference Championship on April 24-25.

The Waves were picked as the #2 seed in the tournament behind LMU, and will face #7 Pacific to begin the tournament. The tournament central page can be found here and all stat links for the championship can be found here.

The WCC Championship will be double elimination, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in Gulf Shores, Ala. on May 2-4.

DUAL #31 — [2] Pepperdine (17-13) vs. [7] Pacific (1-20) | Thursday, Apr. 24 | 11:30 a.m. | Ocean Park Beach | Santa Monica, Calif. | Stats

DUAL #32 — [2] Pepperdine vs. TBD | Thursday, Apr. 24 | TBD | Ocean Park Beach | Santa Monica, Calif. | Stats

LIVE COVERAGE — Links to live stats for all Pepperdine games can be found on the beach volleyball schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com. Friday's matches will be streamed on ESPN+, while Friday's championship game will be broadcast on ESPNU. When available, links to all Pepperdine streams and broadcasts can be found on the Pepperdine beach volleyball schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.

WCC HISTORY — Pepperdine has won three of the eight WCC Championships, winning three-straight in from 2016-2018, while LMU has won the last five WCC Tournaments (2019-2024).

WAVE REPORT — Pepperdine has gone 17-13 overall this season, with a 13-5 record at home, 0-3 output on the road and 4-5 record on neutral sand. Kate Clermont and McKenna Thomas have played together in the No. 1 position, collecting a 21-9 record for the Waves. The main pair at the No. 2 position has been Gabriella Perez and Madison Oriskovich, and they've posted a record of 17-6 this season.

Emma Eden and Ella Foti have been the mainstay on court number three having earned a winning record of 17-6. Court four has seen mostly Emi Erickson and Deanie Woodruff who have a 10-4 record in that position. Slot No. 5 has seen a mix of duos, Emma Bubelis and Marley Johnson have posted a 5-7 record on that court throughout the year.

OPPONENTS — In order of seed: LMU (32-6), Pepperdine (17-13), Saint Mary's (19-14), Santa Clara (14-16), San Francisco (9-21), Portland (5-15) Pacific (1-20).

LMU is the lone West Coast Conference school in the AVCA rankings, coming into this week as the 4th-ranked team in the country and having been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation.

AWARDS — Kate Clermont and McKenna Thomas earned the WCC Pair of the Week on March 17 after going 3-0, clinching two of the three duels for the Waves and both earning their 75th career individual win at the Malibu Invite.

WAVES WEATHER — Thursday is forecasted to partly sunny skies with a high of 66 degrees, and wind speeds will be 3-9 mph with gusts up to 16 mph. Friday's weather will feature a high of 63 degrees and wind speeds of 2-11 mph, while gusts will be 18 mph. Saturday will also have a mix of cloudy and sunny weather.

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.

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.