SANTA MONICA, Calif.  —  The Pepperdine beach volleyball team went 2-0 on the first day of the WCC Tournament and earned a date with #4 LMU in the semifinals tomorrow morning.
 
The winner of the PCH Cup battle will head straight to the championship match, while the loser will have to win a game in the loser's bracket semifinal to force a rematch for the WCC Title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Waves (19-13) swept Pacific (1-22) in the first dual before defeating Saint Mary's (20-15) 3-2 in their second match of the day.
 
PACIFIC RECAP
Pepperdine dominated the first matchup against the Tigers, sweeping Pacific without losing a set. The Waves No. 1 pair, Kate Clermont (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) and McKenna Thomas (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), set the tone for the tournament with a 21-11, 21-16 win to put Pepperdine in front 1-0.
 
Madison Oriskovich (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Gabriella Perez (Loomis, Calif.) then swept court two 21-11, 21-10 before Emi Erickson (Honolulu, Hawai'i) and Marley Johnson (Stuart, Fla.) clinched the duel for Pepperdine with a 21-14, 21-16 victory in slot No. 4.
 
Emma Eden (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Ella Foti (Madison, Wis.) made quick work of court three, winning 21-6, 21-9, while Emma Bubelis (Northbrook, Ill.) and Deanie Woodruff (Point Loma, Calif.) completed the sweep with a commanding 21-11, 21-8 win in position No. 5.
 
SAINT MARY'S RECAP
Clermont and Thomas cruised to their second win of the day with a 21-14, 21-12 win on court one to give the Waves an early 1-0 advantage. Eden and Foti then completed their perfect opening day of the WCC Tournament with a 21-17, 21-17 triumph on court three to make the duel score 2-0. Over in slot No. 4, Erickson and Johnson clinched the match for Pepperdine with a 21-16, 21-13 sweep.
 
After already clinching the duel, unforeseen circumstances caused Waves forfeits on courts two and five and Pepperdine ultimately defeated Saint Mary's 3-2.
 
RESULTS
Pepperdine def. Pacific 5-0
No. 1. Kate Clermont/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Josephine Kinlan/Kelea Saxton Vaka (PAC) 21-11, 21-16
No. 2  Madison Oriskovich/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) def. Nad murray Ceriello/Ashley Davies (PAC) 21-11, 21-10
No. 3. Emma Eden/Ella Foti (PEPP) def. McKenna Brent/Margherita Giani (PAC) 21-6, 21-9
No. 4. Emi Erickson/Marley Johnson (PEPP) def. Makayla Beckett/Charlotte Gibson (PAC) 21-14, 21-16
No. 5. Emma Bubelis/Deanie Woodruff (PEPP) def. Sydney Priebe/Joelyn Abougoush (PAC) 21-11, 21-18
 
Order of finish: 1, 2, 4*, 3, 5
 
Pepperdine def. Saint Mary's 3-2
No. 1. Kate Clermont/McKenna Thomas (PEPP) def. Allie Cataldo/Hannah Couch (SMC) 21-14, 21-12
No. 2  Clarissa Klein/Chloe Swanson (SMC) def. Madison Oriskovich/Gabriella Perez (PEPP) 19-21, 21-11, 15-0
No. 3. Emma Eden/Ella Foti (PEPP) def. Angelina Bour/Nya Crump (SMC) 21-17, 21-17
No. 4. Emi Erickson/Marley Johnson (PEPP) def. Hannah Glick/Sedona Sherman (SMC) 21-16, 21-13
No. 5. Grace Travis/Genevieve Bane (SMC) def. Emma Bubelis/Deanie Woodruff (PEPP) 19-21, 21-19, 15-0
 
Order of finish: 1, 3, 4*, 2, 5
 
UP NEXT
Pepperdine will face off against top-seeded and fourth-ranked LMU at 9:45 a.m. in the WCC semifinals tomorrow morning. A win would put the Waves in the championship at 1:30 p.m., but a loss would have Pepperdine playing in another semifinal duel at 12:15 p.m. for the right to play in the championship. The tournament central can be found here, and live stats for all games 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.