Beach Volleyball Heads to Arizona for Four Games

Friday, April 4

Tucson, Ariz.

10:00 a.m. PT

Pepperdine University

TCU

Photo by: Jeff Golden

4/3/2025 10:28:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball

By: By Athletic Communications

MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine beach volleyball team will play four games at the Big 12 Invitational in Tucson, Arizona this weekend.

Highlighting the weekend slate, Pepperdine is set to face off against top-ranked TCU and #12 Arizona State on Friday. Then on Saturday, the Waves will take on Utah and tournament host Arizona - a team that received a vote in the most recent poll.

DUAL #20 — Pepperdine (11-8) vs. #1 TCU (15-3) | Friday, Apr. 4 | 10 a.m. | Tucson, Ariz. | Stats

DUAL #21 — Pepperdine vs. #12 Arizona State (14-8) | Friday, Apr. 4 | 12 p.m. | Tucson, Ariz. | Stats

DUAL #22 — Pepperdine vs. Utah (17-7) | Saturday, Apr. 5 | 11 a.m. | Tucson, Ariz. | Stats

DUAL #23 — Pepperdine at Arizona (14-7) | Saturday, Apr. 5 | 1:30 p.m. | Tucson, Ariz. | Stats

#1 TCU — The Waves are 5-4 all-time against the Horned Frogs, however, TCU has won the last four duals between the schools. The Horned Frogs currently hold a 13-game win streak and head into Friday's contest as the top-ranked team in the country.

#12 ARIZONA STATE — Pepperdine is 3-1 all-time in matches against Arizona State. This season, the Sun Devils are 14-8 and have collected six ranked wins. Heading into the Big 12 Invitational, Arizona State is on a five-game winning streak.

UTAH — The Waves are a perfect 2-0 all-time against the Utes, having defeated them 4-1 in both matchups in Malibu last season. Utah is 17-7 during the 2025 campaign.

ARIZONA — Pepperdine is 4-3 all-time against Arizona, but the Wildcats have won the last three contests between the schools. Arizona is 14-7 on the year and received a vote in the most recent poll.

LIVE COVERAGE — Links to live stats for all four contests can be found on the beach volleyball schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com. There will be no streams for any of the duals this weekend.

LAST TIME OUT — Last weekend, Pepperdine went 3-1 and took second place at the West Coast Challenge in Santa Cruz, Calif. The Waves swept conference foes Portland, Saint Mary's and San Francisco, before falling 1-4 to #3 LMU in the championship game.

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 — Friday is forecasted to have cloudy skies with a high of 63 degrees, and wind speeds will be 2-9 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. Saturday's weather will feature a high of 70 degrees and wind speeds of 2-11 mph, while gusts will be 19 mph. Saturday will have sunny skies.

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 weekend, the Waves will return to Malibu for the Waves Tourney. Pepperdine will face off against San Francisco and Concordia on Friday before battling UC Davis 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.