MALIBU, Calif. — Kicking off a busy four-match week, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team heads up I-101 to face RV UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. 

Tuesday's match will be livestreamed on ESPN+, which requires a subscription. All schedule updates can be found on the women's volleyball team's schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.

LAST TIME OUT

• Playing its best team volleyball of the year, Pepperdine beat Lipscomb 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-23) last Friday.

• Chloe Pravednikov led the Waves with 10 kills for her fifth double-figure outing of the year. She hit .412 that evening, becoming one of several Waves to post a season-best hitting percentage against the Bisons.

• The Waves ran a balanced offensive attack against the Bisons, as six different players had multiple kills. Middle blockers Vanessa Polk and Irelynd Lorenzen chipped in seven and six kills, respectively; Lorenzen's six kills tied her season-high.

• Laine Briggs was one of four Waves with multiple service aces (Brynne McGhie, Ryan Gilhooly and Tristen Raymond were the others), plus she had a match-high nine digs.

AWESOME ARIZONANS

• Stepping into a bigger role as a sophomore, Chandler, Ariz. native Maggie Beauer ties the team lead with 71 total kills, averaging 2.84 per set. She has recorded double-figure kills in four matches and led the Waves in three.

• Peoria, Ariz. native Tristen Raymond has given the Waves a spark as a do-it-all setter who helps Pepperdine run an effective 6-2 offense. Raymond ranks in Pepperdine's top five in nearly every statistical category: She leads Pepperdine with 4.92 assists per set, is tied for second in service aces per set (0.36), third in blocks per set (0.68) and third in digs per set (1.96). Earlier this year against Sacramento State, she was the first Wave to record five service aces in a match since Grace Chillingworth did so in 2023.

O CANADA

• Sophomore middle blocker Ella Piskorz is picking up where she left off last season as one of the best young middle blockers in the nation. She ranks No. 31 in the NCAA with 4.43 blocks per match. She is also tied for sixth among West Coast Conference players with 28 block assists.

• Piskorz leads the team with 1.24 blocks per set, which is tied for third in the WCC. 

STAY IN YOUR LAINE

• Junior libero Laine Briggs ranks second in the West Coast Conference with 16 service aces, averaging a league-best 0.60 per set. She tied her career-high with four aces against Jacksonville, which is her sixth match with multiple aces this year.

• Briggs leads the team and ranks sixth among all WCC players with 3.52 digs per set.

GOING BACK TO CALI

• San Diego native Irelynd Lorenzen has been a key piece for Pepperdine's block during her first year of playing collegiate volleyball in her home state. The Lafayette transfer is second on the team with 1.10 blocks per set, which is good for 7th in the WCC.

• Lorenzen also tied for No. 17 among all WCC players with 19 block assists and 23 total blocks.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Waves have a 34-31 advantage in the all-time series over UCSB.

• Pepperdine's last road win over the Gauchos was a five-setter back in 2021. Last year, the Waves swept the Gauchos in three close sets, including a 37-35 second-set victory that was the Waves' highest-scoring set in the 25-point rally scoring era.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS

• Picked to finish fourth in the Big West Preseason Poll, Head Coach Matt Jones' squad has bolted out to a 6-2 record so far this season — just eight wins off of their total from a year ago. They boast wins over Kansas State and Vanderbilt, plus — most notably for the Waves — a four-set win over WCC rival San Diego.

• On offense, UCSB's leader is outside hitter Eva Travis, who ranks second in the Big West with 4.28 kills per set. The 2024 Big West Freshman of the Year and a Big West First Team honoree, Travis was a shoo-in for the Preseason All-Big West Team.

• So far, the Gauchos rank No. 20 nationally with 2.80 blocks per set, in part because of Northern Iowa transfer Layanna Green, who ranks No. 32 in the nation with 4.00 blocks per game. The matchup between Green and Pepperdine middle blocker Ella Piskorz will be one to watch on Tuesday.

SEASON OVERVIEW

• The Waves enter the eleventh season under head coach Scott Wong. Pepperdine was picked second in the WCC Preseason Coaches' poll behind San Diego and ahead of LMU. The top three teams in the poll were the last three teams to win the WCC title.

• Pepperdine also put three players on the WCC Preseason Team: redshirt junior Vanessa Polk, sophomore Ella Piskorz and Bradley transfer Iva Popovic, who was one of three conference newcomers to make the team.

• Pepperdine has ten returners but brings back just one starter from last year: middle blocker Ella Piskorz. However, fellow middle blocker Vanessa Polk, who was a key piece on Pepperdine's 2023 WCC Championship squad, will return after redshirting in 2024. Sophomore opposite hitter Chloe Pravednikov, an All-WCC Freshman Team selection from a year ago, worked her way into the starting rotation late last season and will be expected to have a larger role this season.
   

NEW WAVES

• The Waves also welcome six newcomers to the team, consisting of three transfers and three true freshmen. Junior middle blocker Irelynd Lorenzen and sophomore setter Nalani Muniz are both returning to their home state after competing for Lafayette and Southern Utah, respectively. Iva Popovic also comes to Malibu by way of Bradley University and New Mexico Junior College, where she was a two-time NJCAA All-American.

• Pepperdine's three freshmen are Ryan Gilhooly (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), Tristen Raymond (Peoria, Ariz.) and Alice Vigano (Lake Como, Italy).

• For the first time under Scott Wong, the Waves feature three international players on the roster: Ella Piskorz (Canada), Iva Popovic (Serbia) and Alice Vigano (Italy).

THE MOUNTAIN AT MULLIN PARK
The Mountain at Mullin Park will become the new home for Pepperdine's basketball and volleyball programs in 2026. The 3,600-seat arena will give Pepperdine a state-of-the-art competition venue, complete with a 360-degree high-definition scoreboard, VIP and hospitality spaces, and custom team locker rooms. The facility will improve the experience for student-athletes and provide fans with one of the premier indoor collegiate environments on the West Coast. Connected to the arena is a three-story, 45,000-square-foot student center that will house the University's RISE Institute along with a broad range of wellness and recreation amenities.

Construction reached a major milestone with the topping-out ceremony in May 2025, marking the completion of the arena's highest structural point. Following interior build-out and finishing, Pepperdine men's and women's basketball teams are expected to be the first teams to compete in the new arena beginning the 2026-27 season.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Pepperdine women's volleyball has reached 26 NCAA Tournaments since 1981 as one of the most successful collegiate programs on the West Coast. The 12-time WCC Champion Waves have consistently produced top talent with 21 All-American selections with honorees in six straight decades. With multiple Olympians going through the program, Kim Hill brought home the program's first gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games.