PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Kicking off the first of two matches this weekend in Pittsburgh, the Pepperdine women's volleyball team (3-2) was swept by the No. 9 Pitt Panthers on Friday evening.
Freshman Tristen Raymond led the Waves on offense with eight kills, to go along with eight assists, six digs and two blocks. Up front, Ella Piskorz led the team with four blocks, including one solo, plus three kills. Sophomore Maggie Beauer chipped in seven kills, plus Laine Briggs led the team with eight digs and two service aces.
Early in the first set, Pepperdine tied Pitt at five with a solo block by Maggie Beauer. However, sparked by a sellout crowd for their home opener in Fitzgerald Fieldhouse, the Pitt Panthers rattled off a decisive 6-0 run to distance themselves from the Waves. Pepperdine pulled within three points with back-to-back Pitt errors to make the score 19-16, but the Panthers regrouped after the timeout and pushed the lead back to five. Brynne McGhie found Beauer for one of her team-high 14 assists to make the score 21-17, but the scoring ended for the Waves and Pitt won the first set 25-17.
The second set was the most lopsided of the night. Raymond's fifth kill of the night brought the Waves within one at 7-6, yet a 9-2 Pitt run put the set out of reach. In their most commanding set of the match, the Panthers won the second set 25-15.
Pepperdine showed some fight in the third set. After falling behind by as many as 12 points, the Waves went on a 6-0 run late in the frame. Another kill from Raymond helped the Waves side out, then back-to-back swings from Beauer cut the deficit to single digits. Pepperdine got within five points at 23-18 with a Pitt error, but unfortunately for the Waves, the Panthers won the next two points to finish the sweep.
The Waves stay in Pittsburgh to face the Jacksonville Dolphins tomorrow at 2 p.m. PT. All pertinent information can be purchased at pepperdinewaves.com.
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 Champions 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.
