Pepperdine University
LMU
Women's Volleyball Set to Battle LMU
10/16/2026 5:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Pepperdine women's volleyball is back in action this weekend after a short bye week, visiting cross-town WCC foe LMU on Saturday afternoon.
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SATURDAY, OCT. 17 | 1 PM PST | ESPN+
Pepperdine at LMU
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SCOUTING THE LIONS
- Sophomore outside hitter Maria Tabacuks was the WCC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 29.
- Tabacuks and sophomore outside hitter counterpart Nicole Schuetz earned OUTRIGGER Invitational All-Tournament honors.
- Tabacuks was also the WCC Offensive Player of the Week on August 31 after helping LMU start 3-0.
- LMU was picked to finish third in the WCC Preseason Poll while Anya Santrac, Aleksandra Stojanovic, and Tabacuks earned Preseason team honors.
- Outside hitter Melania Katsitadze completed the 2026 signing class, which also included Ayanna Henry, Amanda Mikuzis, Gianna Perez, Anya Santrac, Tabacuks, and Stojanovic.
- Head Coach Kolby O'Donnell added Madi Bugg to the coaching staff on June 22.
- He also added Brylee Kelly to the coaching staff on June 25.
- Tabacuks ranks 3rd in the WCC with 265 kills, while Nicole Schuetz ranks 6th with 230 kills.
- Junior setter Delfina Shuh is 2nd in the WCC with 626 assists, 13 ahead of Pepperdine's Tristen Raymond.
- Six of the top-10 blockers in the WCC are made up between Pepperdine (4) and LMU (2).
- Tabacuks is 2nd in the conference with 307.0 points, while Schuetz is 6th with 262.5.
- Pepperdine has dominated the cross-town rivalry, going 66-28 against the Lions.
- The Waves are 30-18 (.625) when facing LMU on the road
- Pepperdine has won the last two matches and have split the last eight matches.
- The blue and orange is 7-2 in its last 9 road matches at LMU
- Pepperdine last saw LMU on November 22, 2025, which was a road match, winning 3-2
- The Waves marked their longest win streak (seven matches, Sept. 11-Oct. 1) since a nine-match win streak from Oct. 11-Nov. 8 last year before the loss to Saint Mary's on Oct. 3.
- Pepperdine has yet to lose a match when taking the first set.
- The blue and orange have won seven of 10 matches in which Pepperdine has fewer digs.
- The victory over San Francisco on Sept. 26 was the first (and currently the only) win of the year following a first-set loss.
- Junior setter Tristen Raymond ranks 2nd on the team with 130 digs, which is tied for 22nd in the West Coast Conference.
- Her 613 assists lead the team, rank 3rd in the WCC, and are 53rd in the country
- She is on pace for over 1,000 assists this season and crack the top-10 in program history by the end of her career.Â
- Defensive specialist Laine Briggs set a career-high and a new Bluejay Invitational-best in digs with 35 on September 6.
- Her 274 digs on the season pace the squad and slot 2nd in the conference, only trailing Denver's Madison Winkler (324).
- She earned her second consecutive WCC Defensive Player of the Week honor (third career) on Monday, Sept. 21.Â
- Junior outside hitter Maggie Beauer tied a season-high in blocks (2.5) and digs (4) against Arizona on Sept. 6Â
- She also racked up a career-high 20 kills against Arizona, a five-set victory over the Wildcats
- Maggie's 172 kills are 2nd on the team (only trailing Chloe Pravednikov's 195) and 14th in the WCC
- She recorded a new season-high in digs (5) and blocks (3) at Denver on October 8 in the 3-0 win over the Pioneers.Â
- The Waves paced the West Coast Conference with 295 blocks last year, and returning junior Ella Piskorz led all conference qualifiers with 151 (next-best was 126).
- As of Friday afternoon (10-16-26), Piskorz has the fourth-most blocks in the country with 100.
- As of Friday afternoon (10-16-26), the Waves pace the WCC with 186 team blocks (next-best is San Diego's and LMU's 142)
- Ella is now sixth in program history with 383 blocks. She needs just 10 more to move into fifth all-time.
- Among all the season-highs Pepperdine players set against Arizona on Sept. 6, Pravednikov was part of the brigade with a season-best 17 kills and 15 digs
- Chloe has the most points on the team with 214.5, which slots 10th in the WCCÂ
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.
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TICKETS
For more information on ticket packages and to purchase tickets for upcoming home events, visit here.
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FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media: @PepperdineWVB on Twitter/X, @pepperdinewvb on Instagram, and Pepperdine Women's Volleyball on Facebook.
