MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine Beach Volleyball starts its season at home for two days of action in the Pepperdine Challenge. The Waves begin Feb. 20 against Vanguard before facing No. 19 Washington later in day one. The blue and orange will rematch against the Huskies the following morning before ending their weekend in a dual with No. 10 Long Beach State.
Both doubleheaders see the Waves in action at 10 a.m. before returning at 2 p.m.
"We are excited to open our season in front of our fans this weekend," said head coach Mario Sicoli. "We'll have a great battle test for our young squad against some top-20 teams in the country and we are ready to take it all!"
Prior to the start of the season the Waves received distinctions from the West Coast Conference (WCC) and AVCA. They earned the second spot in the WCC preseason poll (behind LMU), and saw Emma Eden and Gabriella Perez named to the preseason conference team as two of the league's ten best athletes. Additionally, Pepperdine netted ten votes nationally in the AVCA preseason poll. This would place them at No. 23 across the country (the poll only ranks the top 20).
The Waves sport an unblemished 5–0 record against Vanguard, whom they first squared off against in 2021.
The Huskies and your home team will meet for only the second time. This lone matchup came in 2023 at a neutral site—with the squad from the Pacific Northwest squad emerging victorious.
Long Beach State and Pepperdine have an extensive history—having matched up in each season of the Wave's existence. Of the 33 all-time meetings, Pepperdine holds an advantage of 25-8, but the Beach have gone on a four-game winning streak dating back to 2023.
The matches will not be streamed, but LiveStats will be available with links available below:
DUAL 1: Pepperdine vs. Vanguard | Friday, Feb. 20 | 10 a.m.
DUAL 2: Pepperdine vs. No. 19 Washington | Friday, Feb. 20 | 2 p.m.
DUAL 3: Pepperdine vs. No. 19 Washington | Saturday, Feb. 21 | 10 a.m.
DUAL 4: Pepperdine vs. No. 10 Long Beach State | Saturday, Feb. 21 | 2 p.m.
There will be two neutral site games in between the aforementioned matches. The schedule for these non-Waves duals is as follows:
NEUTRAL 1: Washington vs. Vanguard | Friday, Feb. 20 | 12 p.m.
NEUTRAL 2: Long Beach State vs. Washington | Saturday, Feb. 21 | 12 p.m.
DJ Romar will be in attendance providing in-game entertainment on the first day of competition.
Next week the Waves will venture outside of Malibu, but remain local to compete in the "Battle 4 L.A.". They will be tested against the likes of CSUN, No. 1 UCLA, No. 4 USC, and in a rematch of No. 10 Long Beach State.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Established in 2011, Pepperdine beach volleyball quickly rose to national prominence, winning two national championships in three years (2012, 2014) while reaching the final four in five of its first six seasons. Joining the WCC ahead of the 2016 season with the sport becoming NCAA-sanctioned, the Waves won the inaugural and first three WCC Championships while reaching eight straight conference championship games from 2016-24. The program has consistently recruited top talent in the sport, with 21 student-athletes garnering All-American honors since 2012.
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