MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine beach volleyball (1-3) fell to No. 19 Washington (3-1) by a score of 4-1 and No. 10 Long Beach State (2-0) by a score of 5-0 on the final day of the Pepperdine Challenge.
"I'm really proud of this team," said head coach Marcio Sicoli. "I think we got battle-tested today but we're going to get back to the whiteboard and move forward. I told the team: I don't like the scores today–but they came against two top teams in the country. I love our team, I love what we're doing, and I can't wait to get back to practice."
The Waves started their day with a rematch against the Huskies. Four of the five points went to a third set. Of these tiebreaking sets, two needed more than the standard 15 points to decide a victor.
Despite playing the No. 19 team in the nation tight, Pepperdine's point tally stood 1 to 4 after five.
Gabbie Perez and Maddy Snow helped put the Waves on the scoreboard. After dropping the first set 21-16, they rebounded with a 21-18 performance before going the distance in a 19-17 third set nailbiter.
The fifth flight of Emma Bubelis and Deanie Woodruff also battled hard, but the 18-16 score after the third was not in their favor.
Next, the Waves were in for their test against No. 10 Long Beach State, who they played immediately after the Beach's 3-2 neutral site victory over UW.
The first flight of Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani took their match to a third, but ultimately lost 16-14. It was as close as the team would get in the 5-0 defeat.
The freshman flight of Alice Jagielska and Sonia Mancuso competed with an undeniable fire. It felt like each of their highly-contested rallies were full of circus shots and with their in-game communication noticeably beyond their years.
The team will regroup in advance of the "Battle 4 L.A." next week, Feb. 27 and 28.
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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