MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine beach volleyball (9-7) earned a pair of victories at home Friday, opening the morning with a 4-0 sweep over Hope International (6-7) before defeating Cal State Bakersfield (4-9) 4-1.
The Waves rematch with the Royals at 10 a.m. and the Roadrunners at 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Pepperdine Beach Courts.
Pepperdine 5, Hope International 0
Emi Erickson and Ginevra Merlini got things started for the Waves with a 21-9 win in the first set. In the second set they once again held their opponents below ten—keeping the Royals to just eight en route to the first Pepperdine point.
Gabbie Perez and Maddy Snow also kept Hope from a third set, winning 21-11 and 21-14 to make it a 2-0 Pepperdine advantage.
The freshmen flight of Sonia Mancuso and Alice Jagielska held it down on court two to clinch the victory for the Waves. They began their successful campaign with a 21-10 rally before making the team's eighth win in 2026 official, 21-13.
Center court saw Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani keep the score unblemished. They held their foes to 11 in the first set and 14 in the second, bringing the match to a 4-0 scoreline.
Emma Bubelis and Deanie Woodruff rounded out the contest and overall sweep. Their defense was stifling—holding Hope to just 12 in the first set before a game-low seven in the second.
Pepperdine won in the minimum possible ten sets, with the Royals surpassing 15 points just once.
The exhibitional match saw the season debut of Tippi Lane. She was accompanied by Kenzi McSpadden. The two began with a successful 21-18 rally before their rivals responded 21-19 for the stalemate.
1: Eden/Cyrani (PEPP) def. Swain/Galassi (HOPE): 21-13, 21-15
2: Snow/Perez vs. L. Mamea/Dothard (11, 14)
3: Jagielska/Mancuso vs. Infante/Hendry (10, 13)
4: Merlini/Erickson vs. Nua/Zimmermann (9, 8)
5: Bubbelis/Woodruff vs. Sebby/M. Mamea (12, 7)
6: McSpadden/Lane (21, 19) vs. Barclay/Thornburg (18, 21)
Pepperdine 4, Cal State Bakersfield 1
Maddy Snow and Gabby Perez started things off on the right foot, holding their Roadrunner counterparts to a combined 15 across two sets. CSUB's second flight mustered eight and seven points respectively. Snow and Perez are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak.
Bakersfield responded next. They took down Sonia Mancuso and Alice Jagielska 21-17 and 21-19. It marked the first time that the two Waves made their start in the fourth slot rather than their usual position at three.
Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani grabbed the momentum right back with a two-set win to give Pepperdine a 2-1 lead. The Roadrunners were kept to seven and 13 respectively.
Flight five then saw Pepperdine clinch the victory. Emma Bubelis and Deanie Woodruff coasted to 21-13 in the first set before battling through the subsequent back-and-forth rally 21-17.
Pair three were the lone blue and orange duo to be battle-tested with a match that went to three sets. Emi Erickson and Ginevra Merlini dropped the initial rally 21-19 but pushed it to a tie-breaker with a 21-18 win in the second. They eventually got Pepperdine to four overall points, winning the third set 15-12.
The Waves have now either swept or scored four points in seven of their last eight.
Evie Doezema and Nicole Thorp kept the winning rolling in their exhibitional match. They bested their opponents 21-19 and 21-17.
1: Eden/Cyrani (21, 21) vs. Ostler/Anderson (7, 13)
2: Snow/Perez (21, 21) vs. Silacci-Jensen/Markentin (8, 7)
3: Merlini/Erickson (19, 21, 15) vs. K. Kaelin/V. Kaelin (21, 18, 12)
4: Jagielska/Mancuso (17, 19) vs. Ensign/Garcia (21, 21)
5: Bubbelis/Woodruff (21, 21) vs. Milne/Taylor (13, 17)
6: Doezema/Thorp (21, 21) vs. Neville/Martin (19, 17)
The Waves are back at it against the same opponents tomorrow. Live Stats for the dual versus the Royals is here, with the weekend finale against the Roadrunners here.
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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