MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine beach volleyball (11-7) once again swept Hope International (6-9) and defeated Cal State Bakersfield (5-10) 4-1 Saturday from the Pepperdine Beach Courts. The opponents, schedule, and final scores all elicited deja vu from yesterday, but certainly in the Wave's favor. Pepperdine won all four of its contests at the Malibu Invite and dropped only a combined two points.
"I'm very happy with how Team 15 showed our fans and family the level of training and commitment we have to our mission," said head coach Marcio Sicoli. "I'm very proud of that this weekend. The key to our success was our players' and staffs' preparation. We prepped for every area—sometimes overly so. We persevere chasing the ball and solving problems. I look forward to a full week of training for the next challenge!"
A performance of the Star Spangled Banner by Team Impact member Scarlett Ferguson commenced the second day of contests.
Pepperdine 5, Hope International 0
Gabbie Perez and Maddy Snow raced to the first points of the day. They defeated their opponents 21-11 in the first set before unraveling their Royal adversaries 21-5.
Flight four once again saw the Waves put a tally on the board. Emi Erickson and Ginevra Merlini combined in the 21-12 and 21-9 rallies.
The overall win was clinched after Sonia Mancuso and Alice Jagielska rattled off a pair of dominant 21-8 scorelines.
Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani won both their rallies (21-8, 21-15) on the center court to keep the possibility of a sweep alive.
That reality was guaranteed courtesy of Emma Bubelis and Deanie Woodruff. Although they won the first set comfortably 21 to 11, Hope threatened to push it to three in the second. The tight 22-20 by the Pepperdine pair prevented the tie-breaker. Had the Royals not been held off it would have marked the first time they forced a third set in either contest against the Waves.
The squad from Fullerton, Calif. got some consolation in the exhibition match. Grad transfers Alexa Markley and Julia Caruolo fell in two.
1: Eden/Cyrani (PEPP) def. Swain/Galassi (HIU) 21-8, 21-15
2: Perez/Snow (PEPP) def. L. Mamea (HIU) 21-11, 21-5
3: Mancuso/Jagielska (PEPP) def. Infante/Schweitzer (HIU) 21-8, 21-8
4: Erickson/Merlini (PEPP) def. Nua/Zimmermann (HIU) 21-12, 21-9
5: Bubelis/Woodruff (PEPP) def. Sebby/M. Mamea (HIU) 21-11, 22-20
6: Barclay/Thornburg (HIU) def. Markley/Caruolo (PEPP) 21-16, 21-13
Order of finish: 2, 4, 3*, 1, 5
Pepperdine 4, Cal State Bakersfield 1
It was freshmen Sonia Mancuso and Alice Jagielska that drew first against the Roadrunners. The coaching staff preferred these two as the fourth flight (rather than their typical spot at third) for both Bakersfield brawls. The lineup tinkering paid off—they won 21-19 and 21-17 today.
Gabbie Perez and Maddy Snow then extended their win streak to double digits. They picked up their tenth-straight victory to the tune of 21-13 and 21-12 wins.
The victory was then sealed when Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani clinched the third point. The top flight held their opponents below 15 in two sets (14 and 13).
Team captain Emma Bubelis's second set swat put a bowtie on the team's 4-0 start. Her and stalwart Deanie Woodruff triumphed 21-14 and 21-12.
Although court two saw the Roadrunners make an appearance on the board, the Waves ended their overall scrap with Bakersfield 4-1. Emi Erickson and Ginevra Merlini won their first set 21-19 before subsequently surrendering 21-15 in the second and eventually dropping the tie-breaker as sisters Kendall Kaelin and Vivi Kaelin emerged victorious in the third set (15-9).
1: Eden/Cyrani (PEPP) def. Ostler/Anderson (CSUB) 21-14, 21-13
2: Perez/Snow (PEPP) def. Silacci-Jensen/Markentin (CSUB) 21-13, 21-12
3: K. Kaelin/V. Kaelin (CSUB) def. Erickson/Merlini (PEPP) 21-18, 15-21, 15-9
4: Mancuso/Jagielska (PEPP) def. Ensign/Garcia (CSUB) 21-19, 21-17
5: Bubelis/Woodruff (PEPP) def. Milne/Taylor (CSUB) 21-14, 21-12
6: Doezema/Avelar (PEPP) def. Neville/Martin (CSUB) 21-18, 23-21
Order of finish: 4, 2, 1*, 5, 3
Team 15 is rolling with wins in nine of their last ten. The same figure also represents how many times the Waves have held their opponents to one or fewer points.
The ASICS Classic is next up for Pepperdine. They stay home to face (RV) Tulane, Vanguard, No. 9 LMU, and Concordia across March 20 and 21.
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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