MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine beach volleyball (12-8) split on day one of the ASICS Classic hosted at the Pepperdine Beach Courts. They dropped a closely contested 3-2 match against Tulane (13-7) then topped Vanguard (6-8) 5-0.
Pepperdine 2, Tulane 3
The Waves raced out to a 2-0 lead against the Green Wave. Gabbie Perez and Maddy Snow won their eleventh-straight match in two sets (21-13, 21-13) to score first.
Next were Emi Erickson and Ginevra Merlini. After initially dropping their first set 21-18 they tightened things up with convincing 21-15 and 15-7 wins to claim the point.
Pepperdine's first and third flights were both defeated in two, which shifted all the eyes to the final match on court three.
Emma Bubelis and Deanie Woodruff came out on the wrong side of a 23-21 battle but responded with a 21-17 win that included overcoming multiple deficits. Both teams huddled around the perimeter of the tie-breaking showdown. Tulane raced out to a modest lead before the Pepperdine pair strung points together to cut the deficit and make it a nailbiter. The momentum seemed to shift each time the competitors switched sides, but the Green Wave eventually came out on top, 15-10.
1: M. Trodd/S. Ensign (TULN) def. E. Eden/M. Cyrani (PEPP) 21-17, 21-18
2: G. Perez/M. Snow (PEPP) def. E. Morris/K. Hansen (TULN) 21-13, 21-13
3: A. Ali/T. Ensign (TULN) def. S. Mancuso/A. Jagielska (PEPP) 21-13, 21-15
4: E. Erickson/G. Merlini (PEPP) def. G. Gallegos/A. Burks (TULN) 18-21, 21-15, 15-7
5: M. Cutler/S. O'Connor (TULN) def. E. Bubelis/D. Woodruff (PEPP) 23-21, 17-21, 15-10
6: N. Thorp/A. Markley (PEPP) tie L. Mann/G. Kucinski (TULN) 21-15, 9-21 (exhibition)
Pepperdine 5, Vanguard 0
The Waves then matched up with the Lions of Vanguard for the second time this season and earned a second sweep.
Pepperdine won four of their five points in straight sets.
Ginevra Merlini and Emi Erickson put the Waves in the win column first at 21-8 and 21-11. Maddy Snow and Gabbie Perez quickly joined them (21-10, 21-13).
Alice Jagielska and Sonia Mancuso picked up their first victory of the day, handling business 21-10 and 21-16.
Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani did the same, keeping Vanguard off the board with a pair of 21-16 rally wins.
Although the Waves were up 4-0 and had already clinched, the final point was chalk full of drama. In the fifth slot, Kenzi McSpadden and Bella Avelar made their first start of the season. Their first game action of 2026 got off on the wrong foot—falling 21-14. The two built a sizable lead in the second, but Vanguard responded with points of their own that made a 4-1 final seem inevitable However, the two Waves put together a pair of tough-fought rallies to prevail 22-20. The tension subsided quickly as Pepperdine dispatched their foes 15-7 and secured the sweep.
1. E. Eden/M. Cyrani (PEPP) def. T. Snider/J. Springer (VAN) 21-16, 21-16
2: G. Perez/M. Snow (PEPP) def. C. Smits Van Oyen/H. Johnston (VAN) 21-10, 21-13
3: S. Mancuso/A. Jagielska (PEPP) def. I. Attinger/A. Bennett (VAN) 21-10, 21-16
4: E. Erickson/G. Merlini (PEPP) def. A. Mayfield/J. Starling (VAN) 21-8, 21-11
5: K. McSpadden/B. Avelar (PEPP) def. G. Pecile/J. Moore (VAN) 14-21, 22-20, 15-7
6: E. Doezema/J. Caruolo (PEPP) tie M. Jones/E. Gilmore (VAN) 21-14, 17-21
Tomorrow morning begins against the eight-ranked Loyola Marymount Lions. Live Stats for this 9 a.m. match can be found here. The weekend closes out at 3 p.m. against Concordia, with score updates also available.
The LMU game marks the first stop on the Waves Block Party. More information about the day full of snacks, swag, and sports is available online.
Fans can take home their own Block Out Cancer shirt tomorrow. Team 15 will sport the pink shirts during warm-ups in recognition of cancer research.
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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