MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine beach volleyball (13-9) ended day two of the ASICS Classic from the Pepperdine Beach Courts with one win and one loss. They fell 4-1 to No. 8 Loyola Marymount (15-5) but rebounded with a sweep of Concordia (7-10).
"Heading into the halfway point of our season, I'm happy with where we are," said head coach Marcio Sicoli. "Now is the time when our pairs can build a deeper trust and connection with one another. Go Waves!"
Pepperdine 1, Loyola Marymount 4
The 9 a.m. crosstown showdown began with four straight set wins by the Lions.
Pepperdine suffered losses in the fourth flight (21-18, 21-13), second flight (22-20, 21-17), third flight (21-14, 21-15), and fifth flight (21-17, 21-9). However, the top Waves pairing demonstrated their relentlessness.
Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani started their match by earning Pepperdine's only first set victory against LMU in a tense 22-20 affair. Their counterparts responded in the second, 21-17, to force a third. Both teams' rosters circled the court to watch the deciding rally. The Waves came out of the gates swinging, winning the overall point at 15-6 and preventing the shutout.
1. E. Eden/M. Cyrani (PEPP) def. A. Pelloai/K. Stevenson (LMU) 22-20, 17-21, 15-6
2: M. Rabitsch/I. Piret (LMU) def. G. Perez/M. Snow (PEPP) 22-20, 21-17
3: C. Hooker/J. Brach (LMU) def. E. Erickson/G. Merlini (PEPP) 21-14, 21-15
4: J. Schaekel/M. Kruczek (LMU) def. S. Mancuso/A. Jagielska (PEPP) 21-18, 21-13
5: K. McAlister/E. Davis (LMU) def. E. Bubelis/D. Woodruff (PEPP) 21-17, 21-9
6: E. Doezema/B. Avelar (PEPP) tie C. Crenshaw/B. Bowers (LMU) 21-12, 15-21
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 5, 1
Pepperdine 5, Concordia 0
The Waves then rematched against Concordia at 3 p.m. Pepperdine had previously defeated CUI 4-1 in early March.
Ginevra Merlini and Emi Erickson went about business as usual, putting their team on the scoreboard first via their 21-16 and 21-8 wins.
Maddy Snow and Gabbie Perez endured an odyssey on the center court. They took the first set 21-17 before the Golden Eagles responded 21-12. No points came easy in the deciding rally, contested in the midst of a blisteringly sunny afternoon. Both teams went back and forth before the Waves finally emerged victorious 17-15 in extras.
The freshman flight of Sonia Mancuso and Alice Jagielska left no room for guesswork. They wrapped up their day quickly 21-13 and 21-11.
Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani went undefeated on the day following their 21-13 and 21-18 dispatching of the Golden Eagles.
Like flight two, flight five also needed a trio of sets to decide a champion. Deanie Woodruff and Emma Bubelis won their first, 21-14, before Concordia's pair responded, 21-17. Pepperdine took their fifth overall point and secured the sweep following their successful 15-12 skirmish.
1: E. Eden/M. Cyrani (PEPP) def. G. Reinking/A. Moore (CUI) 21-13, 21-18
2: G. Perez/M. Snow (PEPP) def. K. Giusta/A. Rossi (CUI) 21-17, 12-21, 17-15
3: S. Mancuso/A. Jagielska (PEPP) def. L. Godbey/O. Medina (CUI) 21-13, 21-11
4: E. Erickson/G. Merlini (PEPP) def. R. Cline/M. Kelly (CUI) 21-16, 21-8
5: E. Bubelis/D. Woodruff (PEPP) def. T. Soule/S. Kane (CUI) 21-14, 17-21, 15-12
6: N. Thorp/A. Markley (PEPP) def. K. Farley/J. Vander Veen (CUI) 21-14, 21-16
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 1 5
After two weekends at home, Team 15 travels to Santa Cruz, Calif. for the West Coast Challenge against a host of conference foes. Play begins March 27 against Portland.
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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