HONOLULU, Hawaii – Pepperdine beach volleyball (7-7) split on the third and final day of the Queen's Cup. They began the morning in a tough 3-2 loss at home against No. 12 Hawai'i (6-5) before closing out their stay on the islands with a sweep of Chaminade (4-8).
"I'm really proud of the team," said head coach Marcio Sicoli. "I think this weekend once again showed that we can compete with any school in the country. I'm stoked to bring all our momentum back to campus for the Malibu Invite."
The two points the Waves earned against the Rainbow Wahine were hard fought. Both matches were won in the third, with Hawai'i winning 12 or more rallies in each tie-breaker. Gabbie Perez and Madison Snow earned 21 points in the first set but it was not enough to best their opponents who sat at 23 in extras. The Pepperdine pair responded by winning the following duel, then went the distance 16-14 in a tight third.
Emma Bubelis and Deanie Woodruff combined on court five to give the Waves another tally in the box. They dropped their first set by just a pair, before winning the next two in relatively comfortable fashion.
Finally were the Silverswords who the Waves dismantled 5-0 in just ten sets. It marked the first time this season that the coaching staff has tinkered with the lineup. Graduate transfers Julia Caruolo and Evie Doezema took to the sand as the fifth pair. The two got valuable reps in against the Division II squad. Chaminade pushed the pair early, but the Wave newcomers prevailed 22-20.
With their defeat of the Silverswords, Gabbie Snow and Madison Snow went a perfect 6-0 in the Queen's Cup. Sonia Mancuso and Alice Jagielska flexed their might in a win that saw their opponents held to just seven in both set. The fives (Emi Erickson and Ginevra Merlini) and ones (Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani) also picked up points for the Waves in the final event of the weekend.
Pepperdine vs. Hawai'i
1: Eden/Cyrani (17, 14) vs. Lawrenz/Stedile (21, 21)
2: Snow/Perez (21, 21, 16) vs. Burton/Lorenzo (23, 19, 14)
3: Jagielska/Mancuso (17, 19) vs. Buschmann/Thelle (21, 21)
4: Merlini/Erickson (20, 19) vs. Miller/Cornman (22, 21)
5: Bubbelis/Woodruff (19, 21, 15) vs. Amiatu/Serano (21, 15, 12)
Pepperdine vs. Chaminade
1: Eden/Cyrani (21, 24) vs. Bauer/Wieczorek (7, 22)
2: Snow/Perez (21, 21) vs. Ama/Misipeka (13, 12)
3: Jagielska/Mancuso (21, 21) vs. Johnson/Stephens (7, 7)
4: Merlini/Erickson (21, 21) vs. Mihalik/Karasinska (15, 6)
5: Caruolo/Doezema (22, 21) vs. Poling/Sheehy (20, 16)
The team ripped off a 4-0 hot streak in Hawai'i before splitting on the final day. Scores for each match of the Queen's Cup are as follows:
March 5: Pepperdine (4) vs. UNC Wilmington (1)
March 5: Pepperdine (5) vs. San Jose State (0)
March 6: Pepperdine (4) vs. Concordia (1)
March 6: Pepperdine (4) vs. Saint Mary's (1)
March 7: Pepperdine (2) vs. No. 12 Hawai'i (3)
March 7: Pepperdine (5) vs. Chaminade (0)
The Waves are back at it at home March 13 and 14 for the Malibu Invite. Both days are set to be doubleheaders against Hope International and Cal State Bakersfield.
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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