Beach Volleyball Sweeps on Senior Day

Saturday, April 11

Malibu, Calif.

10:00 a.m. PT

Pepperdine University

San Francisco

4/11/2026 6:22:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball

San Francisco Box Score Vanguard Box Score

MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine beach volleyball (23-11) concluded their home schedule and the Waves Tourney with sweeps over San Francisco (11-16) and Vanguard (7-14).

"It does not get better than this weekend for the Waves," said head coach Marcio Sicoli. "We sent off the seniors in great style with two sweeps and played at the highest level. Now we'll look forward to the final stretch as we honor the seniors and aim to leave a mark and legacy for years to come."

The fourth-years Emma Bubelis, Emi Erickson, Kenzi McSpadden, Julia Caruolo, and Gabbie Perez all shined on senior day, including Team IMPACT member Scarlett Ferguson who sang the national anthem.

Pepperdine 5, San Francisco 0
Emma Eden and Michaela Cyrani, typically spotted in the top flight, took the day off. As such the usual lineup shifted up a spot,opening up the fifth flight to Evie Doezema and a returning Deanie Woodruff. Bella Avelar and Emma Bubelis opened scoring with straight sets over the Dons, 21-12 and 21-19. Next on the scoresheet were Sonia Mancuso and Alice Jagielska. An opening 21-15 win was soon matched by USF, 21-19 to necessitate the tie-breaker. The freshmen Waves came out on top in a nail-biting 16-14 win. Ginevra Merlini and Emi Erickson got the job done in two (21-17 and 21-16) to clinch the team victory for the Waves. Woodruff made her first non-exhibitional appearance since the West Coast Challenge in late March. Her and Doezema started with a 21-14 win before dropping the subsequent set 21-18. They shut down the Dons 15-9 to keep their opponents out of the score column. Alexa Markley and Nicole Thorp split their two-set match on flight six, 21-12 and 15-21.

1: G. Perez/M. Snow (PEPP) def. M. Towne/K. Stormes (USF) 12-21, 21-13, 15-7
2: S. Mancuso/A. Jagielska (PEPP) def. R. Stevens/B. Lennon (USF) 21-15, 19-21, 16-14
3: E. Erickson/G. Merlini (PEPP) def. R. Reeves/J. Lonardi (USF) 21-17, 21-16
4: E. Bubelis/B. Avelar (PEPP) def. B. Smith/M. Priestley (USF) 21-12, 21-19
5: D. Woodruff/E. Doezema (PEPP) def. M. Holden/S. McClung (USF) 21-14, 18-21, 15-9
6: A. Markley/N. Thorp (PEPP) tie L. Speir/N. Murray-Ceriello (USF) 21-12, 15-21

Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 5, 1

Pepperdine 5, Vanguard 0
Retiring against Vanguard, flight four once again wrapped up their rallies first. Bubelis and Avelar held their opponents to 14 and 15 points in their victory. Mancuso and Jagielska won their first set convincingly 21-9 but needed an extended 25-23 second to put away the Lions. Snow and Perez once again occupied the top spot, where they clinched the overall win 21-7 and 21-11. Erickson and Merlini won with a pair of 21-12 results. Senior day ended with another shutout as Woodruff and Doezema put together 21-15 and 21-17 finishes. Fourth-years Kenzi McSpadden and Julia Caruolo made their appearance on flight six. They closed out their time at the Pepperdine Beach Volleyball Courts with a straight set win 21-11 and 21-14 in front of the home crowd.

1: G. Perez/M. Snow (PEPP) def. T. Snider/J. Springer (VAN) 21-7, 21-11
2: S. Mancuso/A. Jagielska (PEPP) def. C. Smits Van Oyen/H. Johnston (VAN) 21-9, 25-23
3: E. Erickson/G. Merlini (PEPP) def. A. Bennett/J. Packer (VAN) 21-12, 21-12
4: E. Bubelis/B. Avelar (PEPP) def. A. Mayfield/E. Gilmore 21-14, 21-15
5: D. Woodruff/E. Doezema (PEPP) def. G. Pecile/J. Starling (VAN) 21-15, 21-17
6: K. McSpadden/J. Caruolo (PEPP) def. K. Myers/M. Jones (VAN) 21-11, 21-14

Order of finish: 4, 2, 1*, 3, 5

Snow and Perez, Erickson and Merlini, as well as Bubelis and Avelar all went 4-0 in the Waves Tourney. Avelar, a recent addition to the starting lineup, now boasts a 9-1 record. 26 flight wins is the current highmark: sported by Snow and Perez. As a whole the team is .688, with 117 wins to 53 losses.

The regular season ends in greater Palo Alto next weekend, when the Waves face No. 9 Cal, San José State, No. 6 Cal Poly, and No. 1 Stanford. Play begins April 17.

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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