Eden Earns WCC Beach Volleyball All-Academic Honors; Four Waves Recognized in Total
4/22/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Pepperdine beach volleyball sophomore Emma Eden has been named to the West Coast Conference's (WCC) All-Academic team, as announced today. Emma Bubelis, Emi Erickson, and Deanie Woodruff received honorable mentions.Â
To be eligible for the award, athletes must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 or higher and be a starter or primary reserve (appearing in at least half of the team's completed contests). True freshmen, redshirt freshmen, and graduate students who have not spent at minimum a year with their current institution are ineligible for nominations.Â
Eden joins a prestigious selection of nine other athletes who embody both classroom and court success. This season she has posted a 23-13 record on the first flight, picking up wins against Washington, Loyola Marymount, and Saint Mary's. Eden has put in the work off the sand, too. She boasts a 3.93 (GPA) in her pursuit of a biology degree. She is the only underclassman to be selected to the team. The 2025 WCC Co-Freshman of the Year received WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll 'Gold' status last year.
Senior Emma Bubelis earned her second-consecutive honorable mention. The fifth flight stalwart has recorded a 20-15 season mark, mostly with fellow honorable mention Deanie Woodruff. Woodruff was absent from the line-up for a short time, but seems to have reclaimed her spot alongside Bubelis ahead of the conference tournament this week. The redshirt sophomore sports a 14-14 match record. Emi Erickson earned her third honorable mention, meaning she has taken home the honor in each season she has been eligible. The fourth-year from Honolulu is 24-14, primarily on flight four.
2026 All-Academic Team
(Sr.) Joelynn Abougoush (Pacific) — Pre-Dentistry (3.96)
(Gr.) Genevieve Bane (Saint Mary's) — Business Administration (3.94)
(Gr.) Hannah Couch (Saint Mary's) — Single Subject Teaching (3.95)
(Sr.) Ellie Davis (LMU) — Animation (3.99)
(So.) Emma Eden (Pepperdine) — Biology (3.93)
(Gr.) Chloe Hooker (LMU) — Health & Human Sciences (3.9)
(Gr.) Clarissa Klein (Saint Mary's) — Business Administration (4.0)
(Sr.) Elizabeth Ortiz (Portland) — Marketing (4.0)
(Sr.) Kelea Saxton Vaka (Pacific) — Sport Management & Analytics (4.0)
(Sr.) Kaydence Stormes (San Francisco) — Psychology (3.94)
2026 Honorable Mentions
Jaeya Brach (LMU)
Anna Pelloia (LMU)
Magdalena Rabitsch (LMU)
Tanon Rosenthal (LMU)
Charlotte Gibson (Pacific)
Josephine Kinlan (Pacific)
Emma Bubelis (Pepperdine)
Emi Erickson (Pepperdine)
Deanie Woodruff (Pepperdine)
Leonie Freytag (Portland)
Elin Larsson (Portland)
Angelina Bour (Saint Mary's)
Hannah Glick (Saint Mary's)
Branson Lennon (San Francisco)
Burkleigh Smith (San Francisco)
Lucy Speier (San Francisco)
Raine Stevens (San Francisco)
Mckenna Towne (San Francisco)
Ciara Cantlen (Santa Clara)
Noelle Niederman (Santa Clara)
Sadie Snipes (Santa Clara)
Sammy Wood (Santa Clara)
Ava Stoddard (Santa Clara)
Alexandra Urbina (Santa Clara)
Teagan Wilson (Santa Clara)
These four Waves selections, along with the rest of the team, will be in action this Thursday for the WCC Conference Tournament. Pepperdine meets Portland at 11:30 a.m. at Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica.Â
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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FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine beach volleyball, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineBVB.
To be eligible for the award, athletes must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 or higher and be a starter or primary reserve (appearing in at least half of the team's completed contests). True freshmen, redshirt freshmen, and graduate students who have not spent at minimum a year with their current institution are ineligible for nominations.Â
Eden joins a prestigious selection of nine other athletes who embody both classroom and court success. This season she has posted a 23-13 record on the first flight, picking up wins against Washington, Loyola Marymount, and Saint Mary's. Eden has put in the work off the sand, too. She boasts a 3.93 (GPA) in her pursuit of a biology degree. She is the only underclassman to be selected to the team. The 2025 WCC Co-Freshman of the Year received WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll 'Gold' status last year.
Senior Emma Bubelis earned her second-consecutive honorable mention. The fifth flight stalwart has recorded a 20-15 season mark, mostly with fellow honorable mention Deanie Woodruff. Woodruff was absent from the line-up for a short time, but seems to have reclaimed her spot alongside Bubelis ahead of the conference tournament this week. The redshirt sophomore sports a 14-14 match record. Emi Erickson earned her third honorable mention, meaning she has taken home the honor in each season she has been eligible. The fourth-year from Honolulu is 24-14, primarily on flight four.
2026 All-Academic Team
(Sr.) Joelynn Abougoush (Pacific) — Pre-Dentistry (3.96)
(Gr.) Genevieve Bane (Saint Mary's) — Business Administration (3.94)
(Gr.) Hannah Couch (Saint Mary's) — Single Subject Teaching (3.95)
(Sr.) Ellie Davis (LMU) — Animation (3.99)
(So.) Emma Eden (Pepperdine) — Biology (3.93)
(Gr.) Chloe Hooker (LMU) — Health & Human Sciences (3.9)
(Gr.) Clarissa Klein (Saint Mary's) — Business Administration (4.0)
(Sr.) Elizabeth Ortiz (Portland) — Marketing (4.0)
(Sr.) Kelea Saxton Vaka (Pacific) — Sport Management & Analytics (4.0)
(Sr.) Kaydence Stormes (San Francisco) — Psychology (3.94)
2026 Honorable Mentions
Jaeya Brach (LMU)
Anna Pelloia (LMU)
Magdalena Rabitsch (LMU)
Tanon Rosenthal (LMU)
Charlotte Gibson (Pacific)
Josephine Kinlan (Pacific)
Emma Bubelis (Pepperdine)
Emi Erickson (Pepperdine)
Deanie Woodruff (Pepperdine)
Leonie Freytag (Portland)
Elin Larsson (Portland)
Angelina Bour (Saint Mary's)
Hannah Glick (Saint Mary's)
Branson Lennon (San Francisco)
Burkleigh Smith (San Francisco)
Lucy Speier (San Francisco)
Raine Stevens (San Francisco)
Mckenna Towne (San Francisco)
Ciara Cantlen (Santa Clara)
Noelle Niederman (Santa Clara)
Sadie Snipes (Santa Clara)
Sammy Wood (Santa Clara)
Ava Stoddard (Santa Clara)
Alexandra Urbina (Santa Clara)
Teagan Wilson (Santa Clara)
These four Waves selections, along with the rest of the team, will be in action this Thursday for the WCC Conference Tournament. Pepperdine meets Portland at 11:30 a.m. at Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica.Â
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.
Â
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine beach volleyball, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineBVB.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
