Thursday, April 23
Santa Monica, Calif.
11:30 a.m. PT
Pepperdine University
5
vs
0
Portland
Beach Volleyball Advances to WCC Tournament Semifinals; Takes Down Portland and Saint Mary’s
4/23/2026 6:58:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – No. 2 Pepperdine beach volleyball (26-14) began the West Coast Conference (WCC) tournament with an opening round sweep of No. 7 Portland (4-23). In the quarterfinals the Waves defeated No. 3 Saint Mary's (26-11), 4-1.
They will face No. 1 Loyola Marymount (27-10) at 9:45 a.m. in the semifinals tomorrow morning. A win would send them to the championship at 1:30 p.m.
A loss would send the orange and blue to the double elimination bracket—still with a chance to make the finals. If on this route, Pepperdine would need a win at 12:15 p.m. to meet the Lions for a shot at the WCC title.
Pepperdine 5, Portland 0
The Waves got on the board in record time. Before Michaela Cyrani or Emma Eden could even attempt a serve, their Pilot opponents forfeited the flight due to an injury.
Alice Jagielska and Sonia Mancuso had the first successful rallies for the Waves, dispatching their adversaries 21-10 and 21-16. Maddy Snow and Gabbie Perez soon followed suit, clinching the overall victory in straight sets with identical 21-10 and 21-16 scores.
Pepperdine continued to pour it on, with Ginevra Merlini and Emi Erickson joining their team in the win column, 21-12 and 21-16. Emma Bubelis and Deanie Woodruff secured the sweep. The reunited duo got reacquainted during the course of their 21-13 and 21-15 rallies.
1. E. Eden/M. Cyrani (PEPP) def. L. Freytag/E. Larsson (POR) forfeit
2. M. Snow/G. Perez (PEPP) def. T. Mercer/S. Incitti (POR) 21-10, 21-16
3. A. Jagielska/S. Mancuso (PEPP) def. V. Burk/E. Ortiz (POR) 21-10, 21-16
4. G. Merlini/E. Erickson (PEPP) def. M. Strati/N. Mitchell (POR) 21-12, 21-16
5. E. Bubelis/D. Woodruff (PEPP) def. J. Hildenbrand/J. Povey (POR) 21-13, 21-15
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2*, 4, 5
Pepperdine 4, Saint Mary's 1
The Gaels were the next foe for Team 15 by virtue of Saint Mary's morning defeat of Pacific. For the third time this season, Pepperdine bested SMC by a score of 4-1. Eden and Cyrani started the scoring with defensive 21-12 and 21-13 rallies. Next were Snow and Perez who came out on the right side of a 21-17 and 21-19 affair. The freshmen flight on court three clinched Pepperdine's spot in the semis. Jagielska and Snow took down the Gaels 21-18 and 21-16.
The team from Moraga put a tally on the board with tight 21-19 and 22-20 wins in flight four. The Gaels threatened to take another on flight five, but Bubelis and Woodruff had other plans. The Wave pair won 21-15 in the first set, but had a few close calls in their 24-22 second set.
With her defeat of SMC, Emma Eden surpassed 50 career wins.
1. E. Eden/M. Cyrani (PEPP) def. Z. Joshua/G. Bane (SMC) 21-12, 21-13
2. M. Snow/G. Perez (PEPP) def. C. Klein/A. Bour (SMC) 21-17, 21-19
3. A. Jagielska/S. Mancuso (PEPP) def. I. Johnson/H. Couch (SMC) 21-18, 21-16
4. B. Reyes/A. Silverthorn (SMC) def. G. Merlini/E. Erickson (PEPP) 21-19, 22-20
5. E. Bubelis/D. Woodruff (PEPP) def. H. Glick/B. Nolan (SMC) 21-15, 24-22
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3*, 4, 5
Each of Pepperdine's wins on day one of the WCC Tournament came in straight sets. The team will have a little over half a day to gameplan against LMU. The teams have met twice this season, with the crosstown-foe winning by scores of 5-0 and 4-1. Eden and Cyrani are the lone pair to steal a point against the Lions. They won in three sets on March 21, 22-20, 17-21, 15-6.
The full bracket can be found here. Fans can follow along at home with live stats or on ESPN+ if subscribed.
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.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine beach volleyball, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineBVB.
They will face No. 1 Loyola Marymount (27-10) at 9:45 a.m. in the semifinals tomorrow morning. A win would send them to the championship at 1:30 p.m.
A loss would send the orange and blue to the double elimination bracket—still with a chance to make the finals. If on this route, Pepperdine would need a win at 12:15 p.m. to meet the Lions for a shot at the WCC title.
Pepperdine 5, Portland 0
The Waves got on the board in record time. Before Michaela Cyrani or Emma Eden could even attempt a serve, their Pilot opponents forfeited the flight due to an injury.
Alice Jagielska and Sonia Mancuso had the first successful rallies for the Waves, dispatching their adversaries 21-10 and 21-16. Maddy Snow and Gabbie Perez soon followed suit, clinching the overall victory in straight sets with identical 21-10 and 21-16 scores.
Pepperdine continued to pour it on, with Ginevra Merlini and Emi Erickson joining their team in the win column, 21-12 and 21-16. Emma Bubelis and Deanie Woodruff secured the sweep. The reunited duo got reacquainted during the course of their 21-13 and 21-15 rallies.
1. E. Eden/M. Cyrani (PEPP) def. L. Freytag/E. Larsson (POR) forfeit
2. M. Snow/G. Perez (PEPP) def. T. Mercer/S. Incitti (POR) 21-10, 21-16
3. A. Jagielska/S. Mancuso (PEPP) def. V. Burk/E. Ortiz (POR) 21-10, 21-16
4. G. Merlini/E. Erickson (PEPP) def. M. Strati/N. Mitchell (POR) 21-12, 21-16
5. E. Bubelis/D. Woodruff (PEPP) def. J. Hildenbrand/J. Povey (POR) 21-13, 21-15
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2*, 4, 5
Pepperdine 4, Saint Mary's 1
The Gaels were the next foe for Team 15 by virtue of Saint Mary's morning defeat of Pacific. For the third time this season, Pepperdine bested SMC by a score of 4-1. Eden and Cyrani started the scoring with defensive 21-12 and 21-13 rallies. Next were Snow and Perez who came out on the right side of a 21-17 and 21-19 affair. The freshmen flight on court three clinched Pepperdine's spot in the semis. Jagielska and Snow took down the Gaels 21-18 and 21-16.
The team from Moraga put a tally on the board with tight 21-19 and 22-20 wins in flight four. The Gaels threatened to take another on flight five, but Bubelis and Woodruff had other plans. The Wave pair won 21-15 in the first set, but had a few close calls in their 24-22 second set.
With her defeat of SMC, Emma Eden surpassed 50 career wins.
1. E. Eden/M. Cyrani (PEPP) def. Z. Joshua/G. Bane (SMC) 21-12, 21-13
2. M. Snow/G. Perez (PEPP) def. C. Klein/A. Bour (SMC) 21-17, 21-19
3. A. Jagielska/S. Mancuso (PEPP) def. I. Johnson/H. Couch (SMC) 21-18, 21-16
4. B. Reyes/A. Silverthorn (SMC) def. G. Merlini/E. Erickson (PEPP) 21-19, 22-20
5. E. Bubelis/D. Woodruff (PEPP) def. H. Glick/B. Nolan (SMC) 21-15, 24-22
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3*, 4, 5
Each of Pepperdine's wins on day one of the WCC Tournament came in straight sets. The team will have a little over half a day to gameplan against LMU. The teams have met twice this season, with the crosstown-foe winning by scores of 5-0 and 4-1. Eden and Cyrani are the lone pair to steal a point against the Lions. They won in three sets on March 21, 22-20, 17-21, 15-6.
The full bracket can be found here. Fans can follow along at home with live stats or on ESPN+ if subscribed.
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.
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
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
