Women's Volleyball Opens Season with Dominant Victory over Villanova

Friday, August 28

Malibu, Calif.

6:00 pm PT

Pepperdine University

1-0,0-0WCC

Villanova

0-1,0-0Big East

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Villanova	21	25	19	20	1
Pepperdine	25	18	25	25	3

Photo by: Rory Christiansen

Women's Volleyball Opens Season with Dominant Victory over Villanova

8/28/2026 10:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Greg Bintz

MALIBU, Calif. - The 2026 campaign couldn't have started on a better note for the Pepperdine women's volleyball team (1-0), as the Waves took down Villanova (0-1) by a final of 3-1.

The blue and orange were paced by Chloe Pravednikov's 15 kills, while Astrid Puig added 11 more. Ella Piskorz stuffed the stat sheet with 10 kills, one solo block, eight block assists', and a pair of digs.

"Proud of the team answering the call to some very tough challenges throughout this match, and kicking the year off with a really good win versus a talented Villanova team," said Head Coach Scott Wong.

The final point!#MakeWaves | @PepperdineWaves pic.twitter.com/B6rejpIjOe
— Pepperdine Women's Volleyball (@PepperdineWVB) August 29, 2026

Pepperdine jumped out to a quick 2-0 advantage in the opening set behind a pair of kills from Pravednikov. The Waves never led by more than three, and the Wildcats worked their way back to take a 15-14 lead after an Irelynd Lorenzen service error. Pepperdine rebounded, however, taking advantage of several attack errors from Villanova, widening the lead to 22-17 before finishing the set off with a kill from Lorenzen, and the Waves led 1-0.

Pepperdine was looking good again in set two, sprinting to a 10-5 lead following a Piskorz kill. From there, the Waves sputtered offensively, and the Wildcats soon had an 18-14 lead after a kill from Reagan McGivern. Pepperdine would pull within a few, but it wasn't enough as Villanova got a kill from Cat Young and a service ace from Alyssa Nelson, knotting the match at one apiece.

Waves supporting Waves 🤝🌊

Thanks to all the other @PepperdineWaves squads that showed out tonight, you all brought the juice!!#MakeWaves pic.twitter.com/yOtMsVR3kB
— Pepperdine Women's Volleyball (@PepperdineWVB) August 29, 2026

The Waves got back down to business in the third set, navigating a seesaw battle until another Piskorz kill gave Pepperdine some breathing room with a 19-15 advantage. Moments later, three consecutive attack errors by the Wildcats and a ringing Pravednikov kill helped the Waves secure a 2-1 lead.

Pepperdine wasted no time in the fourth set, doubling up the Wildcats with an 8-4 lead early after Pravednikov buried another kill. Tristen Raymond would go on to serve, and the Waves would soon hold a 13-6 advantage following a Raymond kill, service ace, and a Lorenzen kill. Villanova showed some late fight, but Pepperdine kept a firm grasp and never looked back, winning the set 25-20 and the match by a final of 3-1.

GAME NOTES

It's the fifth time since 2020 that the Waves have started 1-0.
Pepperdine recorded more aces (10-5), blocks (10-9), and assists 49-45) than Villanova
Ryan Gilhooly led all players with four service aces.
Laine Briggs had 12 digs to lead all players in that category.
Freshmen Reese Poerner, Isabella Rasi, and Nikol Dvornikova all made their collegiate debuts.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine women's volleyball has reached 26 NCAA Tournaments since 1981 as one of the most successful collegiate programs on the West Coast. The 12-time WCC Champions Waves have consistently produced top talent with 21 All-American selections with honorees in six straight decades. With multiple Olympians going through the program, Kim Hill brought home the program's first gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games.

TICKETS
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FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's volleyball news, follow the Waves on social media: @PepperdineWVB on Twitter/X, @pepperdinewvb on Instagram, and Pepperdine Women's Volleyball on Facebook.