Women's Volleyball Downs UC Santa Barbara in Four Sets

Friday, September 18

Malibu, Calif.

6:00 pm PT

Pepperdine University

7-3,0-0WCC

UC Santa Barbara

4-5,0-0Big West

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
UC Santa Barbara	19	25	20	19	1
Pepperdine	25	15	25	25	3

Photo by: Greg Bintz

Women's Volleyball Downs UC Santa Barbara in Four Sets

9/18/2026 10:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Greg Bintz

MALIBU, Calif. - The Pepperdine women's volleyball team took advantage of being back in front of a home crowd, winning 3-1 over UC Santa Barbara Friday night.

The crowd of 658 marked the highest-attended home match since September 13, 2024 against No. 1-ranked Pitt (708), and the largest-attended home match against a non-ranked opponent since November 11, 2023 against San Diego (783).

Maggie Beauer racked up 14 kills to pace the Waves, while Mariia Nikol Dvornikova tallied 11. Laine Briggs (15 digs) and Charis Kai (nine digs) helped lead the defensive effort.

"First off, what an amazing crowd," said Head Coach Scott Wong after the contest. "Fun to see the environment and energy here. It was really cool for the girls. It was great to see how gritty our team was, because as things got tougher, we made some plays. Proud of our overall effort and play."

The Gauchos pulled out in front 7-4 to start the opening set, but the Waves never let UC Santa Barbara get further than that as Pepperdine soon knotted the set at 17 on a kill by Dvornikova. It was the spark the Waves needed, as the blue and orange would end the frame on a 8-2 run, capped by a Briggs service ace, and the Waves led one set to none.

We bring the BOOOOM, that's what we do 💪🎸#MakeWaves | @pepperdinewaves pic.twitter.com/ujvnhaDr7a
— Pepperdine Women's Volleyball (@PepperdineWVB) September 19, 2026

Set two would prove to be quite an anomaly on the scoreboard. A kill from Dvornikova would help tie things at seven but after that, it was an uphill battle for the Waves. Gabi Martinez tallied a kill as part of a 7-1 run. Chloe Pravednikov would help Pepperdine try to rally back but UCSB never looked back and took set two 25-15.

Pepperdine got back on track in set three and spread the love on offense. Irelynd Lorenzen, Ryan Gilhooly, Pravednikov, Beauer, and Piskorz all had either a service ace or a kill to put the Waves up 14-12. Briggs recorded a service ace not long after and the blue and orange soon led by four at 16-12. Freshman Reese Poerner would sub into the match and made an immediate impact, registering a service ace that helped put the set away. A Beauer kill would seal the frame and send Pepperdine to the fourth set with a 25-20 set win and a 2-1 advantage in the match.

An early service ace from Piskorz would help the Waves get off to a good start in set four. Pepperdine took advantage of several attack errors by UCSB in addition to another trio of kills from Piskorz later in the set to help the Waves lead 10-5. The Gauchos clawed back and were suddenly down only one point at 13-12 after a Bella Mathis service ace. Beauer put the Waves on her back and got the hot hand, rattling off four consecutive kills to help put Pepperdine at an arm's length. After a Tristen Raymond service ace, it fittingly was Beauer that rang the bell with one final kill, sending Waves fans home happy as Pepperdine reigned victorious 3-1.

GAME NOTES

The Gauchos had an advantage in hitting percentage, .236 to Pepperdine's .200.
Piskorz had six blocks to lead all players.
The Waves totaled 47 digs compared to UCSB's 45.

Pepperdine will have a quick turnaround with a match set for 7:00 pm Pacific tomorrow night at 19th-ranked USC. The contest will be streamed on BTN+, with live stats also available. Fans interested in attending the match can purchase tickets here.

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
For more information on ticket packages and to purchase tickets for upcoming home events, visit here.

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.