Women's Volleyball Fights On, Knocks Off No. 19 USC

Saturday, September 19

Los Angeles, Calif.

7:00 pm PT

Pepperdine University

8-3,0-0WCC

USC

5-4,0-0Big Ten

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Pepperdine	25	25	25	3
Southern California	12	20	17	0

Photo by: Greg Bintz

Women's Volleyball Fights On, Knocks Off No. 19 USC

9/19/2026 10:18:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Greg Bintz

LOS ANGELES Calif. - It's safe to say, the Waves are rolling. Pepperdine women's volleyball walked into the Galen Center and brought out the brooms on No. 19 USC, beating the Trojans in three sets to complete the 2026 nonconference slate.

It's the first time since September 13, 2013 that the Waves have swept a ranked opponent on the road (no. 19 Kentucky), and the first road sweep of any opponent since Nov. 6 last year at Gonzaga. Fans would have to look all the way back to December 3, 2005 when Pepperdine last swept USC (which was a home match for the Waves). Saturday night's victory over the Trojans also marked Pepperdine's highest-ranked road win since September 15, 2022 at No. 6 Minnesota.

"The Waves came out to make a statement tonight and started off with some really tough service pressure and never backed off," said Head Coach Scott Wong after the match. "Proud of how we are coming together as a team and excited about what is ahead of us!"

UPSET IN LA🚨🚨🚨

DOWN GOES #19 USC❗️@NCAAVolleyball #MakeWaves | @PepperdineWaves pic.twitter.com/wZwrigxCgQ
— Pepperdine Women's Volleyball (@PepperdineWVB) September 20, 2026

Pepperdine set the tone right out of the gates, surging to a 6-0 start behind several kills from Maggie Beauer and Chloe Pravednikov. USC inched their way back in it, getting within four at 13-9 following a Lilli Etter kill. The Waves wouldn't let the Trojans get much closer, ripping off a 7-0 run to effectively put the set away. Tristen Raymond recorded a service ace, Irelynd Lorenzen tallied a kill, and freshman Mariia Nikol Dvornikova joined the party with several kills as Pepperdine cruised to a 25-12 opening set victory.

The second set wasn't as much of a runaway, with neither team leading by more than two until a Pravednikov kill extended the Pepperdine advantage to 16-12 after the media timeout. USC again fought back, pulling to within one at 16-15 after Etter charted a service ace. That would be about all the Trojans had left in the tank, as Dvornikova rattled off two more kills before Beauer and Pravednikov combined for three more, and the Waves were up two sets to none, smelling blood in the water.

YEAH WAVES 🌊💦#MakeWaves | @PepperdineWaves pic.twitter.com/lUHPFdxoCo
— Pepperdine Women's Volleyball (@PepperdineWVB) September 20, 2026

Set three was one to not forget for the Waves. In the blink of an eye, it was 5-2 in favor of Pepperdine after Pravednikov hammered another kill. Charis Kai subbed in for Beauer, and with the keys in the junior's hand, the blue and orange scored three points in a row to extend an arm between the Waves and Trojans at 8-2. A couple of mishandles offensively from Pepperdine allowed USC to briefly come back to life, but it was all Waves. Ella Piskorz helped suffocate the Trojan offensive attack, forcing multiple attack errors as Pepperdine put on the burners to a 25-17 set win, and a 3-0 sweep of USC.

GAME NOTES

Pravednikov had 11 kills to lead all players.
The Waves defense made life miserable for the Trojans, holding USC to a flat .000 hitting percentage (27 kills, 27 errors).
Lorenzen racked up eight blocks for Pepperdine, a season-high.

The Waves have a short bus ride back to Malibu and will look ahead to the start of WCC play with a trip to Santa Clara on tap. Pepperdine will face Santa Clara and San Francisco next weekend, before coming back home for the WCC home opener against Pacific on October 1.

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.

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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.