The Pepperdine Women’s volleyball victory train is showing no signs of stopping any time soon. For the third time in as many games the Lady Waves shut out their opponent in a 3-0 affair. Their victory on Saturday proved to be just a little sweeter as it came at the expense of long time rival Loyola Marymount. Pepperdine moved their record to 17-7 overall (8-2 in WCC play).
The frontline for Pepperdine was absolutely unstoppable. The non-stop energy and pressure from start to finish proved to be overwhelming for the Lion’s offensive attack. Junior libero Stevi Robinson continues to string together impressive performances as this year wraps up stifling potential LMU kills from hitting the ground all night.
The Lady Waves didn’t face much resistance throughout the match cruising to an early victory in the first frame as well as the third. The one moment of uncertainty came in the second game though it was very fleeting. Before LMU could cap off a minor comeback to steal the game sophomore Victoria Adelhelm middle blocker and freshman Emily Cook outside hitter took over and put the game away.
The win keeps Pepperdine locked in 3rd on the WCC standings list and more or less drops Loyola Marymount out of contention for any postseason glory. The Waves have four games left in the regular season starting with a road trip that stops in Portland Nov. 11 and Gonzaga Nov. 13. Both teams are on the bottom of the conference totem pole so it would be considered a major disappointment if the Waves dropped either game. The hope is that they’ll be able to win their 4th and 5th straight games (improving to 10-2 in their last twelve) before returning home for their much anticipated final home stand against San Diego and Saint Mary’s Nov. 18 and 20.
Assuming both those teams win out as well the conference title may very well be decided on the weekend of the 20th in Firestone Fieldhouse. As always though it’s imprudent to put the cart before the horse. Pepperdine will continue to do what they’ve done all season; take everything one game at a time. And by the looks of their recent outcomes they seem to be finally hitting their stride.