By Lindsey Besecker
Assistant Sports Editor
The No. 5 Pepperdine women’s volleyball team extended its winning streak to 15 matches this weekend after winning games against No. 16 University of San Diego — which also gave Head Coach Nina Matthies her 400th career victory — and No. 12 Santa Clara. The Waves begin the second half of conference play on Friday with a match at St. Mary’s College and Saturday at University of San Francisco.
“I told the kids on Sunday, now the hard part begins,” Matthies said. “Everyone needs to pick us off right now. (This weekend) is a pretty good road trip for us.”
San Francisco defeated St. Mary’s on Sunday 3-1. In previous meetings this season with the teams, Pepperdine defeated San Francisco 3-1 and also downed St. Mary’s 3-1 in the same weekend.
The Waves handed San Francisco its first loss of the season with that match.
“Going into this weekend, we’re not overlooking the little things,” freshman middle blocker Sophia Milo said. “We’re feeling pretty good about this weekend. We always seem to do well away; we don’t seem to have problems adjusting.”
Two of the biggest conference matches of the season came last weekend for the Waves. Pepperdine defeated Santa Clara, another top-25 team, 3-1 — 30-25, 30-24, 27-30, 30-27 — on Sunday afternoon in a smoky Firestone Fieldhouse.
“We actually played very well,” Matthies said. “I thought we were in control the whole way.”
Matthies said Santa Clara naturally plays at a slower pace than the Pepperdine team, but the atmosphere from the fires was not helping either. However, the players were encouraged by the fans who came out to support them.
“It was great to have all those fans,” Milo said. “It was great to have all our fans there cheering loudly for us. It’s always more fun to play in an atmosphere where everyone cheering for you and cheering everyone on the teams. ”
In the match, senior middle blocker Lyndsey Hache and senior outside hitter Katie Wilkins combined for 30 kills to lead the Waves. Sophomore setter Melissa Mehlhorn contributed 52 sets and 15 digs, and junior libero Christina Hinds added 16 digs.
Friday’s match pitted Pepperdine against San Diego, another top-25 team. The Waves took the match in three games: 30-17, 30-25, 30-24. Hache finished the night with 13 kills, and Milo added 13 more for the Waves.
“We came in very focused,” Matthies said. “I just thought we played extremely well. We had a game plan and the kids stuck to it.”
The win marked the 14th consecutive win for Pepperdine – the last loss came against No. 1 University of Southern California – but, more importantly, was also Matthies’ 400th career coaching victory.
“It was amazing to be a part of that, and I think we all admire her for how long she’s been here through all of her wins and all of her losses,” Milo said. “It was great to be a part of that win and celebrate that special night with her.”
At the halfway point of West Coast Conference play, Pepperdine holds a 7-0 record, and Matthies said the team is preparing for the seven remaining matches. The Waves know that they are a target now as the leader of the conference and that each match is crucial for maintaining their goal – to finish conference with a 14-0 record.
“Everyone needs to pick us off right now,” Matthies said. “Our second half is fairly tough.”
As the end of the season approaches, the seniors on the team – Wilkins, Hache and middle blocker Mia Arnborg – face the end of their college careers. Matthies said the players have been doing very well, both during games and in practices.
“Obviously, the reason our team is as good as it is, is because we play against each other in practice,” Matthies said. “(The seniors) have been doing very well.”
October 30, 2003