GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team continued its up and down season against the top two teams in the West Coast Conference, losing in straight sets to both Santa Clara University and University of San Diego over the weekend.
The Waves’ first opponent, No.-11 Santa Clara, won Friday’s match thanks to accurate serving. Pepperdine fell victim to 11 service errors while the Broncos only had three in the 30-25, 30-26, 31-29 win.
Freshman Julie Rubenstein was the only Wave with double figures in kills, notching 16 while compiling a .256 hitting percentage. Two Broncos managed to notch double-figure kill totals.
Rubenstein said Pepperdine’s performance in the match was as inconsistent as the season has been overall.
“We played well, but we also had moments where we didn’t play so well,” Rubenstein said. “We need to consistently play at the level we know how to play and we didn’t do that.”
Junior middle blocker Sophia Milo, a WCC Player of the Year candidate, hit .400 against the Broncos but could only tally nine kills against the Santa Clara defense.
The Waves traveled to San Diego on Saturday to match up against the Toreros, but again found themselves on the short end of the stick, falling in three sets, 30-18, 30-27, 30-22.
Rubenstein and senior Katy Daly led Pepperdine with 10 kills apiece, as USD junior middle blocker Christie Dawson paced all players with 24 kills on the night.
Rubenstein, who leads the team in kills, said she wasn’t expecting to be the team’s go-to hitter this soon but welcomes the role.
“I didn’t think I’d be as needed as I am,” Rubenstein said. “I thought I’d just play and not be someone who would be counted on to make points. I didn’t think it would be quite like that, but I like it.”
Pepperdine team members could be upset about the awkward travel schedule, from Santa Clara to San Diego for back-to-back matches, but Rubenstein said the travel wasn’t a factor in the two losses.
“There was a lot of time for us to recoup,” Rubenstein. “There was a lot of down time to rest. If anything, there was too much rest. I don’t think (the travel) affected us all that much.”
The Waves’ rollercoaster season has frustrated some team members, but Rubenstein said the team just has to keep trying to fulfill its potential.
“I think if we just play like we know how then we are so good,” Rubenstein said. “The key is finding out what will help us play well all the time.”
The Waves sit at 12-10 on the season and 5-4 in conference play after the two losses. Pepperdine is in a tie for third place in the WCC, with Santa Clara in first, Saint Mary’s College in second and USD tied with the Waves.
Pepperdine finishes out its home schedule with three matches next week. The Waves go up against Saint Mary’s College at 7 p.m. Friday in Firestone Fieldhouse, then host University of San Francisco at 7 on Saturday night. Pepperdine’s final home match is against UCLA at 7 p.m Tuesday.
Rubenstein said the team has put forth maximum effort to get ready for the upcoming matches.
“This week we are working really hard,” Rubenstein said. “We’re having really tough practices. We’re just going to work and we’re going to try hard to beat these teams because we need the wins.”
11-03-2005