Waves strike again

Success continues for the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team. Off to their best start since the 2000 season, when they went 9-0, the Waves (9-0) took home the tournament trophy in back-to-back weekends at the Titan Volleyball Classic and Oregon State Asics Classic. Leading the way was senior outside hitter Julie Rubenstein, who earned another tournament MVP. The Waves found themselves having to work much harder this past weekend, especially in the championship match versus host Oregon State. 

The Waves started things off by defeating No. 17-ranked Colorado State, 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20). Coming out strong for Pepperdine was junior outside hitter Rachel Lumsden, who is the first Wave to post a double-double this season. Her efforts were rewarded, and she was named to the All-Tournament team at the end of the weekend. 

“It was a mixture of everyone’s efforts,” Lumsden said. “We had to stay focused after losing the first set, and I just tried to be an encouragement to the rest of the team.”

During the Colorado State match, the Waves saw themselves down after one set for the first time this season.

 

“We made a few simple errors,” said Head Coach Nina Matthies. “But, it’s very difficult to win in three games on a ranked team. Although we were down early, we found a way to regroup.”

Krista Friedman, the team’s sophomore libero, scored a match-high 14 digs and was instrumental in holding the Rams to a .119 hitting percentage. After their first set loss, in which the Waves had a hitting percentage of -.97, it was time to refocus.

It was then that Colorado State had to catch up during the second, third and fourth sets. The competition was intense and forced each team to give its best. After 13 ties and six lead changes in the third set, the Waves started to gain the edge and came through in the clutch, as Rubenstein nailed down back-to-back kills for the win. With the Waves hitting on all cylinders (.448) in the fourth set, the Rams couldn’t find a way to get themselves back in it. 

On Saturday, the Waves went up against Pacific and once again showed their prowess by defeating the Tigers 3-0 (28-26, 26-24, 25-17). The first set was tied at 26-26, and Lumsden and senior middle blocker Cassi Chamberlain gave the Waves two kills to finish off the Tigers. 

The second set saw the Tigers rallying back from a 15-9 deficit and then tying the game at 24-24. Once again, it was Lumsden’s kill that put Pepperdine up, and then Rubenstein completed what Lumsden started by nailing down a service ace. 

The third set offered no room for the Tigers to move. The Waves’ serving was top notch, and, in three winning sets, the ladies were ready to capture another trophy in the championship match against the host team, Oregon State. 

The Beavers perseverance didn’t allow them to go down easily. However, Pepperdine persisted in the first two sets, winning with ease. In the first set, the Waves’ hitting percentage was a remarkable .810, with 17 kills and zero errors in 21 attempts. The third and fourth sets brought some testing times to the Waves. 

“This weekend, the teams were stronger,” Matthies said. “It was good competition. We hung in well, but it was difficult how OSU’s level of play never dropped. However, we never gave up, and once we regained the lead in the fifth set we never looked back.”

In both sets, the Beavers jumped out to an early lead, and Pepperdine struggled to get back the momentum. 

The fifth set, the team’s first of the year, was filled with excitement. Pepperdine kept the edge, leading by at least two points throughout. 

The leadership came not only from the seniors, but also the underclassmen. Freshman middle blocker Kim Hill followed Rubenstein’s back-to-back kills with two kills of her own, leading the Waves to a 5-2 start in the fifth set. Junior setter Kiah Fiers finished the game with a remarkable 65 assists and was named, along with Rubenstein and Lumsden, to the all-tournament team. 

“It feels amazing to play at this level,” said freshman outside hitter Lilla Frederick. “I was nervous at first, but playing in the five set match was a great experience.”

The Waves finished what they started, defeating the Beavers 3-2 (25-15, 27-25, 19-25, 21-25, 15-11). 

The Waves will now head into the Nevada AT&T Invitational, starting things off tomorrow, as they face UC Davis, and then continue Saturday versus a contending Missouri team and tournament host Nevada.

“There are really good teams playing next weekend,” Matthies said. “They are all well coached, and it will be another test on the road. I feel, however, after this trip we will be road-ready for the rest of the season.”