In recent years, multiple Pepperdine sports — such as Men’s Volleyball and Women’s Soccer — have started to scrimmage in the offseasons as opposed to just having intersquad games or practices.
Members of these teams said scrimmages help improve their game and make adjustments as they prepare for their next season.
“We’re just trying to improve our team culture, our performance levels — make sure that the girls have a really clear understanding of their individual responsibilities within their particular roles in the team,” said Tim Ward, Pepperdine Women’s Soccer head coach.
Preparing for Upcoming Season
In fall ’23, Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball had their first season where they had multiple scrimmages against teams they would play in the regular season like CSUN and UCSB.
This gave Pepperdine the opportunity to be better prepared for their opponents and understand their game; such is the case for their match against CSUN, said Kevin Roberts, Men’s Volleyball redshirt sophomore outside hitter.
“There’s a really good outside, and we didn’t do a good job during the fall of stopping him,” Roberts said. “But, when we played them [CSUN], we got a whole bunch of blocks on him.”
Roberts said having scrimmages before the regular season allows the team to be more experimental with their style of play. This past fall, the team experimented with a faster style of play and assessed who handles themselves in pressure situations.
“If there’s pressure, who does what, [and] who’s able to rise up?” Roberts said. “Essentially, just to know ahead of the season so you get closer to your final lineup that you want to go through with instead of just having to try these different possibilities during the season.”
The fall season also allows Men’s Volleyball to get better film, Roberts said. During practice or intersquad games, both sides run the same system, so having scrimmages allows the team to see how they compare to opponents.
“It’s one system going against another, and then, the opposing side doesn’t know what we’re gonna do,” Roberts said. “We can see how they respond to it and whether that worked or not.”
Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball is 14-5 and 2-3 in conference play in the 2024 season.
Adjusting to Players Departing
With players leaving and graduating every year, having scrimmages allows teams to adjust to playing with a new team. Men’s Volleyball graduated outside hitter Jaylen Jasper and opposite hitter Jacob Steele while adding eight new members, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Additionally, Ward said Women’s Soccer is graduating five seniors, including three players who were in the team’s top six in minutes played.
“When they vacate the premises, it sort of leaves a void,” Ward said. “And part of the spring season is to fill that void in with a new leadership structure and then a new team identity.”
As the team is adjusting, the spring also gives players who didn’t play as much to build confidence and how to communicate on the field, said Tabitha LaParl, Women’s Soccer redshirt sophomore midfielder/forward.
“The younger players don’t really have that voice yet,” LaParl said. “So, we’re trying to just make them more comfortable.”
Giving Every Player a Chance
Women’s Soccer went 9-5-5 during the 2023 season and were one conference game win away from winning the WCC title, according to Pepperdine Athletics. When the team is performing well, there’s less opportunity to change the lineup and give certain players more time, Ward said.
“All of the girls on our team are good enough to play minutes,” Ward said. “We wouldn’t have recruited them [otherwise]. But sometimes, if the team is doing well in the fall or we’re in a rhythm and winning games, [we] just don’t change the lineup a lot.”
LaParl said this is a contrast to the spring season as the team is making a lot of different changes with the lineup and other parts of their game.
“With the formation, everyone’s been very versatile, trying out new positions,” LaParl said. “We have someone that was normally a forward trying out the center back. So, it’s putting people in different spots, seeing if there’s a change that might be better for them as a player.”
Women’s Soccer had their first scrimmages of the spring season March 9, with a doubleheader against USC and the professional Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Pepperdine tied USC 0-0 but lost to Angel City. Despite losing, Ward said the match was a good opportunity to work on “suffering well” — being able to remain competitive despite being out of possession.
“The teams that can suffer well and not lose their composure — not lose their optimism — can stay in a game, even if the other team has the ball,” Ward said. “And then, when you get your moment, make it count. It’s a good quality to have.”
LaParl said she redshirted the 2023 season because she tore her ACL. The spring season gave her the opportunity to play in a soccer game for the first time in a year and a half.
“Stepping on the field, everything just felt natural again,” LaParl said. “And, it was super exciting and just built up my love for the game again.”
__________________
Follow the Graphic on X: @PeppGraphic
Contact Tony Gleason on X: (@tony__gleason) or via email: anthony.gleason@pepperdine.edu
