Junior forward Shorna Preston high-fives her teammates during Blue and Orange Madness in Firestone Fieldhouse on Oct. 3. Preston is one of seven international players joining the Waves this year. Photos by Melissa Houston
A new wave of Women’s Basketball has hit Malibu – literally. Pepperdine’s team consists of all brand new players, with 12 fresh faces representing the Waves on the court.
Head Coach Katie Faulkner is in her second full year leading Pepperdine’s team. After graduating 10 seniors last year, Faulkner said she knows what she wants her program to look like.
“We saw glimpses of what our culture was going to be from last year,” Faulkner said. “We learned that this is going to be a special place to play once you get the right people here, and we found that with the work we did in the portal.”
This year’s team brought in players from around the world. From Europe to Oklahoma, Faulkner said the new Waves found what they were looking for in Malibu.
“We didn’t sell them banners, we didn’t sell them a trophy, we didn’t sell them a gym – we don’t even have a gym,” Faulkner said. “This was a basketball decision and a people decision. They are looking for leaders, they’re looking to be surrounded by people who are going to make them better and they want to be a part of building something and working for something.”
Leaning on Experience
Four of the new Waves are true freshmen, with the other eight having some collegiate court experience. Graduate guard Ivory Finley said she joined the Waves in search of an outlet that would support her growth after spending two seasons with Utah State.
“I wanted to be a part of a team that has a good culture, good foundation and to help rebuild this year and set a foundation for the players coming in and the players that continue to stay here and grow over the next four years,” Finley said.
Graduate guard Ivory Finley runs out of the tunnel during Blue and Orange Madness in Firestone Fieldhouse on Oct. 3. Finley is one of the 12 fresh faces representing Pepperdine Women’s Basketball this year.
Finley said she found these values in the squad she is surrounded with and the mentality all of them carry. In each of her teammates, she sees players that are willing to pour 110% into Pepperdine’s program.
Another one of the seasoned players who joined the Waves is graduate guard Meghan Fiso. In her sixth year of collegiate ball, Fiso is coming to Malibu after winning the 2025 Mountain West Conference championship with the San Diego State Aztecs, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“Bringing the tools that I’ve built throughout the years with me and pouring into the younger ones – being a leader and solid rock for them – has been the most important,” Fiso said.
Fiso and Finley aren’t the only beacons of experience younger players have to look up to. Pepperdine alumna Makena Mastora (‘25) is joining the staff as an assistant coach after being an integral part of the Waves’ 2024-25 squad, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“It’s definitely one of those things I wasn’t planning for, but God works in the best ways,” Mastora said. “I’ve been a player for the past four years but learning to see what goes on on the other side has been pretty cool.”
Mastora even serves as a leader for the upperclassmen. Finley said despite years of college basketball experience under her belt, she is able to look to Mastora for more Pepperdine-specific guidance.
“We honestly lean on her a lot more than she probably thinks,” Finley said.
Fresh Waves
Pepperdine’s roster is balanced well with young blood and experienced players representing the Waves this season. Each player brings a different skillset to the table, which is something Faulkner said her team benefits from.
“We have a lot of depth,” Faulkner said. “We share the ball really well and have a lot of weapons, and so that adds variety to the game.”
Although some of the freshmen players will still be adjusting to the collegiate basketball scene, Faulkner said she has no doubt her team will step up.
Freshman guard Seleh Harmon said she’s ready to represent Pepperdine to the best of her ability.
“We’re coming in this with nothing to lose,” Harmon said. “We want to go out there and prove ourselves and put Pepperdine on the map. We want to prove that we can really compete and make a name for ourselves.”
Sophomore guard Ellison Guiney waves to the crowd at Blue and Orange Madness in Firestone Fieldhouse on Oct. 3. Guiney transferred to Pepperdine from UNLV.
Some of the new players are bringing loads of experience to Malibu, such as junior guard Lina Falk. Crossing the seas from Wolfenbüttel, Germany, Falk is bringing a national-level perspective to Pepperdine.
“She has been with professionals her entire life,” Faulkner said. “She’s coming in and adding some of that experience.”
The balance of younger players with seasoned veterans brings a determined culture to Malibu, Faulkner said. Whether they’re in their sixth year of college basketball or this will be their first time stepping onto an NCAA-sanctioned court, the Waves are ready to win.
“We have winners, and we have a bunch of kids who have that character, who are willing to give what it takes,” Faulkner said. “They’re not perfect, there’s a lot of yuck, but they’re willing to stick through it and learn from it.”
Team Chemistry
Putting together an entirely new squad comes with its challenges. The team was able to bond when they moved on-campus early over the summer. Faulkner said her players were able to treat the time together like summer camp, playing games and focusing on connection that would translate to on-the-court success.
“If you know each other off the court, it makes your relationship on the court 10 times better,” Finley said.
As the team began focusing on their competitive chemistry, Fiso said they kept their values at the core of every workout. The graduate guard said this united mentality is what helped her win a championship last year.
“Our core values shape everything that we do,” Fiso said. “There’s never a day that we are not trying to practice out those core values on the court and off the court.”
There are four core values that serve as North stars for her team: deep connection, competition, growth and service. Faulkner said her team shows up every day in the relentless pursuit of success while staying rooted in these values.
“The greatest players of all time have walked into a situation and elevated the people around them,” Faulkner said. “That’s why we have success – because we are doing it for one another.”
With an entirely new roster, Fiso and Finley said the most important thing for their team is consistency.
“You have wins and losses but always bouncing back from those losses, and even learning from wins is important,” Finley said. “Not just thinking, ‘Oh, we’re good and we can just coast from here,’ just always making sure that we’re leveling up each and every time.”
Fiso said leadership looks different for each player. While she agrees her team will succeed with consistency, she wants to bring that quality into her role as a leader. Whether that means showing up to practice daily or being an outlet for her teammates, Fiso always wants to be a resource for the new Waves.
“I try to be a calm amongst the chaos that basketball can sometimes bring,” Fiso said. “Being a calm person for us on the court as well as off the court has helped me be a leader for this team.”
After winning their season opener against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 4, 84-70, Fiso said she can only envision brighter things ahead for her team as season progresses.
“The goal is to lay the foundation and get stronger every single day, no matter what that looks like,” Fiso said. “Moving forward, it’s just going to keep getting better.”
The Waves will host Westmont College for their home opener Nov. 8 in Firestone Fieldhouse. Pepperdine will continue using these games to gear up for West Coast Conference play, which begins up north when the Waves face the Washington State Cougars on Dec. 28.
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