Junior middle blocker Vanessa Polk celebrates a point against Loyola Marymount University on Oct. 30 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Polk ended the match with six block assists and nine kills. Photos courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Pepperdine Women’s Indoor Volleyball defeated the Loyola Marymount University Lions 3-2 on Oct. 30 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Waves entered the match with a 13-7 record, including a 7-2 in-conference record, according to Pepperdine Athletics and were ranked No. 54 nationally, according to the NCAA.
“We’re pretty young as a team, and it’s something we’re trying to learn from,” Head Coach Scott Wong said. “It’s hard to teach experience, but the lessons that we’re learning are invaluable.”
The match started strong for Pepperdine, as an early run in the first set gave the Waves a 7-3 lead. Sophomore outside hitter Maggie Beauer controlled the tempo with a kill giving Pepperdine a 15-7 lead before a timeout.
The Waves continued to dominate the first set, closing it out after the Lions committed an attack error to give Pepperdine the first set 25-18.
“They served tough,” Wong said. “They did a nice job making some changes, attacking high, moving it around, but every good team is going to have wrinkles in their offense.”
LMU started hot in the second set, taking an early 8-6 lead before the Waves managed to tie the set at 10.
Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Pravednikov gave the Waves a 15-12 lead, followed by freshman libero Charis Kai getting two service aces, putting Pepperdine out of reach of an LMU comeback.
Sophomore middle blocker Ella Piskorz closed out the set 25-18 with a kill, giving the Waves a 2-0 match lead heading into the third set.
“We needed to play like we knew we were the better team,” Beauer said. “We started to do that, and we started to gain confidence.”
Set three started the same for the Waves, taking a quick 4-2 lead before LMU managed to take the momentum back and control the tempo for the rest of the set.
The Lions kept less than a two-point lead for a majority of the set before junior middle blocker Vanessa Polk blocked an LMU attack, giving the Waves a 14-13 lead.
The Lions kept pressure on Pepperdine offensively, evening the score at 22 later in the set before two major errors from the Waves gave LMU a 24-23 lead. The Lions closed out with a kill, taking the set 25-23.
“Communicating before the play and just talking about what’s happening on the other side of the net is important,” junior libero Laine Briggs said. “Our errors really kept them going.”
The Lions kept their momentum strong heading into the fourth set, taking a commanding 6-3 lead early on before the Waves managed to tie it up at 11 apiece.
Beauer shifted the momentum with three straight kills, giving the Waves an 18-15 lead before an LMU timeout. The Lions came out hot after the break, tying the match at 19 before a small run from the home team gave them a 23-20 lead late in the set.
Sophomore outside hitter Maggie Beauer goes for the kill against Loyola Marymount University on Oct. 30 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Beauer led the Waves with 18 kills in the match.
LMU did not back down despite the deficit, tying the match at 24. Two attack errors late in the fourth set from the Waves gave LMU the 29-27 set win, tying the match at 2-2.
“They were definitely getting a lot scrappier later in the game,” Beauer said. “We just needed to play through those long rallies and keep pushing ourselves.”
Pepperdine came out hot in the fifth set, taking a quick 4-0 lead before an LMU timeout. The timeout did not stop the Waves’ momentum, as they would score eight of the next 10 points to take a 13-4 lead.
Pepperdine won the set 15-6 off a block error from LMU, taking the match 3-2 and improving their record to 14-7 on the season.
“It was a big turnaround for us in set five,” Wong said. “We weren’t too smooth in set four, but the Waves are pretty good in five.”
Freshman setter Tristen Raymond serves against Loyola Marymount University on Oct. 30 at Firestone Fieldhouse. Raymond ended the match with 40 assists, leading both teams.
The Waves ended the match with 64 kills, eight service aces, 11 blocks, 54 assists and 69 digs, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Beauer led Pepperdine with 18 kills, followed by Piskorz with 15 and Pravednikov with 14. Briggs led the Waves with 20 digs, followed by freshman setter Tristen Raymond with 14.
“I feel keeping a smile on my face like I always do is important,” Briggs said. “We need to stay positive, and we’re a good team, so I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Kai led the Waves in service aces with four, followed by Raymond with two, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves’ next match is against the Santa Clara University Broncos on Nov. 15 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
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Email Shane Stephens: shane.stephens@pepperdine.edu
