DAVID NAKAGAMI
Assistant Sports Editor
Dropping three of their last four games, all against in-conference foes, the Waves retaliated with two wins this week. Pepperdine traveled to Gersten Pavilion Saturday to play their rival Lions of Loyola Marymount. In a tightly-contested match, the Waves ousted LMU 3-0 by scores of 33-31, 30-28, and 31-29.
In a rare non-conference matchup, the Waves hosted the Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara Tuesday. Pepperdine took swift care of business, dispatching the Gauchos in three games, 30-27, 30-25, and 30-20.
The Waves stumbled in their recent road trip to northern California, losing matches to the Broncos of Santa Clara and the Gaels of St. Mary’s by a tally of 1-3 and 2-3, respectively. In their last game on the road, Pepperdine returned to Southern California to face off against conference challenger LMU.
Pepperdine pulled out three close games against the Lions to complete the season sweep. In their first meeting, which took place in Malibu as the first conference game of the season, the Waves came out on top 3-1. All of the games from the latest match were won by the narrowest of margins: 33-31, 30-28, and 31-29.
Senior outside hitter Lecca Roberts led the Waves attack with 13 kills and a 0.417 hitting percentage. Pepperdine covered the court well, with four players recording double-digit digs. Although it wasn’t a pretty win, the game spoke volumes about the team’s ability to pull itself out of a funk and back on the winning side of contests.
The Waves got a break from conference play Tuesday. UC-Santa Barbara entered Firestone Fieldhouse on a two-game winning streak, defeating UC-Irvine and Pacific before they arrived to take on the Waves. The score was kept close during the beginning of the first game, due in large part to the Waves’ sloppy passing. Their nerves began to settle midway through the first game and Pepperdine triumphed 30-27 on a service ace by sophomore setter Kiah Fiers.
Fiers’ 17 assists and a game-high seven kills by junior Julie Rubenstein propelled the Waves offense. Despite a formidable Gaucho front line, Pepperdine mustered a 0.233 hitting percentage.
As the match wore on, the Waves gained momentum and strength. Pepperdine won the second game 30-25 and the third 30-20. Their hitting percentage rose to 0.359 and even higher to 0.366 the final game. The team recorded 62 digs to the Gauchos’ 39, with freshman Krista Friedman earning 20 herself.
Assists came in abundance, with Fiers dishing out 43 of the team’s 54 helpers. All in all, the Waves dominated all facets of the game en route to their sweep of the Gauchos.
“I thought we played pretty well,” said Head Coach Nina Matthies. “We took control of the match. The second game we cut down on some errors.”
Junior middle blocker Cassi Chamberlain summarized the team’s performance in one word – solid.
“It was another win,” she said. “To win at home, so as far as the team going on the up and up, it helped us in that respect.”
More than halfway through the West Coast Conference schedule, Pepperdine needs to make a strong push toward the finish in a compact race for the conference title. Currently, the Waves trail Santa Clara (8-1 WCC) and San Diego (6-2), holding a 5-3 in-conference record and a 14-7 overall mark.
After coming out victorious Tuesday night, the Waves hope the home court advantage benefits them this upcoming week.
“I’m looking forward to going 3-0 this week,” Chamberlain said.
Pepperdine plays Saint Mary’s on Thursday at 7 p.m., and Gonzaga on Saturday at 1 p.m.
11-01-2007
