DAVID NAKAGAMI
Assistant Sports Editor
A week off from games did not affect the play of the women’s volleyball team. Instead, the team used the time to heal some injuries and prepare for the start of their West Coast Conference schedule.
The Waves’ first in-conference match up pitted them against Loyola Marymount. After letting the first game slip 18-30, Pepperdine went on to win the next three games 30-23, 30-26, and 30-25 to earn the 3-1 victory.
The Waves made the first game of the match interesting. After keeping up with LMU until the score was 9-9, the Lions made their move. LMU went on a 9-2 run, leaving Pepperdine in the dust. The Lions carried the momentum until the end of the game, winning 30-18 and taking the lead in the match 1-0.
As a team, the Waves hit 0.036 compared to the Lions’ 0.344. Pepperdine could not find an answer to Lions outside hitter Heather Hughes, who recorded a game-high six kills. Sophomore Rachel Lumsden led the Waves with four kills and three digs, in addition to her service ace to begin the game.
“I think they put a lot of pressure on themselves,” said Head Coach Nina Matthies. “I just told them to settle down. I thought after we settled down a little bit, we played a little better.”
Shaking off the rust that was evident in the opening game, the Waves bounced back. Pepperdine took the initiative, coming out aggressively and taking the lead. With the score at 10-8, the Waves won seven points to LMU’s one in the following exchange, upping the score to the Waves’ favor 17-9. Two of the seven points came on consecutive aces by Lumsden. Pepperdine pulled ahead for good, evening the match 1-1 with a game two 30-23 win.
The pivotal third game found the Waves behind 14-18 midway through the game. A spike by junior Julie Rubenstein sparked a run of seven straight points for the Waves, a streak that included two Rubenstein aces. Erasing the deficit and mounting a lead, Pepperdine didn’t look back, winning the third game 30-26. More importantly, the Waves shifted the momentum in their favor for a potentially match-ending fourth game.
Closing in on their first conference win of the season, the Waves smelled blood and went in for the kill. The fourth game was a see-saw battle, as the Lions would not go without a fight.
The score was tied at 25 when Rubenstein’s kill gave the boost needed to finish out the game and match. Two LMU errors, another kill by Rubenstein, and a point by freshman Kristen Seaton earned the Waves the win 30-25, and 3-1 in games.
Contributions came from each member of the team, with six players recording at least five kills. In addition, 10 Waves got on the board with digs.
By trumping their rivals, Pepperdine upped their overall record to 9-4. Also, the triumph kicked off their WCC schedule with a big win.
“It means a lot to beat our rivals,” said sophomore setter Kiah Fiers. “We want to go undefeated in conference.”
While these may seem like lofty goals, they are more expectations than aspirations. After all, it was this Waves team that was selected by the coaches of the WCC in the pre-season to win the conference. In reality, LMU was just another speed bump on the road to the conference tournament.
Pepperdine continues their conference schedule by traveling to the Pacific Northwest to play the Bulldogs of Gonzaga on Thursday and the Portland Pilots on Sunday.
10-04-2007
