ZACH ENGLUND
Sports Assistant
Things were firing on all cylinders for the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team last weekend, with the Waves beating No.-20 Santa Clara and No.-15 San Diego at home in convincing fashion.
The first victory for the Waves (12-10, 8-2 WCC) came at the expense of what was supposed to be a formidable opponent in Santa Clara (16-6, 6-4), the same team that beat them in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The game, held Nov. 2, belonged solely to the Waves, who swept the Broncos, 3-0 (30-25, 32-32, 30-28).
Santa Clara jumped on Pepperdine early, going on an 8-1 run and taking a 12-8 lead in the first set. The Waves kept their poise and rallied back to tie the match at 14 apiece. With the momentum on their side, Pepperdine went on a 6-1 run, putting the heat on Santa Clara, who could not afford a bad start to a confident Waves team. The Broncos pulled within two points at 20-18, but Pepperdine took control of the set from that point on, taking a 26-19 lead and an eventual 1-0 advantage in the match.
The second set was much more competitive than the first one, with both teams going back and forth and finding themselves deadlocked at 29 each. With the Broncos breathing down their necks, the Waves withstood the pressure, finishing strong and taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
Santa Clara, having one last chance to make the game an actual contest, battled their way to a 27-26 advantage. However, the Waves would seize control once again and went on to sweep the Broncos, making quite a statement against a higher-ranked opponent.
The next team to visit Malibu was San Diego (20-5, 10-1), a team that should of given Pepperdine more of a contest than what perspired on Saturday afternoon, as the Waves picked up the huge 3-1 victory (30-22, 28-30, 30-19, 30-28).
The first set was close at the beginning, tied at 8 before Pepperdine started to make their mark on the game. The blistering Waves took a 25-18 lead in the set on their way to a 1-0 advantage.
The second set featured 15 ties leading up to an 18-all thriller. A few minutes later, the game was knotted at 24, but this time it was the Toreros who took control, going on a 4-1 run and eventually winning the set to tie the contest at 1-1.
Pepperdine responded with a dominating effort in the third set, with 21-18 being as close as San Diego got through the rest of the game. Pepperdine went on to take a 2-1 lead in the match, which made two upsets in as many games very attainable for the Waves.
To the credit of the Toreros, they would not go down without a fight, clawing their way to a 23-21 lead in an effort to make the match more interesting. The set was tied at 28-all before Pepperdine took the lead for good.
Head Coach Nina Matthies was very proud of the way her team performed over the weekend.
“Our ball control and defense were fantastic, and when we’re consistent with our ball control, well, we’re pretty good,” he said.
Freshman outside hitter Rachel Lumsden was awarded West Coast Conference Player of the Week for her strong performance, an award that Matthies felt was well deserved.
“I thought Rachel had a tremendous weekend,” she said. “She really played fantastic, especially for a freshman.”
The team’s next matches will take place in the Bay Area, where it will face Saint Mary’s and San Francisco, both of whom the Waves swept earlier in the season.
Matches against the Gaels and Dons are slated for tonight and Saturday, respectively.
08-27-2007
