Sophomore outside hitter Maggie Beauer and junior libero Laine Briggs, share a high five after a point against OSU on Oct. 23 in Firestone Fieldhouse. Briggs was named WCC Defensive Player of the Week for the following week, according to the West Coast Conference. Photos courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
The Women’s Indoor Volleyball team hosted Oregon State in Firestone Fieldhouse for a WCC matchup Oct. 23. After five intense sets, Pepperdine pulled out the victory 3-2.
Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Pravednikov and freshman setter Tristen Raymond had career-high nights, having 20 kills and 49 assists respectivly, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“Our team has fought a battle and been uncomfortable,” Head Coach Scott Wong said. “So [it’s] fun to see our team compete tonight, and I think you see the true champions come out when things are tough.”
Oregon came into the match ranked second in the conference, while Pepperdine moved up to third Oct. 25, according to the West Coast Conference. The Waves were coming off a three-game winning streak, with their last loss Oct. 4 against Santa Clara.
Pepperdine got off to an early lead with a pair of back-to-back aces from sophomore libero Charis Kai and assistance from OSU’s own mistakes. However, the Beavers cleaned it up and went on a run to take the lead for the first time at 14-13. The Waves took a timeout to regroup but continued to trail steadily.
Junior libero Laine Briggs had a diving save over the team’s chairs on a point that reclaimed the lead. The Beavers saved the first set point, but the Waves were able to put it away 26-24 off a kill from Pravednikov.
“I just gotta go for it,” Briggs said. “That was a really crucial point for our team. We worked so hard that set, and I feel like no ball drops.”
OSU got up fast in the second set and was able to maintain the lead throughout. The Waves were unable to withstand the high-powered Beaver offense, saving four set points before succumbing 25-23 .
The third set saw more of the same with lengthy points between the teams. A wayward hit from the Beavers gave the Waves the late lead. The set culminated 25-23 with two kills from Pravednikov to take the third.
“It feels good when we are all working together,” Pravednikov said. “Having everyone there to support me and fire me up helps, and I want to do the same for my teammates.”
Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Pravednikov goes up for a hit against OSU on Oct. 23 in Firestone Fieldhouse. Pravednikov had 20 kills on the night, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
There continued to be gridlock in the fourth set. A block and a kill from sophomore outside hitter Maggie Beauer helped keep the Waves neck and neck with the Beavers.
With a chance to end the game, Pepperdine headed to match point but was unable to convert. A final score in the fourth of 28-26 OSU brought the game into a 15-point fifth set decider.
Another kill from Beauer and an ace from Raymond gave the Waves an early lead to build off of. The Beavers remained closely behind.
Sophomore libero Ella Irwin stepped up behind the line at 12-10. A pair of Irwin aces brought it to match point and called lights out at 15-10.
“It was nerve-racking, but I was excited,” Irwin said. “This match was a dogfight, but if we can do this, we can do anything.”
This sentiment was also shared by Pravednikov.
“We had each other’s backs today,” Pravednikov said. “We were covering each other really well, hyping each other up and celebrating hard. That was really motivating.”
Pepperdine headed to Pacific on Oct. 25 and won 3-1, keeping the winning streak going with five in a row.
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Contact Addison Thomas by email: addison.thomas@pepperdine.edu
