Junior opposite hitter Chloe Pravednikov goes for the kill against the Sacramento State Hornets on Aug. 31 in Sacramento. Pravednikov led the Waves in kills at the Sacramento State Invitational with 41. Photos courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Pepperdine Women’s Indoor Volleyball traveled up north for the Sacramento State Invitational on Aug. 29-31. The Waves finished the tournament with a 2-1 record and sit sixth in the West Coast Conference standings.
Pepperdine started the season with a strong opening win over the University of California, Davis Aggies. This marks the Waves’ first season opener win since their 3-1 victory over the University of Tulsa in 2022, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
In the second match, the Waves fell to the University of Texas, El Paso Miners in a sweep but bounced back with a 3-2 win over the Sacramento State Hornets to finish the invitational.
In their first match against the Aggies, Pepperdine won a close first set 26-24, but the Aggies won the second set 25-22. The Waves controlled the rest of the match, winning the next two sets 25-19 and 25-21, respectively, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Sophomore opposite hitter Maggie Beauer led the Waves in kills against UC Davis with 15, followed by sophomore opposite hitter Chloe Pravednikov with 12, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves kept their second match against UTEP close but dropped the opening set 25-21. In the second set, Pepperdine remained competitive, but a late run by the Miners handed the Waves a 26-24 loss.
The Waves and Miners battled back and forth in the third set, but UTEP came out on top with a 25-23 win to take the match 3-0, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Beauer again led the Waves in kills in this match with 12, followed by Pravednikov with 10, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Junior middle blocker Grace Jackson goes on the offensive against the University of Texas, El Paso on Aug. 30 in Sacramento. Eight different Waves scored a kill throughout the three matches at the Sacramento State Invitational.
Pepperdine did not have momentum at the start of their third match against Sacramento State, where the Hornets scored five straight at the end of the first set in a 25-21 score.
Sacramento State continued their momentum into the second set, scoring 11 of the final 12 points in the second set to win 25-16, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
The Waves bounced back in their third set, with a dominant 25-12 win, followed by another strong 25-14 win in the fourth set.
The Hornets stopped the Waves’ dominance in the fifth set, keeping it close throughout, but Pepperdine completed the reverse sweep, winning the fifth set 15-12 and taking the match 3-2.
Pravednikov led the Waves with 19 kills in the match along with five service aces from freshman setter Tristen Raymond, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Pepperdine celebrates a point against the University of California, Davis on Aug. 29 in Sacramento. The Waves committed 13 errors in this match compared to the Aggies 21, including 19 service errors.
In the invitational, the Waves totaled 140 kills, 128 assists, 23 service aces and 152 digs. Pravednikov and Beauer led the Waves in kills throughout the tournament with 41 and 39, respectively, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Raymond led the Waves in assists with 56, followed by junior setter Brynne McGhie with 49.
Junior libero Laine Briggs and Raymond both led Pepperdine in service aces with seven each, while Briggs also led the Waves in digs with 43.
Pepperdine followed this tournament with a 3-1 win over No. 19 University of California, Los Angeles on Sept. 2 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
The Waves’ next match is against the No. 9 University of Pittsburgh on Sept. 5 at Fitzgerald Field House.
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Contact Shane Stephens via email: shane.stephens@pepperdine.edu
