Senior middle blocker Vanessa Polk goes up for the kill against Santa Clara on Nov. 15 at Firestone Fieldhouse. On her senior day, Polk made her presence felt with eight kills. Photos by Melissa Houston.
Pepperdine Women’s Volleyball extended their winning streak with a 3-0 sweep over Santa Clara University on Nov. 15 at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves improved to 20-8 overall and 14-3 in West Coast Conference play.
Heading into the match, senior middle blocker Vanessa Polk said the team focused on building confidence and trust in their preparation.
“Coach Wong was just telling us to trust our skills and trust our training,” Polk said. “Last time we played them, we took a loss, and we were just all ready to get after it today and show them how much we’ve changed.
The opening set began with both teams trading kills early. Pepperdine began to pull away midway through the set when sophomore outside hitter Maggie Beauer got a crucial kill down the right sideline.
Junior libero Laine Briggs dropped in a tip to keep Santa Clara’s defense guessing, while sophomore middle blocker Ella Piskorz and sophomore outside hitter Chloe Pravednikov continued to pressure the Broncos with key blocks.
Polk and junior setter Irelynd Lorenzen each followed with cross-court kills, and Piskorz sealed the set 25-17 with a powerful kill the Broncos couldn’t dig.
Pepperdine carried that momentum straight into the second set, quickly establishing control behind dominant play from Polk and Piskorz. Polk opened the set with a powerful spike that slipped past the Santa Clara backline, and moments later, a joint block from Polk and Piskorz brought the home crowd to its feet.
Polk said establishing pressure on the Broncos was key to pulling away.
“Sometimes we can kind of take our foot off the gas pedal, but we knew this is a team we can’t do that with,” Polk said. “If we’re going to beat them, let’s make it decisive — let’s not leave any doubt.”
Freshman setter Tristen Raymond kept the offense moving with precision, recording several assists to Beauer, while Briggs added an ace to make it 20-8. Piskorz anchored the defense at the net with three straight blocks late in the set, capping an incredible run that pushed Pepperdine to a 25-10 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
Head Coach Scott Wong said the team’s aggressiveness in the second set made the difference.
“It was very close to start, and it was a battle back and forth,” Wong said. “And it was almost a competition of wills where I think our girls outwilled Santa Clara.”
In the third set, Polk set the tone early with two quick kills as Pepperdine raced out to a 6-0 lead, forcing Santa Clara to call a timeout. After the timeout, Pravednikov delivered back-to-back kills and Raymond added an ace to extend the lead to 10-1.
Polk and Piskorz combined for a late block before Pravednikov put away the final point to secure a 25-8 third-set win.
Pravednikov led all players with 13 kills on .464 hitting, while Polk added eight kills and two blocks. Piskorz tallied seven kills, six blocks and 15.5 total points. Raymond had 30 assists and three service aces, while Briggs was strong on defense with 14 digs and two aces.
Piskorz and Polk lead the dual block for the Waves against Santa Clara Nov. 15 at Firestone Fieldhouse. The senior pair was dominant at the net, combining for eight total blocks to anchor Pepperdine’s defense.
The Waves hit an impressive .418, totaling 40 kills, eight blocks and six aces, while holding Santa Clara to a .077 hitting percentage.
Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, Polk said the team’s mentality will be key to finishing strong.
“We know that we haven’t reached our limit, and we’re still pushing to get better every single day in practice, and we’re ready for every opponent,” Polk said. “We just need to go after them and show them what we’ve got.”
Women’s Indoor Volleyball will look to continue their hot streak when they return home Nov. 29 against Saint Mary’s at Firestone Fieldhouse.
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Email Marcos Lizarraga : marcos.lizarraga@pepperdine.edu
