The Women’s Indoor Volleyball team hosted the No. 19 UCLA Bruins at Firestone Fieldhouse for the 2025 home opener Sept. 2. Pepperdine won the match 3-1.
Coming off a victory against Sacramento State three days prior, the Waves were looking to get their first win in Malibu. The Waves did just that, outscoring the Bruins 3-1.
“It feels great to open against UCLA, cross-town rivals,” Head Coach Scott Wong said. “They’re really good. They’re all coached, talented teams, so feels great.”
With the Bruins to serve first, sophomore outside hitter Maggie Beauer started the set off right with a kill. Despite the strong offensive start, the score continued to fluctuate as UCLA’s strong front row proved a struggle.
Graduate middle blocker Vanessa Polk had a deliberate tip and nasty kill. That helped widen the gap, along with an ace from junior setter Brynne McGhie. Pepperdine was able to close out a close first set with a score of 25-23.
In August, Polk earned WCC Preseason Team Honors along with fellow Waves sophomore middle blocker Ella Piskorz and senior outside hitter Iva Popovic, according to previous Graphic reporting.
“I came back from an injury last year,” Polk said. “So to come back and still have people give me respect and still understand that I’m gonna come back harder is great. It’s not easy to do. But with the support of my team and my coaches, I feel like we’re all just there for each other.”
Going into the second set, Pepperdine led in kills, blocks and digs. However, UCLA came out swinging.
The Waves were struggling for answers but were not going down without a fight. Junior libero Laine Briggs dove into the sidelines for a save, but despite the efforts, the Bruins took the second set 25-14.
“No matter where it is, I’m just going to go for it,” Briggs said. “That’s a very big momentum shift in the game for sure. That gets the fans’ heads up and makes us play better. So whatever I can do for the team.“
Putting the second set in the past, the Waves had a good run with senior libero Emma McMahon behind the line, forcing the Bruins to take a timeout. The third set proved to be a back-and-forth battle.
Pepperdine built a small lead at 20-16, forcing UCLA to take their second timeout. Their efforts were in vain, as Piskorz put the set away with a kill, making the final for the third set win 25-17.
Energy was high going into the fourth set but so were tensions. The Waves forced the Bruins to take both timeouts for a second set in a row. It was a team effort to get it to match point, where two Bruins collided on the court. This confusion among UCLA ended the fourth set 25-21 in the Waves’ favor.
“I think there is a couple of things that we tried hard to do,” Wong said. “We tried to make them feel a little uncomfortable, right? Serving tough. We at times kind of pulled our foot off the gas a little bit, and then they had some success in game two.”
Since this game, the Waves have gone on a 1-2 stretch with a win against Lipscomb and loses to Pitt and Jacksonville.
“We’ve got to focus on our side,’ Wong said. “We’re going to keep on focusing on how we can build this team, and we’ll slice it up and kind of meet everybody where they are at.”
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Contact Addison Thomas by email: addison.thomas@pepperdine.edu
