Pepperdine Indoor Women’s Volleyball defeated Pacific 3-1 Sept. 28 at Firestone Fieldhouse.
After a dominant first set 25-17, the Waves fell in the second set before winning the third set 25-20 and fourth set 25-17, according to Pepperdine Athletics, to get their first WCC win.
The Waves rolled out with the starting lineup of senior outside hitter Grace Chillingworth, graduate student outside hitter Birdie Hendrickson, junior setter Rosemary Archer, graduate student opposite hitter Riley Simpson, junior middle blocker Kennadie Patterson, freshman middle blocker Ella Piskorz and senior libero Trinity Stranger.
The Waves started conference play strong, with Hendrickson and Chillingworth having strong offensive attacks through the four sets. The Waves hope that the team chemistry grows stronger as they get deeper into the season.
“Our word of the year is grit,” Hendrickson said. “We keep our connection, and we’re just gritty out there, going after every ball, not letting everything drop, and keeping our pace at the game.”
Hendrickson led the team, finishing with seven kills in the first set and 18 total kills throughout the match, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Archer had 40 assists throughout the match, setting up a dominant attack in the first and fourth sets, where the Waves won by eight points in both sets, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“I think it’s everybody else who helps me play at my best,” Archer said. “I think having trust with [the team], I’m able to throw the ball into them and that really helps their offense.”
The first set quickly went in favor of the Waves, who took an early 13-7 lead, and kept the momentum going before Hendrickson ended the set with a kill.
With the second set going in favor of Pacific, Head Coach Steve Wong made quick adjustments to make sure the offense regained their strong attacks.
“The flow of sport, it’s always, how do you stay sharp and they came back with a little fire in their belly,” Wong said.
The Waves proceeded to win the next two sets, both staying even until the final few points.
“We responded when they pushed in sets two and three and we pushed back, and same thing in set four,” Wong said. “It was more of a battle of ourselves, with a physical battle but some mental battle too.”
With the win against Oregon State 3-1 Sept. 26, Wong said they were fatigued, but still confident that they could come out with a win against Pacific.
The Waves finished the game with 50 kills, 14 blocks and 58 digs, according to Pepperdine Athletics, showcasing their dominance on both sides of the ball.
“I thought we just were clicking pretty early on in the match,” Wong said. “I thought we served tough from the get go, so that opened up the lead to give us a nice little cushion.”
The Waves, thanks to strong attacks from Hendrickson and Chillingworth in the last two sets, were able to control the tempo and stopped Pacific’s ability to respond.
“It’s just learning how to adjust back, they put more pressure on us blocking wise,” Hendrickson said. “We had to open our toolbox with the hitting and our range and it worked out well.”
Hendrickson said she values the team chemistry, and despite the team still getting used to the young roster, they are able to make it work.
“[Archer] is putting up such great balls for me right now, our connection on the court is unstoppable,” Hendrickson said. “I feel so close with her and that relationship really helps me score.”
Archer assisted on 15 of Hendrickson’s 18 kills and assisted 13 of Chillingworth’s 17 kills.
Patterson, Piskorz, Archer and Simpson had defensive success as well, recording three block assists each, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
“It’s awesome to talk about blocking lineups or what we need to do, but it’s even better when we see the grit of a team and the heart shine through,” Wong said.
Pepperdine Indoor Women’s Volleyball’s next match will be against Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington at the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre on Oct. 3.
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Email Shane Stephens: shane.stephens@pepperdine.edu
