Reigning WCC Champions Pepperdine Women’s Volleyball fell to the No. 21 USC Trojans 3-0 on opening night Aug. 30, at Firestone Fieldhouse. This loss put the Waves at 0-1 on the young season.
The Waves remained neck and neck throughout the match, but USC remained one step ahead and was able to complete the sweep. The leading scorers for Pepperdine were graduate opposite hitter Riley Simpson, graduate outside hitter Birdie Hendrickson and senior outside hitter Grace Chillingworth with 13, 8 and 6 kills respectively.
“There’s a lot of good there’s a lot of things that we could grow from,” Head Coach Scott Wong said. “It’s overall just maturity in how we approach the game and how we see the game and I know that’s a big thing, but that, ultimately, is why USC won.”
The starters for opening night were Simpson, Hendrickson, Chillingworth, senior libero Trinity Stanger, junior middle blocker Kennadie Patterson and junior setter Rosemary Archer. Only two starters from last year’s lineup — Hendrickson and Chillingworth — remain on the team.
Wong said the team is still experimenting with its starting lineup.
“We do have some moving parts,” Wong said. “Last year, we locked into a lineup throughout the whole year. I don’t see us locking into just one lineup throughout the year. We’ll have some changes throughout the year.”
The first set started off with the Waves grabbing a quick 3-0 lead but the Trojans battled back going on a 7-2 run. The Waves were able to respond by remaining within just a couple of points within the match but weren’t ever able to tie or take the lead.
Despite their best efforts, the Waves were a step behind USC’s adjustments, the Trojans pulled ahead and won the first set 25-19.
“Towards the end of that first set, they were able to make those plays, and able to serve a little more aggressive and to put those balls away, even though they are out of system,” Wong said. “We need to do a better job slowing them down when they’re out of system.”
Just like the first, the second set started off with each team remaining competitive but USC always remaining a little bit ahead. The Waves pulled within one making the score 17-16, but with a 22-20 score, USC scored three unanswered points to win the set.
“They were converting a lot better than we were tonight,” Simpson said. “They’re just putting balls away as they should, and we had a tough time defending them, but I know that we can turn it around tomorrow.”
Just like the previous two sets, the Waves kept it close but always remained a step behind. That was until Wong made a double sub putting in freshmen outside hitter Maggie Baeauer and sophomore setter Brynn McGhie.
Yet again the Waves battled back, and unlike the previous two sets, the Waves were able to tie up the set, 19-19. Wong said heading into the third set, he told the team they’re up against a wall.
“It was a little bit of like, ‘Hey, we’re getting pushed and we’re on our heels right now, and how do we respond?” Wong said. “And I thought they responded nicely.”
Despite the Waves resilience, USC got the momentum back on their side, going on a 6-2 run to end the match and secure the victory.
The Waves had a rematch against USC on Aug. 31, also at Firestone, but lost 4-1. Pepperdine’s next game is Sept. 6 against the University of Hawai’i in Honolulu.
“We can just be a little sharper in each area of the game that’ll really help us out,” Simpson said.
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Contact Tony Gleason on Twitter (@tony__gleason) or via email: anthony.gleason@pepperdine.edu
