With victories last week against Manhattan College and Kansas in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team advanced to the Sweet 16-round for the second consecutive season. The Waves play against Minnesota on Friday in Long Beach at 7:30 p.m.
Pepperdine had to come from behind for its second-round win against Kansas on Friday. The Jayhawks won the first game, 23-20. But then the Waves went on to three-straight victories (30-20, 30-14 and 30-23) to clinch the win before 2,023 fans at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.
With the Kansas win, Pepperdine improved to 27-2 on the year. That set a school record for victories in a season since the NCAA started sponsoring women’s volleyball in 1981.
If Pepperdine defeats Minnesota, it will face the winner of Stanford and Washington on Saturday at 7 p.m. That game would be televised on ESPN. Last year’s Waves team made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before falling to USC. That was the furthest any West Coast Conference team has ever advanced in the tournament.