Pepperdine collects two wins at Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic

By McKenzie Jackson · Sat Sep 19 2026

Waves rebound from opening loss with victories over Eastern Kentucky and James Madison, improving to 6-3 on the season

The Pepperdine Waves women's volleyball team rebounded from an opening-match loss to finish 2-1 at the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic in Bowling Green, Ky.

The team lost its first match in the event to host Western Kentucky 3-1 on Sept. 10 but then bounced back to beat Eastern Kentucky 3-0 the next day and James Madison 3-1 on Sept. 12.

Western Kentucky beat Pepperdine 25-22, 16-25, 25-16, 25-17. Junior outside hitter Maggie Beauer led the Waves with 11 kills and 12 points. Beauer and fellow junior outside hitter Chloe Pravednikov also shared the team lead with 27 attacks. Senior libero Laine Briggs posted 22 digs defensively. 

Pepperdine swept Eastern Kentucky 25-22, 25-23, 25-21. During the victory, sophomore setter Tristen Raymond tallied 37 assists, which put her at 1,046 career assists. She is on pace to finish her college career in the top 10 in program history in that category.

Pravednikov posted 13 kills, and Beauer contributed 10. Junior middle blocker Ella Piskorz added eight kills and seven blocks, and freshman outside hitter Mariia Nikol Dvornikova had six kills and two blocks.

Pepperdine defeated James Madison 25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 25-19.

Dvornikova and Pravednikov each had 12 kills in the win. Pravednikov also posted three blocks. Piskorz added nine kills and 10 blocks, a game-high, and Beauer had eight kills and four blocks. 

Waves head coach Scott Wong praised their opponent’s performance.

“It really made us dig deep and play some really good volleyball,” he said. 

Pepperdine has a 6-3 record heading into their home matchup against UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 18. The Waves face USC the next day in Los Angeles. 

Pepperdine opened the season with victories over Villanova, South Dakota State, and Sacramento State in the Asics Classic.  Tulsa and Creighton defeated the Waves in the Bluejay Invitational. Pepperdine recorded a win over Arizona in the event.