The Pepperdine Waves women’s volleyball team is going for their third consecutive victory on Friday.
The squad hosts Loyola Marymount in Firestone Fieldhouse at 7 p.m.
The 18-7 Waves picked up road wins over Saint Mary’s and Pacific last week. Pepperdine beat Saint Mary’s 3-0 on Nov. 3 in Moraga and then swept Pacific two days later in Stockton.
Sophomore Grace Chillingworth was dominant in both matches. Chillingworth registered a season-best 20 kills and a career-high .475 hitting percentage against Saint Mary’s. The outside hitter also had five blocks, including one solo.
Chillingworth rang up 11 kills, 10 digs, two aces and two blocks against Pacific.
The Waves downed Saint Mary’s 25-22, 25-20, 25-15.
The match was the second time in Chillingworth’s career that she finished with at least 20 kills, but she wasn’t the lone Wave to have an impressive day.
Senior middle blocker Meg Brown had 12 kills and seven blocks and libero/defensive specialist Riley Patterson, a graduate student, had 21 digs and two aces. This was the sixth time Patterson had over 20 digs in her career.
Senior setter Isabel Zelaya had 36 assists, four blocks, and two aces; sophomore Trinity Stanger had 10 digs and one ace; and junior outside hitter Emma Ammerman had six kills and two blocks. Additionally, senior libero/defensive specialist Kayleigh Hames had seven digs and Vanessa Polk, a freshman middle blocker, had three blocks.
Saint Mary’s led the first set 12-5, but Pepperdine quickly gained control of the contest spurred by a number of kills from Chillingworth and an ace by Patterson. Kills by Brown and Chillingworth put the Waves down 16-15. Then, after some back and forth, Pepperdine won the set.
The Waves jumped ahead early in the second (12-6) and third (13-4) sets and never relinquished their leads. Chillingworth’s final kill was the match’s last point.
Pepperdine defeated Pacific 25-16, 25-23, 25-20. Ammerman had 11 kills on a .360 hitting percentage and Zelaya recorded 27 assists, 15 digs, two blocks, and two kills. Brown had six kills and four blocks and Patterson had 15 digs and three assists. Hames had eight digs and one ace, while Stanger had nine digs. Freshman outside hitter Emily Hellmuth tallied five kills and three blocks and freshman middle blocker Kenadie Patterson registered four kills and two blocks.
Pacific held early leads in the first two sets, but Pepperdine battled back in each one. The Waves went on an 8-2 run — highlighted by a block from Brown and Hellmuth — to take control and eventually win the first set. Pepperdine tied the second set at 13, then took a 20-16 lead. Pacific rallied, but a kill by Patterson and a big block by Ammerman and Hellmuth sealed the victory.
Strong serving by Chillingworth helped Pepperdine gain a 5-1 lead in the third set. Pepperdine led 17-9 at one point, but Pacific rallied again. However, the Waves stayed steady and completed the sweep.
After hosting Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine will also host their final three games of the season. The squad hosts BYU on Nov. 17, San Diego on Nov. 19, and Portland on Nov. 22.
The Waves have a 7-1 record at home this season.