The Pepperdine beach volleyball team swept the competition at the two-day Malibu Invite
The Pepperdine beach volleyball team went undefeated in the two-day Malibu Invite last weekend on the beach volleyball court on Pepperdine’s campus.
The Waves downed Morehead State 5-0 and Sacramento State 3-2 on March 14 before defeating UTEP 5-0 the next day.
The Waves tandem of junior Gabriella Perez and senior Madison Oriskovich defeated Morehead State’s M.E. Hargan and Avery Ray 21-12, 21-15 to give Pepperdine a 1-0 lead. Waves Emi Erickson, a junior and redshirt freshman Deanie Woodruff, lost their first set 21-18 but then rallied to win the next two matches 22-20, 15-12.
Seniors McKenna Thomas and Kate Clermont gave Pepperdine a 3-0 lead by beating Irene Wogenstahl and Bella Marita 21-14, 21-14. Waves freshman Emma Eden and graduate student Ella Foti defeated Sarah Heath and Peighton Isley 21-15, 21-9, and then sophomore Bella Avelar and redshirt junior Emma Bubelis downed Hollan Everett and Courtney Fitzgerald 21-17, 19-21, 15-12 to claim the win for Pepperdine.
Erickson and Woodruff beat Victoria Marthaler and Mia Guevara 21-18, 21-18 to put the Waves up 1-0 over Sacramento State. Oriskovich and Perez beat Ashlynn Archer and Ellie Tisko 21-17 in the first set, but then Archer and Tisko won the next two sets 21-19, 15-12 to tie the scorer 1-1. Pepperdine’s Foti and Eden defeated Karlie Spohn and Greta Davis 21-12, 21-15 to give Pepperdine a 2-1 lead. Avelar and Buelis then fell to Sacramento State’s Savannah Risley and Kate Doorn 21-16, 21-15.
Clermont and Thomas, playing in the No. 1 slot, split the first two sets with Caitlin Volkmann and Bridgette Smith 21-17, 21-18. Thomas and Clermont snagged a 3-1 lead in the last set and never trailed. The Waves twosome won the match 15-10 to give Pepperdine another win on the first day of the Invite.
Perez and Oriskovich won their opening set over UTEP’s Madison Hill and Ema Uskovic 21-11. The Pepperdine duo were down 16-15 in the second set but then went on a 6-0 run to grab a 21-16 win and give the Waves a 1-0 lead.
Bubelis and graduate student Marley Johnson won their first set over Averie Threet and Kennedy Llewllyn 21-15. The Waves lost the second set 21-14 before winning the third set 15-12. Erickson and Woodruff gave Pepperdine a 3-0 lead with wins of 21-19, 21-13 over Emma Schubert and Lauren Perry.
Eden and Foti defeated Marian Ovalle and Mila Popovic 21-12, 21-12 to give Pepperdine a 4-0 lead. Clermont and Thomas lost their first set 21-12 against Krista Paegle and Paulina Acuna; the Waves won the tough second set 22-20 and then the third set 15-12. The victory cemented the win for Pepperdine and was the 75th career individual win for Thomas and Clermont.
The Waves have a 5-6 record heading into their matchup against South Florida on Friday at 9 a.m. on the opening day of the Asics Classic at Pepperdine. The Waves play Concordia at 1 p.m. Pepperdine plays Vanguard at 9 a.m. on Saturday and plays South Florida again at 1 p.m.
Pepperdine opened their season with a 5-0 win over Vanguard on Feb. 21. The Waves lost six straight matches before beating CSUN 3-2 on March 1.