Pepperdine women’s volleyball ended its regular season with a 3-1 win over Saint Mary’s at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu on Saturday. The Waves improved their record to 21-8 overall and 15-3 in the West Coast Conference.
Head coach Scott Wong commented on the team’s performance, saying, “The Waves played some pretty steady volleyball today, but really excelled at critical times.”
Saint Mary’s started strong in the first set, opening with four consecutive kills and building an early lead. Pepperdine responded with a run led by Chloe Pravednikov, who contributed four kills to tie the score at 6-6. Despite efforts from Vanessa Polk and Maggie Beauer later in the set, Saint Mary’s secured the first set 25-20 after another scoring surge.
In the second set, Pepperdine overcame an early deficit and took its first lead at 13-12 during a run with Laine Briggs serving. The Waves held off a late push from Saint Mary’s before Pravednikov closed out the set for Pepperdine at 25-23. The team recorded a .400 hitting percentage in this set.
The third set saw Pepperdine start with a 9-4 advantage following a six-point run that included contributions from Charis Kai, Pravednikov, Piskorz, and Raymond. Although Saint Mary’s regained the lead midway through the set, Pepperdine rallied to take six of the last seven points and won on a service ace by Piskorz.
In the fourth and final set, Pepperdine built an early lead behind three kills from Raymond. After briefly falling behind, they regained control as Briggs served three aces during a decisive stretch. Polk added three kills and one block while Piskorz contributed three blocks as well. The Waves finished strong with a 15-4 run to close out both the set (25-16) and match.
With this victory, Pepperdine concluded conference play holding notable wins against teams such as UCLA and UC Davis during non-conference competition. Their strength of schedule ranks eighth nationally according to NCAA metrics.
The team now awaits potential selection for postseason play when NCAA tournament bids are announced Sunday afternoon.
“The Waves played some pretty steady volleyball today, but really excelled at critical times,” head coach Scott Wong said.
Pepperdine women’s volleyball has participated in 26 NCAA Tournaments since 1981 and is recognized as one of the most successful programs on the West Coast. The program boasts twelve WCC championships and has produced multiple All-American athletes across several decades as well as Olympians including Kim Hill who earned Olympic gold in 2020.
