Women's Volleyball Defeats No. 19 Pepperdine
11/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Malibu, CA – The Saint Mary's women's volleyball team was not intimidated by No. 19 Pepperdine, as they rode the Waves to a 3-1 victory, 25-19, 25-23, 14-25, 25-19. With the win the Gaels come away with two victories after a very tough Southern California road trip, opening the second round of conference with a 2-0 record. Saint Mary's improves to 16-6 on the season and 6-3 in West Coast Conference play. The win over No. 19 Pepperdine marks the third ranked opponent that the Gaels have defeated, joining No. 19 Cal Poly and No. 23 Santa Clara.
Sophomore Shannon Lowell led the Gaels in kills for the second straight match, as the middle blocker recorded 16 kills on 29 swings for a .379 hitting percentage. Lowell also added seven digs and six blocks to her performance. Joining Lowell in double digits was fellow sophomore Megan York, picking up 15 kills, 17 digs, and three blocks in the match.
Neither team was able to find much of an attacking rhythm in the competition, as the Gaels were held to a .168 mark, while Pepperdine finished at .175. It was a match of many errors for the Waves, as Saint Mary's forced 27 attacking errors, while being given 11 service errors. The Gaels took much better care of the ball, with only three service errors and 22 hitting errors in the match.
In the first set the Gaels came out composed and ready to play, recording a .233 hitting percentage, and holding the Waves to a .087 mark. The tandem of York and Lowell was too much for Pepperdine, chipping in six and five kills respectively. York's six kills came on 12 swings with only one error, as she finished with a .417 attack percentage in the first set. Alita Fihser scooped up a match-high seven digs in the set, while Kapua Kamana'o dished out an impressive 14 assists.
With the score tied at 10-10 in the first the Gaels made their move, posting multiple runs of points behind the serving of Lyndsey Parker and York. After a 9-3 run, and a 19-13 advantage, Saint Mary's never looked back as they earned the win, 25-19.
Down 23-22 in the second the Gaels took advantage of every opportunity presented, scoring three straight points behind the serving of Fisher and attacking of York and Lowell. Saint Mary's stole away the second, 25-23, as Pepperdine service errors proved to be crucial. Although the Waves topped the Gaels in almost every statistical category, unforced errors were their down fall, as Saint Mary's once again displayed their resilience.
After the break Saint Mary's experienced a slight hiccup in their performance, as they were outscored 5-0 to start the third set. With their rhythm out of sync the Gaels were unable to keep the pressure on the Waves, as they continued to dig themselves into a deeper hole behind attack errors. The Gaels totaled eight errors in the third set alone, while finishing with a -.033 hitting mark. Pepperdine had the hot hand in the set, finishing with a .379 team mark, eventually taking the set, 25-14.
Saint Mary's saved their best set for last, as they totaled 15 kills in the fourth while only committing two errors. The Gaels finished with a .325 attack percentage, helping them overcome the pressure of the Waves, as they took the set and the match, 25-19.
Pepperdine's Julie Rubenstein led all players in the match, finishing the afternoon with19 kills, 13 digs, and one block. Lilla Frederick and Kim Hill also finished in double-digits for the Waves, tabbing 12 and 11 kills respectively.
Saint Mary's will return home for their final matches in McKeon Pavilion, as they host Portland and Gonzaga next week. The Gaels will first host Portland on Thursday, November 6 at 7:00 PM, and will then celebrate their senior day on Saturday, November 8 at 1:00 PM versus the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Sophomore Shannon Lowell led the Gaels in kills for the second straight match, as the middle blocker recorded 16 kills on 29 swings for a .379 hitting percentage. Lowell also added seven digs and six blocks to her performance. Joining Lowell in double digits was fellow sophomore Megan York, picking up 15 kills, 17 digs, and three blocks in the match.
Neither team was able to find much of an attacking rhythm in the competition, as the Gaels were held to a .168 mark, while Pepperdine finished at .175. It was a match of many errors for the Waves, as Saint Mary's forced 27 attacking errors, while being given 11 service errors. The Gaels took much better care of the ball, with only three service errors and 22 hitting errors in the match.
In the first set the Gaels came out composed and ready to play, recording a .233 hitting percentage, and holding the Waves to a .087 mark. The tandem of York and Lowell was too much for Pepperdine, chipping in six and five kills respectively. York's six kills came on 12 swings with only one error, as she finished with a .417 attack percentage in the first set. Alita Fihser scooped up a match-high seven digs in the set, while Kapua Kamana'o dished out an impressive 14 assists.
With the score tied at 10-10 in the first the Gaels made their move, posting multiple runs of points behind the serving of Lyndsey Parker and York. After a 9-3 run, and a 19-13 advantage, Saint Mary's never looked back as they earned the win, 25-19.
Down 23-22 in the second the Gaels took advantage of every opportunity presented, scoring three straight points behind the serving of Fisher and attacking of York and Lowell. Saint Mary's stole away the second, 25-23, as Pepperdine service errors proved to be crucial. Although the Waves topped the Gaels in almost every statistical category, unforced errors were their down fall, as Saint Mary's once again displayed their resilience.
After the break Saint Mary's experienced a slight hiccup in their performance, as they were outscored 5-0 to start the third set. With their rhythm out of sync the Gaels were unable to keep the pressure on the Waves, as they continued to dig themselves into a deeper hole behind attack errors. The Gaels totaled eight errors in the third set alone, while finishing with a -.033 hitting mark. Pepperdine had the hot hand in the set, finishing with a .379 team mark, eventually taking the set, 25-14.
Saint Mary's saved their best set for last, as they totaled 15 kills in the fourth while only committing two errors. The Gaels finished with a .325 attack percentage, helping them overcome the pressure of the Waves, as they took the set and the match, 25-19.
Pepperdine's Julie Rubenstein led all players in the match, finishing the afternoon with19 kills, 13 digs, and one block. Lilla Frederick and Kim Hill also finished in double-digits for the Waves, tabbing 12 and 11 kills respectively.
Saint Mary's will return home for their final matches in McKeon Pavilion, as they host Portland and Gonzaga next week. The Gaels will first host Portland on Thursday, November 6 at 7:00 PM, and will then celebrate their senior day on Saturday, November 8 at 1:00 PM versus the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
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