Matadors Drop Dual Match at 18th-Ranked Pepperdine

MALIBU, Calif. - The CSUN beach volleyball team (13-13) dropped a dual match, 5-0 to the 18th-ranked Pepperdine Waves Saturday morning at the Pepperdine Beach Volleyball Courts.

The Waves got the scoring underway in the No. 4 pair as Gracey Campbell and Gabriella Perez swept the Matadors' Victoria Rogers and Layla Cederlind by the score of 21-15, 21-12. CSUN's Emily Sparks and Mac McCarthy then came back after dropping set one in the No. 4 pair to force a third set before bowing 20-18. The Waves' pair, which featured former Matador Lexi McLeod along with Savannah Standage, would pull out a 21-9, 20-22, 20-18 win to make it 2-0 Pepperdine. The No. 3 pair would clinch the win for the hosts as Juju Quintero and Aubrey Roberts topped Seyvion Waggoner and Mikaela Maughan, 21-18, 21-17.

Abbey Sweeting and Gabriela Griego had their four-match win streak snapped in the No. 5 pair as Kristine Briede and Madison Oriskovich also held on for a three-set win, 21-12, 22-24, 15-7. Pepperdine would make it a 5-0 final when McKenna Thomas and Kate Clermont swept Lauren Eknoian and Tasha Mae in the No. 1 pair, 21-18, 21-11. The Waves also picked up a win in the exhibition (No. 6) match as Mari Wright and Jordan Benoit defeated Abigail Alvarez and Kinley Lindhardt in straight sets, 21-19, 25-23.

COACH ARI HOMAYUN SAID
"We finally got to play in some nice weather this season. I thought the girls battled hard and did a good job of implementing the things we have been working on in practice. We just couldn't do it consistently enough to beat a team like Pepperdine. They were solid across the board, but we definitely had our chances. I would still consider this a step in the right direction."

UP NEXT
The Matadors will return home next week to host Cal State LA in a pair of dual matches on Thursday (Apr. 13) before capping the regular season on Friday by taking on CSU Bakersfield and Westcliff at the Barnes Beach Volleyball Complex in Bakersfield.

#18 PEPPERDINE 5, CSUN 0
#1 - Thomas/Clermont (PEPP) def. Eknoian/Mae (CSUN) – 21-18, 21-11
#2 - McLeod/Standage (PEPP) def. Sparks/McCarthy (CSUN) – 21-9, 22-22, 20-18
#3 - Quintero/Roberts (PEPP) def. Waggoner/Maughan (CSUN), 21-18, 21-17
#4 - Campbell/Perez (PEPP) def. Rogers/Cederlind (CSUN) – 21-15, 21-12
#5 - Briede/Oriskovich (PEPP) def. Sweeting/Griego (CSUN) – 21-12, 22-24, 15-7
Exh. - Wright/Benoit (PEPP) def. Alvarez/Lindhardt (CSUN) – 21-19, 25-23

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Matadors Drop Dual Match at 18th-Ranked Pepperdine

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Players Mentioned

Abigail Alvarez

Layla Cederlind

Lauren Eknoian

Gabriela Griego

Kinley Lindhardt

Tasha Mae

Mikaela Maughan

Mac McCarthy

Victoria Rogers

Emily Sparks

Abbey Sweeting

Seyvion Waggoner