Woolever Registers Triple-Double in 3-1 Triumph vs. UC Santa Barbara

Setter Kellie Woolever posts 12 kills, 18 digs and 41 assists to lead Waves to victory.

Kellie Woolever

Oct. 3, 2012

Final Stats | Box Score: #23 Pepperdine 3, UC Santa Barbara 1

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Kellie Woolever registered the rare triple-double and the #23-ranked Pepperdine women’s volleyball team defeated UC Santa Barbara in four sets on Wednesday evening in non-conference action.

The Waves (11-6) won by set scores of 25-23, 19-25, 27-25, 25-17.

Woolever (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) tagged down a career-high 12 kills earned on a blistering .750 hitting percentage. In fact, the junior did not commit a single attack error in her 16 attempts.

The setter continued to help out the offense and dished out 41 assists, leading Pepperdine to a team clip of .236 (61 kills-20 errors-174 attempts). On the defensive end, she added 18 digs and two blocks.

The Gauchos (8-10) managed to hit .191 (57-22-183) on the night and were led by Leah Sully and Katey Thompson, who notched 17 kills each.

Jazmine Orozco (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood HS/Illinois) captured her eighth double-double of the season with 12 kills and season-high 18 digs.

Alyssa Mason (Redlands, Calif./Redlands East Valley HS) made her first start in the middle with a career-best seven blocks and six kills.

Down 4-6 in the opening set, the Waves scored six unanswered points, three of which were earned off their impenetrable block. Mason assisted on all three roofs. Although UCSB made a late surge and killed off five set points, Woolever sided out with a kill and put the first frame in the books, 25-23. Both she and Katie Messing (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) tallied three kills and no attack errors to pace Pepperdine.

UC Santa Barbara responded in the second set, and jumped to a 17-5 lead. Although the Waves were able to narrow the gap, it wasn’t quite enough to avoid the setback. Trailing 24-16, Racich saved one set point with a thunderous cross-court kill, followed by two Orozco put aways and a UCSB attack error to prompt a timeout. The Waves continued to control the rhythm, but a dug Pepperdine attack traveled back onto their side of the net and fell for the unconventional kill to clinch the frame 25-19.

Although Pepperdine held the advantage for much of the third stanza, the Gauchos came back to take a late lead 23-21. After the Waves sent a free ball over the net, UCSB was unable to capitalize, as Victoria Adelhelm (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS) and Woolever thwarted the attack attempt with a block. With the momentum rolling back in its favor, Pepperdine went up set point three times before Orozco sent home a kill to clinch the frame 27-25.

The Waves set the tone in the fourth set, and only trailed briefly in the opening points before taking the lead once and for all at 11-10. Pepperdine continued to extend the advantage and Adelhelm pounded home a kill – her eighth of the match – to secure the set 25-17.

Adelhelm finished the night hitting.364 (8-0-22), and handed out five assists and three blocks.

Taylor Racich delivered 11 kills and 14 digs for her second double-double in three matches (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS).

Michaela Christiaansen (Tucson, Ariz./Ironwood Ridge HS) aptly defended the floor with a season-best 24 digs, while adding two aces for the offensive side. Kelley Larsen’s (Jamul, Calif./Christian HS) well-rounded effort included nine kills and eight digs.

The Waves return to Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday, Oct. 3 to host #15 San Diego at 1 p.m.

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