Pepperdine Shows Offensive Power in 3-0 Sweep Vs. Portland

Waves move into fifth place in the WCC standings with a chance to take over fourth place on Saturday.

Michaela Christiaansen

Oct. 18, 2012

Final Stats | Score: #23 Pepperdine 3, Portland 0

MALIBU, Calif. – The #23 Pepperdine women’s volleyball team registered a season-high .442 hitting percentage and shut out Portland 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-8) on Thursday evening. Jazmine Orozco led all hitters with 16 kills.

The Waves are now 15-7 overall and 4-4 in the West Coast Conference with a chance go above .500 in league action this Saturday when they face Gonzaga.

Orozco (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood HS) paced Pepperdine in kills for the 14^th time this season. With 16 kills in addition to three blocks and an ace, the junior finished the night with a match-high 18.5 points.

Opposite side hitter Taylor Racich (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos HS) followed with nine kills, one block and three aces – all of which were earned in the first set – for 12.5 points.

Overall, Pepperdine maintained a stronghold on the offensive rhythm with a .442 (49 kills-11 errors-86 attempts) clip. Meanwhile the Pilots (6-16, 0-8 WCC) struggled to get their offense rolling and managed just a .061 (22-17-82) hitting percentage.

The defense was led by libero Michaela Christiaansen (Tucson, Ariz./Ironwood Ridge HS), who picked up 16 digs. At the net, Samantha Cash (San Diego, Calif./Canyon Crest Academy) threw the roof on for a match-best four blocks.

In the opening frame the Waves stormed out to a 7-2 lead behind four Orozco kills and never looked back. Pepperdine extended its advantage to 12 points at 24-12 before the Pilots went on a 4-0 run to prompt a timeout. Racich terminated a ball coming out of the break – her fourth kill of the match – to put the set away 25-16.

The Waves hit .433 (17-4-30) in the set to dictate the offensive rhythm and limit Portland to a .000 (5-5-28) hitting percentage.

The momentum carried over into the next set, and Pepperdine led from start to finish. Although the Pilots managed 13 kills and hit for .258 (13-5-31) in the frame, the Waves trumped those numbers with 16 kills earned on a .448 (16-3-29) success rate. Racich posted four kills, followed by Katie Messing (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) and Kellie Woolever (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) who both tacked on three kills apiece.

The third set was all Pepperdine, as the Waves out-killed Portland 16-4. The visiting team closed out the frame on a 5-0 run to clinch the stanza 25-8 and secure the shutout.

Messing and Cash ended the night with seven kills each, followed by Victoria Adelhelm (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Santa Fe Christian HS) with six. Woolever managed the offense with 37 assists.

The Waves square off with the Bulldogs on Saturday, Oct. 20 inside the Martin Centre at noon.

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