Malibu, Calif. - Playing on the sands of Zuma Beach, the Pacific sand volleyball team suffered just its second loss the 2014 season falling 5-0 to No. 2 Pepperdine on Saturday, April 19. The loss was Pacific's second to a top-10 team as the Tigers fell to 8-2 on the year. Pepperdine improved to 15-2 overall after also taking down No. 6 Saint Mary's, 5-0, earlier in the morning.
For the first time on the year the Tigers saw all five of their pairings go down to defeat as the Waves swept the day to earn their second win of the morning. Entering the day undefeated at No. 3 having won all nine of their matches on the year, the team of Mia Feiner and Gillian Howard could not get past the sand only team of Caitlin Racich and Delaney Knudsen as they suffered their first loss of the season. The Waves' third team won a close first set, 21-17, holding off Feiner and Howard before taking the match with a 21-11 win in set two. the opening set of the No. 3 match proved to be the Tigers' best chance of the morning to produce a victory as no other Tiger team climbed as close as Feiner and Howard were able to.
In addition to Feiner and Howard suffering their first loss of the year, so too did the team of Alicja Wilk and Kimmy Whitson who fell for the first time in six matches at the No. 2 spot for Pacific. Lara Dykstra and Becca Strehlow for the Waves handed Wilk and Whitson the loss with a sweep of the match, 21-10 and 21-12.
The Tigers will look to regroup on Wednesday, April 23 when they host No. 6 Saint Mary's at the Raney Courts for the final match of the 2014 regular season. The Gaels and Tigers met earlier in the season at Saint Mary's with the Gaels prevailing, 4-1, in a rain soaked match on Mar. 27.
#2 Pepperdine 5 vs. Pacific 0
1. Larsen/Woolever (PEP) def. Elman/Schulz (PAC) 21-8, 21-13
2. Dykstra/Strehlow (PEP) def. Wilk/Whitson (PAC) 21-10, 21-12
3. C. Racich/Knudsen (PEP) def. Feiner/Howard (PAC) 21-17, 21-11
4. Cook/Messing (PEP) def. Tagart/Birch (PAC) 21-7, 21-10
5. Adelhelm/Asprey (PEP) def. Diederich/Bauer (PAC) 21-12, 21-11
