MALIBU – No. 21 Pepperdine defeated UCSB in three sets (25-21, 25-18, 25-16) on Friday evening as the two teams competed in the Pepperdine Asics Classic at the Waves Firestone Fieldhouse. With the loss, the UCSB losing skid stretches to five matches and the Gauchos are now 3-7 on the season, while Pepperdine stays perfect with a 10-0 overall record.
The Gauchos were led by senior outside hitter Lauren McLaughlin who tallied 11 kills and 11 digs for her second double-double of the season. Sophomore Charlene DeHoog was second on the team with six kills. Sophomore setter Dana Vargas posted 14 assists with seven digs while senior libero Leigh Stephenson tallied 13 digs.
Pepperdine was led by outside hitter Julie Rubenstein who had a match-high 15 kills and 15 digs. Outside hitter Lilla Frederick also had a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Setter Klah Fiers had 38 assists while libero Stevi Robinson collected 12 digs
The first set was tied 16-16 when the Waves ran off four straight points, three on kills by Rachel Lumsden. At 23-21, the Waves ended the set with back-to-back blocks. Pepperdine outhit the Gauchos, .289 to .154 during the set.
The Waves took a 9-6 lead in the second set, but the Gauchos ran off four straight points, two on kills by DeHoog, to take a 10-9 advantage. Pepperdine immediately went on its own 4-0 run to go back up 13-10. The Waves held the advantage the remainder of the set and outhit UCSB .282 to .111 on their way to the 25-18 set victory.
Tied 9-9 in the third set, Pepperdine ran off six straight points, three on kills by Rubenstein. The Gauchos got no closer than five points the rest of the way. The Waves had a .355 to .121 advantage in hitting in the final set.
The Gauchos will finish action at the Pepperdine Asics Classic on Saturday against Texas State at 1 p.m.
