MATCH STATS
- No. 23 Missouri State def. Pepperdine, 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-21)
- MSU improves to 6-3; Pepperdine drops to 5-4
- Malibu, California
- Attendance: 191
- Box score
MALIBU, Calif. – In their finale of the Pepperdine Asics Classic, the 23rd-ranked Missouri State Bears earned its first-ever win over Pepperdine, 3-1. The series between the two teams dates back to 1977.
Missouri State, losing 3-1 to #8 Washington and sweeping Wyoming earlier in the tournament, turned up the offensive efficiency on the night, hitting .331 for the match and having no more than three hitting errors in any of the four sets. Senior outside hitter Lily Johnson led all attackers with 26 kills and added 17 digs to complete the double-double. She also hit .383 for the match. Other offensive contributors included Cambree Villareal (12 kills, 5 digs and 2 blocks, .314) and Lynsey Wright (10 kills, 5 digs, 3 blocks, .409). Daniele Messa led the efficient offense with 51 assists, while libero Emily Butters led all back row defenders with 27 digs. Johnson and Messa were honored after the match with all-tournament accolades.
On the Waves’ side, Pepperdine was led by Nikki Lyons with 17 kills and 11 digs, her third double-double of the season. Blossom Sato, daughter of former US National Team Member and Olympic bronze medalist Liane Sato, directed the Wave offense with 45 assists. Sophomore middle blocker Jasmine Gross was the lone Wave to make the all-tournament team.
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Courtesy of Missouri State Athletics
MALIBU, Calif.— Missouri State recorded a .331 team hitting percentage and committed no more than three attack errors in any set to earn a 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-21) victory at Pepperdine Saturday in the final match of the Pepperdine Asics Classic at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Lily Johnson led the Bears (6-3) with 26 kills and 17 digs along with a .383 attack efficiency, while Cambree Villarreal and Lynsey Wrighteach committed just one error each with 12 and 10 kills respectively. Junior Emily Buttershad 27 digs to tie Michelle Witzke for fifth on MSU’s career list with 1,343, and Daniele Messadished out 51 assists and served three aces.
Johnson and Messa picked up all-tournament honors as the Bears earned a second-place finish behind No. 8 Washington’s 3-0 record.
Pepperdine (5-4) opened up the first significant lead for either side with a 4-0 run for a 14-9 advantage midway through the first set. The Bears battled back with their own 4-0 run to tie at 16-16, but the Waves responded with a 5-0 spurt for 21-16 and the teams sided out to the final score.
Johnson smashed eight kills in the second set, including a pair for an early 10-7 lead. MacKenzie Irwin and Villarreal teamed up for a block and 14-10 advantage, and the Bears led by at least three points after a Butters ace made it 16-12. MSU closed on a 4-0 run, hitting .333 in the set with 17 kills.
The Bears never trailed in the third set and led 8-4 after three early blocks. Another Irwin block made it 14-8, and Wright and Villarreal each had two kills in a decisive 6-0 run for a 22-12 score to help MSU hit .343 in the period.
Missouri State got off to another quick start in the fourth set, leading 12-7 after Wright swatted two kills in a 4-0 run. A Johnson kill capped a 3-0 run for a 16-11 advantage, but the Waves pulled within one point on five occasions before Messa answered a 22-21 score with a kill and an ace to earn match point, and Irwin and Lauren Boone followed with MSU’s eighth block of the match for the win.
The Bears held Pepperdine to .181 hitting and owned leads of 61-51 in kills and 75-73 in digs.
Missouri State opens the home schedule Thursday at 7 p.m. against Chattanooga in the first match of the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational, and also hosts Washington State, Illinois and Tennessee State in the event.
Courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
MALIBU, Calif. — The Pepperdine women’s volleyball team closed the 20th-annual Asics Classic on Saturday night in Firestone Fieldhouse with a 3-1 loss to Missouri State, a team receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll. The match ended with 20-25, 25-17, 25-13 and 25-21 set results.
Nikki Lyons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS) and Hannah Frohling (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North HS) led the team with their third double-doubles of the season. Lyons posted her 10th-career with 17 kills and 11 digs, while Frohling marked her fourth with 16 kills, 12 digs and three aces.
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