Former Southern Methodist University defensive specialist and libero Julie DiBona is headed west to Pepperdine University via transfer. A sophomore-to-be in the fall, DiBona will have three years left of play and will be immediately eligible for the Waves.
The move represents a homecoming for the 5’5″ DiBona, who came to SMU from Seal Beach, California, where she attended Los Alamitos High School. Her sister also ran track at Pepperdine. In DiBona’s lone season as a true freshman with the Mustangs, she totaled 245 digs (2.17 per set), 25 assists and 18 aces in 113 sets and 31 matches of action.
“I chose Pepperdine because it has everything I am looking for in a university,” DiBona said in the team’s release of the transfer. “Along with the beautiful campus, it has great academics and an amazing team that I cannot wait to be a part of.”
The loss leaves SMU, who went 21-11 and 15-5 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in 2017, with two defensive specialists/liberos currently on their 2018 roster.
For Pepperdine, the addition gives them another DS/L to add to their two returners plus any other newcomers. They are coming off of a 16-15 season in which they went 8-10 in the West Coast Conference (WCC).
It’s the second transfer addition for Pepperdine this offseason too, as they also tacked on former Utah outside hitter Shannon Scully. Together, DiBona and Scully add to the sophomore class for the Waves to provide both a boost in 2018 and in the future.
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