Oregon State
2-9,0-1WCC
Pepperdine
4-7,1-0WCC
Oregon State Falls in League Opener
September 26, 2024 | Women's Volleyball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Being on the short end of scoring runs, the Pepperdine Waves spoiled the league opener for Oregon State at Gill Coliseum, taking the match in four sets.
The Beavers (2-9, 0-1 WCC) fell 20-25, 21-25, 27-25, 15-25 on Thursday night in front of over 1,400 students. Offensively, Oregon State was held to just a .177 clip compared to the Waves' .338.
Led by a combined 25 kills from the duo of Lauren Rumel (13) and Annika Hester (12), the Beavers kept themselves in reach of the preseason conference favorites with help from 41 assists from Emma Lilo (23) and Alara Doganyuz (18). Defensively, the Beavers were paced by Yasemin Narlioglu's 19 digs while Vivian Light followed with a dozen for herself.
Opening the match in a tightly-contested set, the visitors pulled away for the win after seizing momentum at 19-17 and didn't trail again. The Beavers closed the deficit to two at 20-18 but a three-point run by Pepperdine was too much. Light's service error at 24-20 killed any chance for a last charge as the Waves struck first.
A pair of 3-0 runs late by Pepperdine were all they needed to take for a 2-0 set lead, winning 25-22 to put the Beavers on the brink early. Despite falling behind by eight in the set's first 12 points, OSU kept it close, even taking a late 20-19 lead off a Light kill before Pepperdine used a 6-2 run to put pressure on the home team.
With a second consecutive sweep looming down 25-24, clutch kills by Rumel and Hester, capped off by a Light service ace turned the momentum for Oregon State and sent the match to a fourth set. The Beavers made numerous comebacks in the frame, trailing by as many as five on three instances before sealing the set at 27-25. The Beavers' offense in the frame was led by Lilo's 11 helpers and Rumel's seven kills.
Despite starting the fourth on a 3-0 run, the Beavers' momentum couldn't keep up with the Waves' offense in the final frame. Pepperdine finished off the match with a .455 clip while holding Oregon State to a .094 hitting percentage. Beaver attackers mustered just seven kills – three with a pair – on 32 swings.
Oregon State will make the quick trip to Portland to face the Pilots in a conference match in their next time out. First serve from the Chiles Center is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
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