Volleyball Southern Conference

Georgia Southern Falls to Pepperdine in NCAA First Round

From GSU Media Relations

CHAPEL HILL, NC - In first round NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament play at Carmichael Auditorium Thursday, Pepperdine defeated Georgia Southern 3-0 to advance in postseason play.

With the win, the eighth-ranked Waves (22-3) move on to Friday's second round game, in which they'll face the winner of Thursday's late matchup, and host school, North Carolina, who knocked off No. 23 South Carolina. The Waves, seeded seventh in the tournament and making their fifth consecutive appearance in the field, powered to victories of 30-21, 30-22 and 30-22 over the Eagles, who were playing in their first NCAA Tournament.

"We came into the NCAA Tournament with the expectations of playing well and advancing past the first round," said Pepperdine coach Nina Matthies. "We're happy to get tonight's win and advance to the second round."

She added, "Georgia Southern was a tough competitor and we are going to face another strong team in either South Carolina or North Carolina."

Sophomore outside hitter Katie Wilkins led the Waves with 21 kills and junior middle blocker Stacy Rouwenhorst added 11. Junior setter Paola Rodriguez totalled 36 assists.

For Georgia Southern, senior outside hitter Camila Schmitz-Rower led the way with 15 kills and four service aces. The Eagles hit .136 for the game, compared with .337 by Pepperdine.

"I felt we played a little scared tonight," Georgia Southern head coach Kerry Messersmith said. "Nerves were definitely a factor, as they would be for any player playing in the NCAA's for the first time. Pepperdine is a big and powerful team. I felt they showed with their poise why they are so highly rated. That added to the intimidation factor for us. We haven't played against such a quality team all year."

Georgia Southern, champion of the Southern Conference, finished its season with a record of 22-12.