MALIBU, Calif. – (October 11, 2025) – Washington State volleyball showed grit but came up short on the road Saturday, falling in straight sets to Pepperdine (27-25, 25-13, 25-14) at Firestone Fieldhouse.

The Cougars (11-5, 5-1 WCC) came out firing in the opening set, building momentum behind a balanced offensive attack and clutch serving.

WSU traded points throughout the frame, erasing multiple deficits and surging ahead late thanks to kills from Taryn Vrieling and Camryn Lingenbrink, plus a key service ace by Italia Bernal. The Cougars even reached set point at 24-23 before the Waves narrowly escaped in extra points, 27-25.

Washington State continued to push the pace early in the second set with another pair of strong swings from Lucie Blažková and Melina Christodoulou, but Pepperdine's block began to make the difference as the home team held off WSU's comeback bid.

Despite the scoreline, WSU's young lineup continued to fight through each rally. Vrieling led the attack with six kills on .357 hitting, while Lingenbrink and Blažková each tallied four kills apiece. Bernal directed the offense with 13 assists and three aces, while Tinons Munar Galmés anchored the defense with a team-high eight digs.

NOTES

• Blažková tallied one solo block in the match, pushing her to 57 career solo blocks, ninth all-time at WSU.
• Hitting at a .419 clip this season, Blažková currently sits with the third-highest single-season hitting percentage in WSU history.
• With five service aces in the match, the 2025 team currently sits with the second-highest aces per set average in WSU history with 1.90.
• Italia Bernal matched a career-high with three service aces

UP NEXT
The Cougars are back in Pullman for two next weekend, opening the slate against San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. and then hosting LMU on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

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