Pepperdine Volleyball Reaches NCAA Tourney Sweet 16 [Video]

The University of North Carolina's women's volleyball team put up a good effort, but the Tar Heels were no Match for  on Friday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Waves won 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) at Firestone Fieldhouse on the Malibu campus in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

Fifteenth-seeded Pepperdine (24-6) will continue its quest for a national title next Friday in Honolulu, where the Waves will face a Kansas State squad that shocked the volleyball world in the second round with a 3-2 victory over No. 2 seed Nebraska.

This marks Pepperdine's first time in the Sweet 16 since 2005. Head coach Nina Matthies said the team is peaking at the right time of the season because of hard work and a winning attitude.

"During the season, winning begets winning," Matthies said. "The more you win—[it does not become] easier ... to win, but you expect to win. You know what to do to win. I think this group has done a very good job of that."

The match opened with a dominating performance by Pepperdine in the first game. The Waves had the lead throughout the contest, in which they had an impressive .448 hitting percentage.

Game two was more competitive, with North Carolina twice taking the lead, but Pepperdine held on for the victory. The third game was the most intense of the three. Although Pepperdine had leads of 8-3 and 15-10, the Tar Heels got back into it and the two squads exchanged the lead several times.

"We really stuck to our game plan tonight," Matthies said. "I thought the kids weathered some storms."

Senior Stevi Robinson, who had a match-high 13 digs, said the large number of vocal fans in the stands helped achieve the victories on Friday and in the first-round match against Missouri State on Thursday.

"It's absolutely fantastic ... the past two nights have just been tremendous … we're going to miss it," she said.

However, Matthies said the team will have support in Hawaii because the Waves always do—even when playing against the University of Hawaii, who will also be in Honolulu for the next round to face the winner of tonight's USC/Tulsa match. The winners of the two Sweet 16 matches in Honolulu will face off the next day to determine who will travel to San Antonio for the Final Four.

"We have a great fanbase in Hawaii," Matthies said. "I love playing in Hawaii. The fans are fantastic. They love volleyball. They love good volleyball. They love the Waves … it is never a hostile environment."

Matthies said she looked forward to the match with Kansas State (22-10) because it will be a battle between two underdogs. The Wildcats' win on Friday denied Nebraska a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993 and was the team's first victory over its former Big 12 rival since 2003. 

Following a historic and shocking victory, the Wildcats are riding a tremendous high. But the Waves are also doing well, something North Carolina head coach Joe Sagula acknowledged.

He said, "They're going to be a tough team to beat ... I was very impressed with the way Pepperdine played; their total game, they were composed and I think they'll do really well in the next round."