#6 Waves Claim 8th-Straight WCC Regular Season Title

Saturday, April 20

Malibu, Calif.

12:00 p.m. PT

Pepperdine University

Santa Clara

Photo by: Morgan Davenport

#6 Waves Claim 8th-Straight WCC Regular Season Title

4/20/2019 3:28:00 PM | Women's Tennis

By: by Athletic Communications

MALIBU, Calif. – The 6^th-ranked Pepperdine women's tennis team captured the eighth West Coast Conference Regular-Season Championship on Saturday afternoon with a 4-1 win over Santa Clara at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.

The Waves have claimed the regular-season title every year since the WCC implemented it in 2012. Last losing in February, Pepperdine has not dropped a match in 16 games, with seven of those coming over ranked opponents.

The win also marked the last regular-season home match for seniors Adrijana Lekaj, Dzina Milovanovic and Jessica Failla.

RESULTS
#6 Pepperdine 4 – Santa Clara 1
Doubles
1. Ashley Lahey/Daria Kuczer (PEPP) def. Maddie Pothoff/Elvena Gevargiz (SCU-W) 6-4
2. Adrijana Lekaj/Dzina Milovanovic (PEPP) def. Katya Tabachnik/Caitlyn Frankel (SCU-W) 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 2

Singles
1. #33 Ashley Lahey (PEPP) vs. Maddie Pothoff (SCU-W) 7-6, unfinished
2. #92 Adrijana Lekaj (PEPP) def. Elvena Gevargiz (SCU-W) 6-3, 6-3
3. Dzina Milovanovic (PEPP) def. Jamie Schroer (SCU-W) 6-0, 6-2
4. Daria Kuczer (PEPP) def. Katya Tabachnik (SCU-W) 6-1, 6-2
5. Satsuki Takamura (PEPP) vs. Caitlyn Frankel (SCU-W) 7-6, 0-1, unfinished
6. [SCU won by forfeit]
Order of finish: 3,4,2

Lekaj with the CLINCH on court 2! #WavesUp pic.twitter.com/2zsw2Ezdk6
— Pepperdine W. Tennis (@WavesTennis) April 20, 2019

RECAP
Pepperdine was again down two Waves and so forfeited court three in doubles play and court six in singles, giving SCU an autonomous 1-0 lead prior to the start of the match.

The Waves started off neck-and-neck with the Broncos in doubles, until the pair of Ashley Lahey and Daria Kuczer took a 6-4 win on court one, followed by court two with the senior pair of Lekaj and Milovanovic winning in the same fashion to snatch the doubles point.

Even at 1-1 overall, Pepperdine had some work to do in singles play, where Milovanovic finished first with a breezy 6-0, 6-2 win over Jamie Schroer and dropping another point in the Waves' bucket at 2-1. Kuczer followed suit, defeating Katya Tabachnik 6-1, 6-2 on court four.

The 92^nd-ranked Lekaj clinched the match with a pair of 6-3 sets over opponent Elvena Gevargiz in No. 2 singles as the Waves completed the day at 4-1 overall.

NEXT UP
The Waves will travel to Claremont, Calif. to compete in the WCC Tournament, where they will likely accrue a bye in the opening days of action. The tournament is set to begin Thursday, April 24^th with times and opponents still to be determined.

Pepperdine will then set their eyes on the NCAA Tournament, where they will attempt a run for a national title.