Wednesday, May 19
Orlando, Fla.
2:30 p.m. PT
Pepperdine University
4
vs
3
UCLA
Photo by: Manuela Davies/USTA
Fukuda Clinch Point Sends Waves to First NCAA Semifinals
5/19/2021 9:57:00 PM | Women's Tennis
LAKE NONA, Florida – For the first time in program history, the fifth-ranked Pepperdine women's tennis team will play in an NCAA Semifinal match after a clutch 4-3, four-hour-and-twenty-minute victory over SoCal rival and fourth-ranked UCLA.
Shiori Fukuda came up big for Pepperdine, dropping her first set in a tiebreak but coming back full throttle in the last two sets to defeat the Bruins' Vivian Wolff on court four to win the match for the Waves.
The Waves will face the winner of North Carolina and Duke on Friday, May 21 in the semifinals.
RESULTS
#5 Pepperdine 4, #4 UCLA 3
Singles
1. #7 Abbey Forbes (UCLA) def. #77 Lahey, Ashley (PEPP) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. #21 Failla, Jessica (PEPP) def. #50 Jada Hart (UCLA) 7-6 (9-7), 6-4
3. #89 Pachkaleva, Taisiya (PEPP) def. Elysia Bolton (UCLA) 6-3, 1-6, 7-5
4. #118 Fukuda, Shiori (PEPP) def. Vivian Wolff (UCLA) 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 6-2
5. Abi Altick (UCLA) def. Zaar, Lisa (PEPP) 6-2, 6-3
6. Annette Goulak (UCLA) def. Redelijk, Nikki (PEPP) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Order of finish: 5,6,3,2,1,4
Doubles
1. Lahey, Ashley/Zaar, Lisa (PEPP) def. #59 Jada Hart/Abbey Forbes (UCLA) 7-6 (10-8)
2. Fukuda, Shiori/Pachkaleva, Taisiya (PEPP) def. Annette Goulak/Vivian Wolff (UCLA) 6-4
3. Abi Altick/Elysia Bolton (UCLA) def. Iamachkine,Anastasia/Failla, Jessica (PEPP) 7-5
Order of finish: 2,3,1
RECAP
In a matchup between two storied programs, the drama began in doubles where Fukuda and partner Taisiya Pachkaleva opened the evening up with a 6-4 win, fighting off a Bruin comeback on the fifth point. After a loss on court three, it was all down to Ashley Lahey and Lisa Zaar on court one, taking on the #59 pair of Jada Hart and Abbey Forbes. The Waves and Bruins went game for game, eventually settling at six-all for tiebreak. The Pepperdine pair found themselves in a hole early on at 2-6, but the two won four straight to stay alive.
Lahey and Zaar went point-for-point with the UCLA tandem, but eventually snatched the win at 10-8 on a Bruins botched return. The doubles point was the first Pepperdine had earned against UCLA in four meetings this season.
After an hour-long doubles fight, the Waves took to singles where three courts needed first-set tiebreakers to move on. Pepperdine went one for two in the breaks, however, putting some pressure on the good guys and shifting momentum toward UCLA.
After the world's shortest rain delay, the Waves used the pause to regain some stamina and came out with more energy. Pepperdine lost matches on courts five and six to put them down 1-2, but #89 Pachkaleva came storming back in her third set after being down 3-5 at one point to win 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 for the first Waves' singles point of the afternoon.
The match is the freshman's 23rd-straight singles win and 25th overall in a streak dating back to February 5.
Almost simultaneously, #21 Jessica Failla completed a two-set defeat of #50 Hart on court two. Failla was the only Wave to win her first set tiebreak at 7-6(7) before putting the Bruin to rest in the second at 6-4.
A fall on court one levelled the score at three-all and all eyes migrated to court four where #118 Fukuda battled Vivian Wolff. After narrowly dropping her first set in a 9-7 tiebreak, the Wave never looked back and won the next two sets at 6-3, 6-2 in front of an emphatic crowd.
Fukuda's match point came on a shot to the net from the Bruin to unleash the Pepperdine hoards into a dogpile on the 4-3 win.
UP NEXT
#5 Pepperdine vs #1 UNC/#18 Duke will be held on Friday, May 21 at either 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT or 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY, THE WAVES ARE HEADED TO THE SEMIS!!!
— Pepperdine Women's Tennis (@WavesTennis) May 20, 2021
Shiori Fukuda™️ clinched the 4-3 win over SoCal rival UCLA at 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-2!@NCAATennis | @usta pic.twitter.com/6dzDjGprvk
Shiori Fukuda came up big for Pepperdine, dropping her first set in a tiebreak but coming back full throttle in the last two sets to defeat the Bruins' Vivian Wolff on court four to win the match for the Waves.
The Waves will face the winner of North Carolina and Duke on Friday, May 21 in the semifinals.
RESULTS
#5 Pepperdine 4, #4 UCLA 3
Singles
1. #7 Abbey Forbes (UCLA) def. #77 Lahey, Ashley (PEPP) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. #21 Failla, Jessica (PEPP) def. #50 Jada Hart (UCLA) 7-6 (9-7), 6-4
3. #89 Pachkaleva, Taisiya (PEPP) def. Elysia Bolton (UCLA) 6-3, 1-6, 7-5
4. #118 Fukuda, Shiori (PEPP) def. Vivian Wolff (UCLA) 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 6-2
5. Abi Altick (UCLA) def. Zaar, Lisa (PEPP) 6-2, 6-3
6. Annette Goulak (UCLA) def. Redelijk, Nikki (PEPP) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Order of finish: 5,6,3,2,1,4
Doubles
1. Lahey, Ashley/Zaar, Lisa (PEPP) def. #59 Jada Hart/Abbey Forbes (UCLA) 7-6 (10-8)
2. Fukuda, Shiori/Pachkaleva, Taisiya (PEPP) def. Annette Goulak/Vivian Wolff (UCLA) 6-4
3. Abi Altick/Elysia Bolton (UCLA) def. Iamachkine,Anastasia/Failla, Jessica (PEPP) 7-5
Order of finish: 2,3,1
RECAP
In a matchup between two storied programs, the drama began in doubles where Fukuda and partner Taisiya Pachkaleva opened the evening up with a 6-4 win, fighting off a Bruin comeback on the fifth point. After a loss on court three, it was all down to Ashley Lahey and Lisa Zaar on court one, taking on the #59 pair of Jada Hart and Abbey Forbes. The Waves and Bruins went game for game, eventually settling at six-all for tiebreak. The Pepperdine pair found themselves in a hole early on at 2-6, but the two won four straight to stay alive.
Lahey and Zaar went point-for-point with the UCLA tandem, but eventually snatched the win at 10-8 on a Bruins botched return. The doubles point was the first Pepperdine had earned against UCLA in four meetings this season.
Down 2-6 in the break for the doubles point? No problem. We're just having fun with it. @NCAATennis | @usta pic.twitter.com/p25Mcpcowk
— Pepperdine Women's Tennis (@WavesTennis) May 19, 2021
After an hour-long doubles fight, the Waves took to singles where three courts needed first-set tiebreakers to move on. Pepperdine went one for two in the breaks, however, putting some pressure on the good guys and shifting momentum toward UCLA.
After the world's shortest rain delay, the Waves used the pause to regain some stamina and came out with more energy. Pepperdine lost matches on courts five and six to put them down 1-2, but #89 Pachkaleva came storming back in her third set after being down 3-5 at one point to win 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 for the first Waves' singles point of the afternoon.
The match is the freshman's 23rd-straight singles win and 25th overall in a streak dating back to February 5.
GUESS WHO pic.twitter.com/cYkDoIOBzY
— Pepperdine Women's Tennis (@WavesTennis) May 20, 2021
Almost simultaneously, #21 Jessica Failla completed a two-set defeat of #50 Hart on court two. Failla was the only Wave to win her first set tiebreak at 7-6(7) before putting the Bruin to rest in the second at 6-4.
A fall on court one levelled the score at three-all and all eyes migrated to court four where #118 Fukuda battled Vivian Wolff. After narrowly dropping her first set in a 9-7 tiebreak, the Wave never looked back and won the next two sets at 6-3, 6-2 in front of an emphatic crowd.
Fukuda's match point came on a shot to the net from the Bruin to unleash the Pepperdine hoards into a dogpile on the 4-3 win.
UP NEXT
#5 Pepperdine vs #1 UNC/#18 Duke will be held on Friday, May 21 at either 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT or 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
