MALIBU, California – The #8 Pepperdine women's tennis program returns to non-conference action this weekend, hosting a top-20 matchup as #18 USC comes to Malibu to round out the four-match homestand for the Waves.
MATCH 13: #8 Pepperdine (9-3) vs. #18 USC (10-7) | Saturday, March 19 | 1:00 p.m. | Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center | Malibu, Calif.
SERIES HISTORY: Pepperdine has won eight matches in a row against its local counterpart, including taking three matches from the Trojans in 2021. The Waves have not lost to USC since 2015.
COVERAGE: All matches will be live-streamed via Playsight and can be found on PepperdineWaves.com. Scores will be updated periodically on the web and on Twitter at @WavesTennis.
ATTENDANCE: Due to relaxed L.A. County COVID guidelines, tickets are no longer required for home tennis events.
WAVES IN THE RANKINGS
As a team, Pepperdine is ranked eighth in the ITA computer ratings and eighth in the Tennis Channel/USTA college poll.
SCOUTING THE WAVES
Pepperdine has taken the first three matches of the homestand in convincing fashion, defeating #25 Stanford, #57 Princeton and #58 BYU by a combined score of 17-2. Additionally, the ninth-ranked duo of Savannah Broadus and Janice Tjen were recognized as the first WCC Doubles Team of the Week on Tuesday. The Waves are well-represented in both singles and doubles rankings by the ITA: #18 Shiori Fukuda, #39 Taisiya Pachkaleva, #48 Victoria Flores, #88 Janice Tjen, #98 Nikki Redelijk, #109 Savannah Broadus, #14 Flores/Zaar and #40 Flores/Tjen.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
USC has been streaky to start the season, winning its first five matches before dropping seven of eight from February 11 to March 4. However, the Trojans are currently on a four-match winning streak, highlighted by a win on Saturday, March 12 over Arizona. USC boasts three ranked players in singles and two pairs in doubles: Eryn Cayetano (#6), Salma Ewing (#29), Snow Han (#60), Ewing/Han (#29) and Cayetano/Grace Piper (#49).
FOLLOW: Follow @WavesTennis on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to pepperdinewaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
