OJAI, Calif. – The #8 Pepperdine women's tennis program claimed its eighth consecutive West Coast Conference Tournament championship and 30th tournament title overall with a 4-0 shutout of #45 San Diego on Saturday afternoon at the Weil Tennis Academy.
Fittingly enough, WCC Player of the Year #16 Shiori Fukuda (Tokyo, Japan) clinched the championship for the Waves (20-6) with a 6-2, 6-1 win over #50 Solymar Colling on the top court.
Pepperdine cruised in doubles, leading all three San Diego (16-6) courts 5-2 down the stretch. #34 Savannah Broadus (Carrollton, Texas) and Janice Tjen (Jakarta, Indonesia) were the first winners of the day, defeating their opponents 6-2 on court two. Moments later, the court three duo of Fukuda and Taisiya Pachkaleva (Moscow, Russia) also became a 6-2 victor, giving Pepperdine a customary 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Pepperdine jumped on USD early in singles, winning five first sets. #97 Broadus was awarded a 6-1, 2-0 victory after her opponent unfortunately retired on court five, giving Pepperdine a 2-0 lead. #91 Tjen then blew past Elizabeth Goldsmith, 6-2, 6-2 on court two for a commanding 3-0 lead, setting the stage for Fukuda's championship clinch.
The Waves were well-represented on the all-tournament team, as Fukuda, Broadus and Tjen were recognized in singles, while the pairs of Broadus and Tjen along with Fukuda and Pachkaleva were honored in doubles.
RESULTS
DOUBLES
#44 Flores/Zaar vs. De Las Heras/Goldsmith 5-2 unfinished
#34 Broadus/Tjen def. Kalaitzis/McBride 6-2
Fukuda/Pachkaleva def. Colling/Desiatnikov 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3
SINGLES
#16 Fukuda def. #50 Colling 6-2, 6-1
#91 Tjen def. Goldsmith 6-2, 6-2
#39 Pachkaleva vs. McBride 7-6 (3), 3-2 unfinished
#27 Zaar vs. De Las Heras 4-6, 1-2 unfinished
#97 Broadus def. Desiatnikov 6-1, 2-0 (ret.)
#57 Flores vs. Kalaitzis 6-3, 3-3 unfinished
Order of finish: 5, 2, 1*
NEXT UP: Pepperdine expects to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament next weekend. The Waves' opponent and destination will be announced on Monday during the NCAA Selection Show, which begins at 3:30 p.m. PT and will stream live on NCAA.com.
FOLLOW: Follow @WavesTennis on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to pepperdinewaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
