MALIBU, California – The #8 Pepperdine women's tennis program begins its NCAA Tournament run at home this weekend, hosting Denver in a first-round matchup on Friday.
MATCH 27: Pepperdine (20-6) vs. Denver (14-8) | Friday, May 6 | 1:00 p.m. | Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center | Malibu, Calif. | USC and San Diego State will play at 10:00 a.m. in the first match.
If Pepperdine wins … MATCH 28: Pepperdine (20-6) vs. USC (17-11)/San Diego State (17-6) | Saturday, May 7 | 1:00 p.m. | Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center | Malibu, Calif.
SERIES HISTORY: Pepperdine is 3-0 all-time against Denver, defeating the Pioneers in 2010, 2017 and 2019. The latter two matches happened in Malibu. The schools have never met in the postseason.
The Waves are no stranger to USC, facing off against the Trojans 64 times, including 27 times where Pepperdine was the host. The Waves claimed a 5-2 victory over USC on March 19, marking the ninth consecutive win over the Pac-12 school. This is the seventh meeting in the NCAA Tournament between the schools, with each team winning three. The last postseason matchup came in 2016, where the Waves won 4-2 in the second round in Malibu.
Pepperdine holds a 31-22 all-time advantage against San Diego State, but the teams have not met since 2016. Pepperdine has won three straight against the Aztecs. The only meeting in the NCAA Tournament came in 1997, where Pepperdine won a regional semifinal in San Diego, 5-2.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: This is the 38th NCAA Tournament appearance for Pepperdine, as the Waves hold a 43-37 record all time. Last season's squad advanced to the national championship match, falling 4-3 to Texas. Pepperdine has only missed the NCAA Tournament twice in its history. This season marks the ninth time the Waves will host the first and second rounds. In 2019, Pepperdine hosted its first-ever Super Regional, and should it advance through this weekend, would host its second-ever Super Regional next weekend.
COVERAGE: A link to the Tournament Central page, which includes live stats, is available on PepperdineWaves.com. Live video will be available through the TennisONE app on a smartphone. Scores will be updated periodically on Twitter at @WavesTennis.
TICKET/FAN INFO: E-tickets will be available for purchase and located here: www.pepperdinewaves.com/tickets/ All tickets available are general admission. Pre-order is strongly encouraged. All tickets are single-day sessions. The prices are $10 for general admission adult and $5 for children (ages 2-12), seniors (65+) and students with ID. Children under 2 are free of charge.
Fans can park in the Firestone Fieldhouse lot and walk up to the tennis facility. Handicapped parking is available for tennis matches in the Firestone Fieldhouse lot below the stairs. There is a ramp next to the parking lot that leads to the elevator. If assistance is needed in making your way to a venue, please contact Public Safety at 310-506-4442.
LOOKING AHEAD: The winner of the four-team regional in Malibu will face off against the winner of the Coral Gables regional next weekend in the Super Regional. #9 Miami is host to UCF, Alabama and Stetson this weekend.
WAVES IN THE RANKINGS: As a team, Pepperdine is ranked eighth in the ITA computer ratings and ninth in the Tennis Channel/USTA college poll.
SCOUTING THE WAVES: Pepperdine claimed its eighth consecutive West Coast Conference Tournament title, and 30th overall, last weekend after defeating San Diego 4-0 in Ojai. #15 Shiori Fukuda, #27 Lisa Zaar, #40 Taisiya Pachkaleva and #59 Victoria Flores were selected to compete at the NCAA Singles Championships in Champaign, Ill., in three weeks, while the 42nd-ranked pair of Savannah Broadus and Janice Tjen will participate in doubles. Broadus (#85), Tjen (#91), Nikki Redelijk (#121), Flores/Zaar (#45), Flores/Tjen (#60) and Broadus/Fukuda (#70) round out the Waves in the individual rankings. The final ITA individual rankings will be released on June 2.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Denver earned its way into the NCAA Tournament after winning the Summit League Tournament, defeating Omaha in the semifinal and South Dakota in the championship -- both by 4-0 decisions. This marks the 11th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance for the Pioneers. No Pioneers are ranked by the ITA, but Andrea Burguete Beltran has a 13-4 dual singles record to pace Denver. As a team, the Pioneers are 76-36 in singles matches this dual season.
USC was on a seven-match winning streak prior to being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament by Arizona State. The Trojans are making their 38th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Eryn Cayetano (#7), Salma Ewing (#50), Naomi Cheong (#84), Ewing/Snow Han (#58), Cayetano/Ewing (#72) and Cayetano/Grace Piper (#74) are all ranked by the ITA.
San Diego State clinched its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013 after winning the Mountain West Tournament as the three seed. The Aztecs defeated fourth-seeded UNLV 4-1 for their first MWC Tournament title in 19 years. Bunyawi Thamchaiwat is the lone Aztec ranked by the ITA, coming in at #65 in singles.
FOLLOW: Follow @WavesTennis on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to pepperdinewaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
