MALIBU, California – The #5 Pepperdine women's tennis program returns from nearly a two-week break to host Oklahoma before opening up West Coast Conference play at LMU.
MATCH 11: #5 Pepperdine (8-2) vs #21 Oklahoma (13-6, 3-1 Big 12) | Friday, March 24 | 1 p.m. PT | Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center | Malibu, Calif.
MATCH 12: #5 Pepperdine (8-2) at #52 Loyola Marymount (6-4, 1-0 WCC) | Sunday, March 26 | 11 a.m. PT | LMU Tennis Center | Los Angeles, Calif.
COVERAGE
Pepperdine will provide live video and stats for Friday's match, while LMU will have live stats for Sunday's match. The links can be found on PepperdineWaves.com.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance is free to each home match at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center this spring.
SERIES HISTORY
Pepperdine has only played Oklahoma six times, winning four of those meetings. Last season, the teams battled in a highly competitive semifinal at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, a match won 4-2 by Oklahoma. The last meeting between the schools in Malibu occurred in 1986, a 9-0 Pepperdine victory.
Pepperdine is an astounding 41-2 all-time against its PCH Cup rival, including 13-1 in Los Angeles. Pepperdine has won 21 straight meetings dating back to 2003. Last season in Malibu, the Waves swept LMU 4-0.
SCOUTING THE WAVES
Pepperdine has gone 10 days since last competing, as the Waves visited USC on Sunday, March 12 and left with a 4-3 win.
Bunyawi Thamchaiwat clinched the victory with a three-set win on court four, earning her WCC singles player of the week honors last week. The Waves' scheduled match against Ohio State on Tuesday, March 14 was canceled due to inclement weather. A host of Waves are ranked by the ITA in singles and doubles: #13
Janice Tjen, #17
Savannah Broadus, #29
Lisa Zaar, #1 Broadus and Tjen and #40 Thamchaiwat and Zaar. Broadus leads Pepperdine with a perfect 9-0 dual singles record, while her and Tjen are 9-1 in doubles play together this dual season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Since losing two of three matches in February at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, Oklahoma has won seven of their last eight matches with the lone loss coming to #12 Texas on the road. All six Sooner losses have come at the hands of top-20 opponents. Last weekend, Oklahoma defeated both Texas Tech and TCU at home in Big 12 play. Two singles players and two doubles pairs are ranked by the ITA: #64 Dana Guzman, #106 Carmen Corley, #16 Corley/Ivana Corley and #17 Alexandra Pisareva/Layne Sleeth.
After losing its first four matches of the season, LMU has rebounded with six consecutive victories dating back to late January. The Lions opened WCC play in mid-February with a 4-3 road win at BYU. Veronica Miroshnichenko is ranked 81st by the ITA in singles, while she and Eve Marie Voracek check in at #27 in the latest doubles rankings.
FOLLOW: Follow @WavesTennis on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to pepperdinewaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
